Rating Reputation: Online Defamation

Abstract

The 21st century has witnessed a blossoming of rating, evaluation or even blacklisting sites. We are living in a “reputation nation,” where our conduct is evaluated often by anonymous individuals in different aspects, entailing the dangers of shame sanctions. This reputation rating system is far from being a system of formal adjudication. It may carry false or incorrect information, and may not allow an individual to correct such information. The presentation questions how we develop a new model with an appropriate procedural layout that can accommodate social norms, technological advancement and the legal right to protect reputation on online platforms. The speaker advocates for a new regime that requires online rating sites to have netiquette and information policy, including the right to reply amongst other requirements.