ANALYSIS: Could an obscure legal procedure clean up social media commentary in Calderdale?

A court order could help identify the people behind anonymous defamatory posts in Calderdale. But the remedy comes with legal safeguards, and pursuing it takes time, money and grim determination.

When will people learn?

Earlier this year, Calderdale Labour Party were forced into an apology after they defamed me on Facebook. Sadly, it took intervention from lawyers and the CLP paying my legal expenses, but the person from Labour who wrote the defamatory material has never been identified.

Yesterday, an anonymous Facebook account made a potentially serious defamatory remark about a high-profile Calderdale individual.

I won’t repeat the allegation or identify the anonymous account.

But these incidents raise a question that goes beyond any one person or political party: what practical protection does someone have when a damaging allegation is published by a person whose identity they cannot establish?

An accusation or defamatory remark takes seconds to type. Challenging it can take lawyers, money and a strong stomach. The anonymous person publishing it can close their laptop and get on with their evening. The person on the receiving end is left deciding whether to ignore it, respond publicly or begin the potentially expensive process of seeking redress.

And responding presents its own difficulty. How do you challenge an allegation without introducing it to people who would otherwise never have seen it?

But there is a legal remedy that could help people in Calderdale pursue damaging allegations published anonymously. And word on the street is that is exactly what is happening…..

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