Legal Implications Associated with Participating in Social Media Groups

Abstract

The emergence of social media platforms has contributed to making the world a global village. Social media as a means of communication has raised and thrown up legal issues relating to its administration and use generally. The issues consist of information management, privacy, liability of users and possible litigation there on. Further, such post could raise issues like libel, defamation and other several legal violations which may be intended or not necessarily deliberate. Attempts at legislative interventions to control happenings in the social media has also come with diverse commentaries, with some in support and others against it. Social media growth has also increase the spate of trademarks, copyrights and trade secret infringements. Apart from the protection and monitoring against infringement of such rights, the legal duty imposed on the administrator of a social media group is a sacred one. Aside the responsibility of accounting for the post of members of a social media group, the bucks stops on the desk of the group administrator. However, most administrators are oblivious of this fact and the duty imposed on them by law. In recent times, administrators and members of social media groups have being made to face the consequences of information disseminated without verication or conrmation of its authenticity. Certain post has the consequences of causing untold damages, not only to individuals, but to the image of corporate bodies, communities and humanity at large. There are no better times, for individuals to exercise restraint with information they disseminate on social media, without proper verication than the times we are in, for as they often say, ignorance of the law is not an excuse. This piece examines the role of members of social media groups, the administrator, and the likely legal implications of activities in a social media group chat. The consequences of unfounded post could be prosecution or civil claims which comes with attendant nancial cost and physical inconveniences. There is need, not only to scrutinize and weigh what we receive as post , but also to be careful on what and how we re-broad cast the post received, in order not to incur criminal liability or civil claims for damages