Irish judge closes opinion website saying defamation can cause suicide

The internet is packed full of opinion sites all under the heading of freedom of speech. But an Irish judge has landed the first blow against sites with 'patently untrue' information by shutting one down.

Judge Michael Peart ordered rate-your-solicitor.com to be closed because it had defamed a Sligo solicitor, Damien Tansey. The action was against site operators and the US site host, Dostster Inc.

The judge said the site was: "allowing unscrupulous persons or ill-motivated malcontents to vent their anger and grievances against people, where their allegations are patently untrue and unreasonable".

Launching a proper broadside on the internet, Justice Peart said in some extreme cases such damage "can lead to suicide".

The 'mischief', as he called it, was so serious that the government should draft a new law to deal with defamatory material online.

"The civil remedies currently available have recently been demonstrated to be an inadequate means of prevention and redress," the judge said.

Could this the end of the internet as we know it? Probably not, but it will be quite a change if people can no longer get away with saying what they like on the net. The judiciary have landed the first blow against the 'post whatever you like' website. Now let's see what happens.