The common law could be developed to remind bloggers and internet users that they have responsibilities as well as rights, Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, has said
In an address to media lawyers at “Conference5RB”, in London this week, Lord Neuberger outlined the difficulties of enforcing legal action against internet commentators who are “often unaccountable”. He said it was important to protect free speech and the right to anonymity of online commentators while recognising also the responsibilities of those who exercise such rights.
The absence of a clear or consistent principle in Strasbourg jurisprudence did not prohibit the development of a coherent body of domestic law, as “the common law continues to develop alongside the Convention rights, and offers protections which complement those rights”.
