Legal Question in Technology Law in California

Comments about a business on a website

I run a website that has information about various businesses (business name, address -- general directory information), and also has a comments section for people, presumably customers, to post comments and reviews. If a business approaches me disputing one of those comments, what responsibility do I have legally? Under what circumstances can I be forced to remove a comment?


Asked on 8/01/08, 5:34 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Timothy J. Walton Internet Attorney

Re: Comments about a business on a website

Technically, federal law provides immunity for operators of informational web sites. No one can force a web site owner to publish something specific (or remove something specific), short of a court order. Web sites are private property, after all.

The wise web site owner hires an attorney to draft terms of service and other legally required documents (e.g., California requires a privacy policy) so as to provide notice to web site users of what can be expected, or if there are procedures for disputing opinion comments.

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Answered on 8/01/08, 11:28 pm


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