Can Digital Speech Loosen the Gordian Knot of Reputation Law

Elizabeth A. Kirley

English

This paper likens the current state of reputation law to a Gordian knot, entangled in complexities and calling for novel thinking to make it relevant to our public and private lives. Its central thesis is that digital speech is ontologically different from offline speech and so calls for a more informed response to the harms it can inflict in order to determine whether legal or extra-legal mechanisms are most restorative. In spite of a wealth of international norms that address the value of personal reputation, they have had minimal influences on regional and domestic laws of the European Union and the United States, reflecting the deeply rooted cultural differences on each side of the Atlantic that shape laws of privacy and free speech. In conclusion, implications for future methods of addressing online reputational harm outside of traditional legal systems are discussed

Kirley, Elizabeth

Deakin Research Online

Can digital speech loosen the Gordian knot of reputation law?

Santa Clara University School of Law

Can Digital Speech Loosen the Gordian Knot of Reputation Law?

bepress Legal Repository

http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30091476/kirley-candigitalspeech-2016.pdf

Can Digital Speech Loosen the Gordian Knot of Reputation Law?

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Deakin Research Online

Santa Clara University School of Law

bepress Legal Repository