Facebook has introduced a new tool to allow users to control who comments on their posts.The new tool is expected to help media companies, politicians and public figures limit potentially defamatory comments being made on their posts.”By adjusting your commenting audience, you can further control how you want to invite conversation onto your public posts and limit potentially unwanted interactions,” Facebook said in a statement on Wednesday.”And if you’re a public figure, creator, or brand, you too can choose to limit your commenting audience on your public posts to help you feel safe and engage in more meaningful conversations with your community.”
With the new tool users to choose from a range of restrictions on who can comment on their post – from everyone who can see the post, to only those who have been tagged by the profile or page in the post.Facebook’s move comes after a 2019 ruling in the NSW Supreme Court, which was upheld by the NSW Court of Appeal in June last year.
Former Northern Territory youth detainee Dylan Voller sued media outlets including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and Sky News Australia, over comments about him made on their Facebook pages.The court found news media companies were liable for defamatory comments posted by users on their public Facebook pages.Media outlets, including Nine Entertainment Co, the publisher of nine.com.au, are now preparing a High Court challenge to the ruling.
Source: 9news.com.au
