Attention Congregations with Social Media Accounts!

A High Court of Australia judgement (Fairfax vs Voller) in September has implications for all organisations that use social media. A majority of justices (5–2) ruled that the owners of social media accounts can be considered ‘publishers’ and are thereby potentially liable for defamatory and other illegal comments on the accounts. This applies even if the comments were made by a third party and even if the organisation did not know the comments were there. Pending further consultation and advice, the LCANZ Churchwide and District offices have implemented measures to minimise the risk on their own accounts, and we are urging all congregations and other agencies of the church to introduce similar measures. You are welcome to adapt the LCANZ social media procedures to your own needs – click here. More details will follow in due course. In the meantime, you are invited to contact LCA Communications or your District office for advice.