THE behaviour of some local social media users has come under scrutiny as compromising photos and videos continue to surface on a Facebook page that is believed to have started in the Swan Hill region.
And while the antics featured on the page — primarily intoxicated locals passed out — might be amusing to some of its 3500 followers, at least one report has been made to the social networking giant so far.
Administrators declined invitations to talk to The Guardian but responded directly to critics in a recent status.
“To the person that reported this page we would like to take this time out to let you know that we are not intending to harm or abuse the public in anyway and also no animals were harmed in the making of this page!” page operators posted on June 18.
But anyone who finds themselves featured without their consent — or believes someone might be considering uploading offensive content to the site — is being warned that digital privacy concerns are a “minefield”.
Dunstan Law’s Geoff Dunstan, based in Swan Hill, said defamation could occur on such a page but jurisdictional issues arise if people consider legal action.
“Depending on the content someone might be able to look at it as defamatory but there a significant issues with who controls the site and where it is controlled from,” he said.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (July 1).
