Liability for Online Review Website

[Pedas2]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Arizona

There seems to be a plethora of online review websites, but how do they protect themselves against liability if a user posts defamatory or libelous information? If I were to start a review website where users could review electricians for example, and a user posted a review about an electrical contractor that irked him because he thought it was false, what would the odds be of the electrical contractor winning a lawsuit against my website for hosting such false information? Would I be responsible for the content of what others post on the website?

 

[quincy]

The Communications Decency Act, section 230, provides an immunity from suit to those websites that host material that may be defamatory, but do not help in the creation of the content or encourage defamatory content.

That said, your review website could be named in a suit along with the content creator. You would use Section 230 to dismiss the action against you or as a defense.