Calling Time on Ireland's Anonymous Keyboard Warriors
17 February - 25 minsSay the wrong thing about someone… and it can cost you. A tweet. A headline. A comment under a post. In Ireland, words have come with a serious price tag.
Last week, the Defamation (Amendment) Bill passed through the Oireachtas, bringing the biggest changes to Irish libel law in years. No more juries in High Court defamation cases. New protections for journalists. New powers aimed at stopping so-called SLAPPs — lawsuits designed to intimidate and silence critics. And crucially, courts will now have clearer authority to order the identification of anonymous online posters — meaning the era of the untouchable “keyboard warrior” may be coming to an end.
Why does this matter? Because Ireland...