Experts advise social media users to post information responsibly.
Experts advise social media users to post information responsibly.
As more Northlanders use social media, the rise of posting defamatory content and the habit of publishing important information online before notifying first responders during an emergency is a growing concern, experts say.
Public posts that intend to “name and shame” an individual/s were common reports received by Netsafe, the online safety organisation’s chief executive Brent Carey says.
Northland users were as vulnerable to false allegations shared on community or regional pages as Kiwis across the country.
Carey recalled a report where a Facebook user posted private information about an individual who had allegedly committed a crime.
“The person included a photograph which appeared to have been captured from CCTV. “It showed an image of a young person, their full name, and alleged that they had stolen from their store.”
He said the backlash resulted in significant online abuse and harassment for the individual shown and their family.
Brent Carey says Netsafe deals with many types of harm including online defamation. And reports of such cases were quite frequent.
In another instance, two people amid their divorce proceedings had shared intimate details of their home life on social media with the sole purpose to discredit each other and justify each other’s actions.
Carey felt that using digital platforms to propagate such allegations was often about creating a power imbalance between the accuser and the accused.
And slapping a defamation case against an accuser in Aotearoa was a “big undertaking.”
University of Auckland law professor Mark Henaghan concurred.
He said it usually took a year or two to get a defamation case to court. On top of the wait, the accused would have to pay thousands of dollars to bring it to action.
The professor felt the lack of solid regulation together with exorbitant court costs was the reason several social media users got away with their posts of a “defamatory nature”.
Mark Henaghan says the cost of suing someone for defamation was so exorbitant that most affected people opted to do nothing about it.
“The problem is that it has become a sort of an accepted norm. It happens probably every hour of the day and the damage caused to the accused is immense.
“Even after their names get cleared, they will have to bear the brunt of those who think there may be some truth to those allegations,” Henaghan said.
Aside from online defamation, all information regarding public safety should be forwarded to emergency services before posting on social media, said Fire and Emergency Northland District manager Wipari Henwood.
“Especially during critical emergencies like crashes or gas leaks. It’s a reminder to the public that posting about such incidents doesn’t necessarily equate to alerting emergency services.”
On November 27, some Facebook users posted that there was a gas leak in Otaika about 12.30pm.
However, according to a Whangārei Fire Brigade spokesperson Craig Dudley, they were only alerted to the leak about 1pm.
Wipari Henwood says there were both negative and positive impacts of using social media to inform about an emergency. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Henwood said such discrepancies could pose a risk to public safety.
“It’s all about having our guys on site as soon as possible as it helps us limit and take control of the situation much quicker and better.”
But he pointed out that there were some positive outcomes as well.
“For instance, early posts about roadblocks help other motorists to take a different route and avoid more traffic.”
Henwood said the nature of social media to quickly disseminate information on a large scale played a “crucial role” during Cyclone Gabrielle.
“With everyone posting about what’s happening in their area, we got a gist of how to distribute our resources and collaborate with other services. But leaving such exception aside, as a practice it’s a good habit to call 111 or 105 when needed.”
A police spokesperson said filing an official report was the best way to bring crime or related events to their attention.
“It’s important for the public to know that we are unable to take reports of crime via social media and that our social media pages are not monitored 24/7.”
The spokesperson said they encourage the public not to take matters into their own hands and to report questionable social media posts or any crime via the official police reporting channels.
Professor Henaghan said people affected by such posts could seek Netsafe’s help using the Harmful Digital Communications Act (HDCA) law – which provides victims of harmful digital communications with a quick and effective means of redress.
If you are a victim and seek more information go to netsafe.org.nz.
Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.
