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What Is Defamation and Libel and How Does It Apply to Web Publishing?

Learn about defamation and libel in web publishing. Understand cyber libel, its impact, and how to protect your online content from legal issues. Read more now!

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Introduction

Our text compare tool is a fantastic, lightweight tool that provides plagiarism checks between two documents. Whether you are a student, blogger or publisher, this tool offers a great solution to detect and compare similarities between any two pieces of text. In this article, I will discuss the different ways to use the tool, the primary features of the tool and who this tool is for. There is an FAQ at the bottom if you run into any issues when trying to use the tool.

What makes Originality.ai’s text comparison tool stand out?

Keyword density helper – This tool comes with a built-in keyword density helper in some ways similar to the likes of SurferSEO or MarketMuse the difference being, ours is free! This feature shows the user the frequency of single or two word keywords in a document, meaning you can easily compare an article you have written against a competitor to see the major differences in keyword densities. This is especially useful for SEO’s who are looking to optimize their blog content for search engines and improve the blog’s visibility.

Ways to compare

File compare – Text comparison between files is a breeze with our tool. Simply select the files you would like to compare, hit “Upload” and our tool will automatically insert the content into the text area, then simply hit “Compare” and let our tool show you where the differences in the text are. By uploading a file, you can still check the keyword density in your content.

URL compare

Comparing text between URLs is effortless with our tool. Simply paste the URL you would like to get the content from (in our example we use a fantastic blog post by Sherice Jacob found here) hit “Submit URL” and our tool will automatically retrieve the contents of the page and paste it into the text area, then simply click “Compare” and let our tool highlight the difference between the URLs. This feature is especially useful for checking keyword density between pages!

Simple text compare

You can also easily compare text by copying and pasting it into each field, as demonstrated below.

Features of Originality.ai’s Text Compare Tool

Ease of use

Our text compare tool is created with the user in mind, it is designed to be accessible to everyone. Our tool allows users to upload files or enter a URL to extract text, this along with the lightweight design ensures a seamless experience. The interface is simple and straightforward, making it easy for users to compare text and detect the diff.

Multiple text file format support

Our tool provides support for a variety of different text files and microsoft word formats including pdf file, .docx, .odt, .doc, and .txt, giving users the ability to compare text from different sources with ease. This makes it a great solution for students, bloggers, and publishers who are looking for file comparison in different formats.

Protects intellectual property

Our text comparison tool helps you protect your intellectual property and helps prevent plagiarism. This tool provides an accurate comparison of texts, making it easy to ensure that your work is original and not copied from other sources. Our tool is a valuable resource for anyone looking to maintain the originality of their content.

User Data Privacy

Our text compare tool is secure and protects user data privacy. No data is ever saved to the tool, the users’ text is only scanned and pasted into the tool’s text area. This makes certain that users can use our tool with confidence, knowing their data is safe and secure.

Compatibility

Our text comparison tool is designed to work seamlessly across all size devices, ensuring maximum compatibility no matter your screen size. Whether you are using a large desktop monitor, a small laptop, a tablet or a smartphone, this tool adjusts to your screen size. This means that users can compare texts and detect the diff anywhere without the need for specialized hardware or software. This level of accessibility makes it an ideal solution for students or bloggers who value the originality of their work and need to compare text online anywhere at any time.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice. For expert legal advice that relates to your area and particular situation, please consult a legal professional.

Defamation and libel lawsuits are nothing new. But with high-profile cases like E Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump and actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation trial dominating the news in recent years, the topic has become top of mind for many people, including web publishers. Could you face your very own defamation lawsuit for creating and publishing online content? And if so, under what circumstances?

In this article, we’re going to explore how defamation and libel apply to the world of web publishing. We’ll go over what they are, how they apply to online publications, and the big question that may be on your mind, whether or not a web publisher can be sued for making defamatory statements.

What Is Defamation and Libel?

Before we get into some examples, let’s clarify exactly what we’re talking about here. Without using too much legalese, defamation occurs when an individual provides false information that can damage someone else’s reputation. 

It typically falls under one of two categories:

  • Slander, which is verbal defamation
  • And libel, or written defamation

So, as you may imagine, the libel form of defamation is most relevant for web publishers who post written information on the internet. In fact, it has become such an issue that online defamation like this now has its own name: cyber libel.

How Does Online Defamation Apply to Web Publishing?

You may only hear about the high-profile cases, but cyber libel and other forms of online defamation can happen in a variety of situations. They just need to have the following elements:

  • A false statement of fact about the plaintiff (so an opinion piece doesn’t count)
  • Publication of this statement to a third party
  • The statement was non-confidential and published maliciously, or at the very least negligently
  • The published statement harmed the plaintiff’s reputation

Of course, the exact requirements for an online defamation case will depend on the laws in your area. But generally speaking, if you’re publishing the type of content that fits this criteria, you could be on the receiving end of an online defamation lawsuit.

Examples of Online Defamation and Cyber Libel

Now, you may be thinking that as long as you do your due diligence and avoid including any false information or accusations in a blog post, then you’re in the clear. But online defamation doesn’t just occur in articles - it can happen in any kind of content you publish on the internet.

For example:

  • YouTube reviews. If a reviewer verbally makes false claims about a company’s products or services, it could be considered slander.
  • Social media. If you’re making false statements or sharing modified images that show a company or individual in a bad light on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, then the target of these accusations could pursue legal action.
  • Industry-specific platforms: One of the elements for an online defamation case may be publication to a third party, but note that this doesn’t mean it has to be available to everyone on the internet. If you’re posting malpractice allegations against lawyers or other types of professionals on industry-specific websites, for example, then you could be held accountable.

It may not seem like a single post can make a huge difference in the lives of individuals, especially if only a few people see it. But while it is harder for someone like a public figure to prove defamation than a private citizen (since they have put themselves in the public eye, they have to prove actual malice, not just negligence like a private figure), the effects of one post can still be devastating if the right person or people see it. So devastating, in fact, that they may just come after you for damages.

Who Can Be Sued for Online Defamation and Libel?

While you may think that online defamation accusations should be directed at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) or hosting website, this isn’t an option due to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The law states that:

“No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” (See 47 U.S.C. § 230)

This means that you are directly responsible for what you post online, and can therefore be sued for online defamation. Even if you republish someone else’s defamatory statement and credit the source, you can still be held liable for putting this information out there.

What If Someone Leaves Defamatory Comments on Your Website?

In this case, Section 230 will likely offer you some protection. Since bloggers and other web publishers can be considered both a user and a provider of interactive computer services, you should not be held responsible for any defamatory statements in those comments.

What If I Publish AI-Generated Content That Contains Defamatory Statements?

Since the technology is still so new, there isn’t really a consensus on whether AI can be sued for defamation yet. That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been any lawsuits, though. For example, a man named Jeffery Battle is currently suing Microsoft for libel because Bing's AI was confusing him with a terrorist by the name of Jeffrey Leon Battle.

So, until the laws are clarified here, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is assume that you are responsible for publishing any AI-generated content that contains defamatory statements. If you’re publishing work from other writers, this may mean running the content through an AI checker to see how much of it has been generated by AI, and then fact-checking any highlighted sections. You might even consider using a fact checking tool as well.

There’s no doubt that legal battles can be incredibly time-consuming and costly, so it’s better to be safe than sorry in this situation.

Final Thoughts

Since web publishers can be held liable for posting defamatory statements online, it’s important to take steps to avoid a potential lawsuit. Fortunately, by learning about what constitutes a defamatory statement, how it applies to web publishing, and who can be sued for online defamation, you’ll be in a better position to avoid any kind of legal trouble.

Ultimately, though, as long as you’re committed to posting honest and factual content, you should be able to avoid any kind of defamation accusations.

Jess Sawyer

Jess Sawyer is a seasoned writer and content marketing expert with a passion for crafting engaging and SEO-optimized content. With several years of experience in the digital marketing, Jess has honed her skills in creating content that not only captivates audiences but also ranks high on search engine results.

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Originality.ai did a fantastic job on all three prompts, precisely detecting them as AI-written. Additionally, after I checked with actual human-written textual content, it did determine it as 100% human-generated, which is important.

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I use this tool most frequently to check for AI content personally. My most frequent use-case is checking content submitted by freelance writers we work with for AI and plagiarism.

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Jon Gillham, Founder of Originality.ai came up with a tool to detect whether the content is written by humans or AI tools. It’s built on such technology that can specifically detect content by ChatGPT-3 — by giving you a spam score of 0-100, with an accuracy of 94%.

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ChatGPT lacks empathy and originality. It’s also recognized as AI-generated content most of the time by plagiarism and AI detectors like Originality.ai

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For web publishers, Originality.ai will enable you to scan your content seamlessly, see who has checked it previously, and detect if an AI-powered tool was implored.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it important to check for plagiarism?

Tools for conducting a plagiarism check between two documents online are important as it helps to ensure the originality and authenticity of written work. Plagiarism undermines the value of professional and educational institutions, as well as the integrity of the authors who write articles. By checking for plagiarism, you can ensure the work that you produce is original or properly attributed to the original author. This helps prevent the distribution of copied and misrepresented information.

What is Text Comparison?

Text comparison is the process of taking two or more pieces of text and comparing them to see if there are any similarities, differences and/or plagiarism. The objective of a text comparison is to see if one of the texts has been copied or paraphrased from another text. This text compare tool for plagiarism check between two documents has been built to help you streamline that process by finding the discrepancies with ease.

How do Text Comparison Tools Work?

Text comparison tools work by analyzing and comparing the contents of two or more text documents to find similarities and differences between them. This is typically done by breaking the texts down into smaller units such as sentences or phrases, and then calculating a similarity score based on the number of identical or nearly identical units. The comparison may be based on the exact wording of the text, or it may take into account synonyms and other variations in language. The results of the comparison are usually presented in the form of a report or visual representation, highlighting the similarities and differences between the texts.

String comparison is a fundamental operation in text comparison tools that involves comparing two sequences of characters to determine if they are identical or not. This comparison can be done at the character level or at a higher level, such as the word or sentence level.

The most basic form of string comparison is the equality test, where the two strings are compared character by character and a Boolean result indicating whether they are equal or not is returned. More sophisticated string comparison algorithms use heuristics and statistical models to determine the similarity between two strings, even if they are not exactly the same. These algorithms often use techniques such as edit distance, which measures the minimum number of operations (such as insertions, deletions, and substitutions) required to transform one string into another.

Another common technique for string comparison is n-gram analysis, where the strings are divided into overlapping sequences of characters (n-grams) and the frequency of each n-gram is compared between the two strings. This allows for a more nuanced comparison that takes into account partial similarities, rather than just exact matches.

String comparison is a crucial component of text comparison tools, as it forms the basis for determining the similarities and differences between texts. The results of the string comparison can then be used to generate a report or visual representation of the similarities and differences between the texts.

What is Syntax Highlighting?

Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) that helps to visually distinguish different elements of a code or markup language. It does this by coloring different elements of the code, such as keywords, variables, functions, and operators, based on a predefined set of rules.

The purpose of syntax highlighting is to make the code easier to read and understand, by drawing attention to the different elements and their structure. For example, keywords may be colored in a different hue to emphasize their importance, while comments or strings may be colored differently to distinguish them from the code itself. This helps to make the code more readable, reducing the cognitive load of the reader and making it easier to identify potential syntax errors.

How Can I Conduct a Plagiarism Check between Two Documents Online?

With our tool it’s easy, just enter or upload some text, click on the button “Compare text” and the tool will automatically display the diff between the two texts.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Text Compare Tool?

Using text comparison tools is much easier, more efficient, and more reliable than proofreading a piece of text by hand. Eliminate the risk of human error by using a tool to detect and display the text difference within seconds.

What Files Can You Inspect with This Text Compare Tool?

We have support for the file extensions .pdf, .docx, .odt, .doc and .txt. You can also enter your text or copy and paste text to compare.

Will My Data Be Shared?

There is never any data saved by the tool, when you hit “Upload” we are just scanning the text and pasting it into our text area so with our text compare tool, no data ever enters our servers.

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