5 March 2013

Stories from 5 March 2013

#FreeRod: Chilean Twitter User Faces Trial for Parody

  5 March 2013

Chilean billionaire Andrónico Luksic has accused Twitter user Rodrigo Ferrari of “usurpation of identity” for running an account that mocked Luksic. If Ferrari is found guilty, the case could set a disturbing precedent for both free expression and privacy in Chile.

Location Matters: Online Defamation in Latin America

  5 March 2013

In Latin America, where defamation laws are not consistent, online defamation cases threaten to erode the universal right to freedom of expression, which is enshrined by nearly every national constitution in the region. Definitions of what constitutes a criminal defamation offense - and therefore its consequences - vary throughout the region. A critical comment online could lead to a fine in one country but a prison sentence in another.