Quote - Why do they make the operators liable? Shouldn't the person who actually made the statement be liable?

When are people going to learn to hold the perpetrator responsible for his or her actions instead of blaming it on someone else?

The operator is liable because they are providing the medium in which the harassment/abuse is taking place. If the medium/site weren't there, the abuse/harassment wouldn't have happened.

It's not a matter of blaming someone else. It's a matter of resonsibility. Are you providing a service where people can get together and discuss a topic of common interest, or are you providing a medium for harassment and abuse? If someone on your forum is harassing and abusing someone and you don't do anything to stop it you ultimately make yourself liable because you are a contributor to that harassment because you provided the medium for which it took place, and without that medium the harassment wouldn't have taken place. You can put up as many statements as you like about "the forum host is not liable for member's actions", but those mean absolutely nothing.

If you have a forum and members are sharing warez products, you will be the one charged and closed down. If you have a forum and members are making terrorism plots, you are liable because you provided the medium for that to take place.

Harassment, stalking and abuse are real crimes...be it in "real life" done in person, or on the internet. Message edited on: 03/07/2006 16:31

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi