Belfast libel lawyer warns of liability for tech giants in Ireland

A leading Belfast libel lawyer has said tech companies like Google and Facebook are increasingly exposed to legal action because their EU operations are based in Ireland.

Paul Tweed of Johnsons Solicitors told The Guardian that there had been a “steady, if not dramatic increase in claims” due to an increasing number of people using social media vindictively as well as an increasing realisation that these companies can face sanction under Irish law.

Mr Tweed said many social media sites were likely to develop new voluntary take-down procedures in response to continuous legal action.

He said: “If they don’t they will find themselves at the wrong end of civil law in terms of major damage claims.

“The bottom line is that Twitter, Facebook et al have created these social networking beasts for their commercial gain and therefore the onus must be firmly on them to provide effective controls that give more than lip service to public concerns.

“They cannot have it all their own way. They have come to Ireland, which has to be good news for our economy, but they cannot expect to take all the benefits and escape the legal and other consequences.”