Half of Twitter users do not consider legal risks of tweets

Half of Twitter users don't consider whether their tweet is in breach of the law before sending it, while two-thirds have little awareness of their legal rights and responsibilities when posting to social media, according to a new study.

Law firm DLA Piper carried out the research into the awareness levels of internet users when posting comments on social media sites.

The Shifting Landscapes study, which surveyed 2,000 web users, is the fifth that the firm has performed on the subject since 2008. 

DLA Piper found that web sites have become less heavily moderated, and that the number of people who have had comment posts on social media sites removed has more than halved since 2008, from 14 per cent to six per cent.

Duncan Calow, a partner at DLA Piper, told V3 that this decline in moderation could be because internet users are self-moderating their comments.

However, the research also showed that internet users are less interested in learning about their online responsibilities.

Only 18 per cent of those surveyed read the terms and conditions of the sites they use, compared to 33 per cent in 2008.

Calow described this "publish and be damned" approach as a worrying development.

"A question that needs to be addressed is whether social media needs to be regulated, like traditional media, or should moderation be left to society? We know how to behave offline, so maybe it's about moving social norms online," he added.

"People need to apply common sense to the laws they have heard about. If they pause before they post, they could probably identify areas of concern, defamation, and whether they are breaching employment contracts or copyright."

The report also cites research by Sweet & Maxwell suggesting that the number of online defamation cases has more than doubled in the past 12 months.

The issue of online liability was brought to the forefront of public attention this year when Twitter users broke a super injunction imposed by footballer Ryan Giggs.

Additionally, during the London riots, two social media users were sentenced to four years in prison for using Facebook to incite violence and looting.