Am I liable for slanderous or defamatory statements made by others on my web site?

Bethlehem, PA Viewed 76 times. Posted 5 months ago in Libel / Slander
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I have started a web site where people can rate others on their their personality as well as other personal characteristics and attributes on a scale of 1 through 10 and also can provide comments as to why they gave that rating. The site is very specific as to who is being rated.

If visitors to the site use this to attack the character of others with false and possibly harmful statements or allegations, can I be sued for defamation/libel for providing a platform for these allegations to be made even if the user agreed to a disclaimer and terms of use that prohibit them from making such statements and resolving me of any liability of they do violate the terms of use?

The information on the site is available to the public.
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Answers (1)

Jonathan H Levy

Jonathan H Levy Avvo Pro

Contributor Level 9
This attorney is licensed in California and 1 other state. Posted 5 months ago. Flag as objectionable
Your likely defense in the event of trouble is that you are immune under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (a common name for Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996) codified at 47 U.S.C. § 230.

Section 230(c)(1) provides immunity from liability for providers and users of an "interactive computer service" who publish information provided by others.
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