This chapter outlines the legal risks of social media use by employees and members of the public, and explains how to minimise the risks to your business.
Unauthorised disclosure of personal information can occur if an employee publishes someone’s personal information on the business’s social media platform.
You may be exposed to legal action if your business’s social media platform has been used to sexually harass or bully another person or discriminate against or vilify a person or group of people.
If your business publishes information that is defamatory, you can be liable for a defamation claim under the relevant legislation in your jurisdiction.
If your business or an employee publishes information that is misleading or deceptive, or is likely to mislead or deceive someone, you can be liable under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
It is important to monitor your business’s social media pages and those pages connected to your business (e.g. your employees’ pages) to ensure the following.