Libel And Slander Research Articles

Safeguarding media integrity: A hybrid optimized deep feature fusion based deepfake detection in videos

The surge in deepfake techniques allows even non-experts to create deceptive videos using only source and target images, posing risks such as impersonation, character defamation, and spreading misinformation on various platforms. Existing methods often prove insufficient, particularly when faced with videos generated through diverse deepfake techniques that feature variations in lighting conditions and ethnicities. This paper introduces a novel approach called Hybrid Optimized Deep Feature Fusion-based Deepfake Detection (HODFF-DD) in videos, employing a spotted hyena optimizer. The HODFF-DD framework is designed to be resilient across ethnicities and varying lighting conditions, capable of detecting deepfake videos created by different techniques. The architecture comprises two integral components: a customized model incorporating InceptionResNetV1 and InceptionResNetV2, and a Bidirectional Long-Short Term Memory (BiLSTM). In this framework, faces extracted from videos undergo feature extraction at the frame level using our custom model comprising InceptionResNetV1 and InceptionResNetV2. The resulting sequences of features are then utilized to train a temporally aware BiLSTM for binary classification between real and fake videos. To optimize network weights, a bio-inspired spotted hyena optimizer is applied during the training process. Evaluation on diverse datasets, including the Kaggle dataset, FaceForensics++ (FF++) encompassing videos manipulated using various techniques (DeepFakes, FaceSwap, Face2Face, FaceShifter, and NeuralTextures), and the FakeAVCeleb dataset, demonstrates the effectiveness of our presented approach. Our method achieves an accuracy exceeding 90 % on subsets like DeepFakes, FaceSwap, and Face2Face.

Aesthetic Verdicts

This article examines the landmark 1878 defamation case of Whistler v Ruskin, a pivotal legal battle that underscored the complexities of adjudicating art criticism under defamation law. The trial arose from John Ruskin’s scathing critique of James McNeill Whistler’s work, which led Whistler to sue for libel, seeking validation not just of his art but of his artistic philosophy. Despite the public fascination and Whistler’s tactical use of the trial as a platform for self-promotion, the jury’s award—a derisory farthing—hinted at their view of the lawsuit as frivolous. This case emphasizes the intrinsic challenge of legal systems grappling with subjective art valuation and critiques, the evolving norms of defamation, and the implications for the freedom of speech. While Whistler nominally won, the repercussions for both men were significant, affecting their finances, reputations and positions within the art world, and the trial’s legacy continues to inform the discourse around art, law and cultural value. Keywords: James McNeill Whistler; John Ruskin; Victorian libel law; defamation; art criticism; aesthetics; 19th-century British art; fair comment.

Forensic Hypoglycaemia & Neuroglycopenia — A Clinical Legal Social Endocrinology Challenge for 2024, Forensic Law in Hypoglycaemia 4

Forensic Hypoglycaemia & Neuroglycopenia — A Clinical Legal Social Endocrinology Challenge for 2024, Forensic Law in Hypoglycaemia 4

Визуальный фейк, созданный посредством нейросети: социально-правовые риски и проблемы квалификации

The article provides current examples (as of August 2023) of the spread of visual fakes created as a result of using a neural network. Among the socio-legal risks associated with this phenomenon, the following are considered the presence of an effective tool for creating disinformation; the relative ease of using a neural network; the uncontrolled dissemination of the product; undermining of public confidence in the reliability of images and news; a threat to the honour, dignity, and reputation of individuals. The commitment of many national governments to the idea of prohibitions and restrictions on the dissemination of deliberately false information on the Internet, as opposed to the Network Neutrality movement formed in Western society, is stated. The author describes the difference between two basic approaches to countering fakes, conventionally designated as public-legal and private-legal. Russian legislation combines elements of both approaches – state coercion in the form of punishment with the possibility of filing defamation lawsuits. The analysis of the envisaged measures of civil, administrative and criminal liability is supplemented by an indication of gaps in relation to visual fakes created with the help of a neural network. The author presents her own vision of the formulation of the most important issues in this area and outlines possible vectors for their further analysis.

Cyberbullying Experiences and Coping Strategies in Ibadan Metropolis, Ibadan, Nigeria

Introduction/Aim: Cyberbullying of influential personalities or celebrities is a media menace. Psychological, depressional, and emotional suicidal ideation effects are some of the impacts on celebrities. A few studies have investigated celebrities' coping mechanisms against this, with the majority from developed countries. There is a dearth of information on this among celebrities in Nigeria. This study investigated the experience, effects, and coping mechanisms of cyberbullying among celebrities in the Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria. Material and method: A descriptive crosssectional purposive sampling method was adopted. An in-depth interview guide was used for data collection among 14 consented celebrities. Data were manually analysed thematically. Results: Most participants were 25-35 years old and were comedians. All have experienced cyberbullies, such as popularity attacks and defamation of character. The effects of cyberbullying on the victims include low self-esteem, mental stress, depression, substance abuse, and financial crisis. Jealousy, hatred, envy, and quest for popularity among the perpetrators fuelled this menace. However, some celebrities have overcome these effects through technical, preventive, corrective, social support, and spiritual approaches. Conclusion: Cyberbullying is prevalent among celebrities and many experienced psychological effects. Awareness, interventions aimed at its prevention, and adequate coping strategies are needed to solve this menace.

Archiving Facts and Documentary Films: Sites of Memorial Struggle for the October 6, 1976, Massacre in Thailand

None of the perpetrators involved in the October 6, 1976, massacre in Thailand have been brought to justice. It has been this “culture of impunity” that limits the possibility of truth projects. Past state violence has been protected by the country's blanket amnesty laws and libel laws. Additionally, unreleased archival materials are restricted from public release by copyright law. Audiovisual and documentary evidence for counter‐memory projects are thus challenged. On the other hand, evidence collected by activist archivist groups reveals painful memories from the relatives of victims and provides hope for truth‐seeking. Collections of photographs, audio interviews, testimonies, and artifacts are utilized by both archivists and documentary filmmakers to forge claims toward restorative justice. And while the dominant discourse forces society at large to keep silent, historians, archivists, and filmmakers collectively resist forgetting. Together they lay claim to photographic and audio evidence as well as personal painful memories to illustrate and generate public dialogue, telling truths through sight and sound. Some of these archival efforts led to practices in participatory documentary‐making. Collectively, these efforts in archival practice and filmmaking give birth to an ethic of immediation in humanitarianism. Thailand's next generation is engaged in recalling memories of past state violence and questioning the present authoritarian regime through archival filmmaking and exhibition practices.

The Devil’s in the Details: How Countries’ Defamation Laws Can (and Can’t) Combat Hate Speech

ABSTRACT Despite the multitude of efforts to combat hate speech, it persists within our global media discourse. It appears in legacy news media content, right-wing media outlets, and social media. In some countries, defamation laws are used to punish those who publish false, defamatory statements about a group defined by its racial, religious, or national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Recognizing the potential role civil defamation laws can play in mitigating the problem of hate speech in media, this article offers a comparative legal analysis of existing defamation laws in Brazil, Germany, and the United States. The purpose of this inquiry is to determine whether and to what extent victims of hate speech might be able to employ these laws to seek justice. Our analysis indicates that criminal libel laws are often abused by political actors, and thus civil laws are preferred. Based on Germany’s experience, we also find that social media platform compliance with this process is essential. Therefore, we propose a solution that expands U.S. libel law to include group defamation and uses carveouts to CDA Section 230 to motivate platform participation in identifying and removing group libel.

Agnotology in Palestine/Israel

Abstract This essay, a product of a reflection and dialogue between a Palestinian and a Jewish Israeli, revisits the so-called "Teddy Katz Affair," a heated debate that erupted first in 2000 but resurfaced recently due to a new documentary. The Affair was triggered by a newspaper article reporting about a master’s thesis, which relied heavily on oral testimonies, that concluded that war crimes against Palestinians were committed during the 1948 War in the village of Tantura. After chronicling briefly the sequence of events — which included a libel suit, a public debate, and retraction of the thesis by the university — this article assesses its broader impact on the historiography of Palestine/Israel. Finally, it proposes to employ the term “agnotology” to describe the mechanisms that were developed to distort and silence Palestinian narratives in Israel. Agnotology, it is suggested, is a concept that better captures the hierarchies of knowledge that were used to distinguish Jewish testimonials from Palestinian memories and the process by which they were absorbed and codified by academic historians following the Affair.

Amateur Sleuths and Online Truths: Defamation Lawsuits in the Internet Age of True Crime

Amateur Sleuths and Online Truths: Defamation Lawsuits in the Internet Age of True Crime

Ross, Trevor. Writing in Public: Literature and the Liberty of the Press in Eighteenth-Century Britain

Ross, Trevor. <i>Writing in Public: Literature and the Liberty of the Press in Eighteenth-Century Britain</i>

“What Blood Unites, the Sea Shall Not Divide”: Bohemian Day at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893

“What Blood Unites, the Sea Shall Not Divide”: Bohemian Day at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893

The (Ab)use of freedom of speech and the 1788 Ismaël-controversy: the legal limitations and affordances of a parodic periodical in the Dutch Republic

Abstract This article highlights a fascinating legal wrestling match over the legal limits of free speech through humorous artistic works in the late eighteenth century – just before freedom of speech became a constitutional right. It concerned the parodic item “Reports from Babel” in an issue of the anonymous Dutch journal Ismaël from 15 September 1788. The city of Utrecht and specific authorities were allegedly targeted who in turn prosecuted the local sellers of these perceived libels, Gijsbert Timon van Paddenburg and Justus Visch. The controversy is studied through the political-historical background of the Orangists, who had been returned to power following a turbulent period. The arguments of the court and the parties involved are analysed, as well as the reception of the Roman law of iniuria – specifically regarding libels. Literary and philosophical-linguistic theories are employed to gain insight into the way this particular parody as a form of free speech was perceived as dangerous to late-eighteenth-century society. We show that these defendants exploited the ambiguity of parodic language as part of their defense strategy. Nonetheless, the judicial authorities dismissed these language-based arguments, ultimately condemning the two booksellers with the considerable fine of 1000 guilders. This legal-historical discussion of humorous artistic works, such as Ismaël, highlights the complex relationship between libel laws and free speech.

The case for a media and communications public participation court

ABSTRACT This comment looks at the current controversies surrounding the strategic use of libel law to silence and intimidate investigative journalists. Much of the problem flows the cost of litigation in defamation. The comment proposes a model for reform based on the streamlined procedure used in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, in which recoverable costs are subject to a cap. The comment argues that such a model for reform is more likely to be effective in addressing the current concerns than the Government's anti-SLAPP proposals.

On Social Networks, Anonymous Testimonies, and Other Tools of Feminist Activism against Sexual Violence in Egypt

On Social Networks, Anonymous Testimonies, and Other Tools of Feminist Activism against Sexual Violence in Egypt

Defamation as a Sword: The Weaponization of Civil Liability against Sexual Assault Survivors in the Post-#MeToo Era

When the #MeToo movement gained popularity in 2017, the impact that it would have on how societies perceive sexual violence against women was unpredictable. In the midst of the female empowerment and support that the hashtag cultivated, a legal phenomenon was brewing in the form of retaliatory defamation lawsuits from men accused in this modern wave of sexual assault allegations. This analysis features a step-by-step breakdown of the life of a defamation lawsuit filed against a sexual assault survivor making an online sexual assault disclosure and explores this increasingly popular intimidation tactic. In doing so, I illustrate the way in which Canadian defamation law, though well suited to its predetermined purpose, is wholly inappropriate when applied to a #MeToo context, where it essentially becomes used to litigate sexual assault claims in a manner that disadvantages survivors and inadvertently reinforces rape myths in the legal analysis.

포프의 「호라티우스풍의 제2권 제1편 풍자시」와 풍자에 대한 변호

The essay examines Alexander Pope’s “First Satire of the Second Book of Horace Imitated” as an apologia for his satire from the legal context. Pope uses Horace as his mentor, and tries to defend his satire as lawful poetry. Like Horace’s satire, Pope presents his poem as a dialog between him and his friend Fortescue about what poetry he should write. Being attacked by many people, Pope seeks legal advice from his friend. His friend advises rest, and sleep to take the mind off writing. He also advises Pope to write an encomium to the king, not satire. Pope, however, defends his satire as a social mirror in which he attacks the foibles of rogues. He insists that he should write satire, and punish rogues. Pope’s view about satire is close to the traditional principle of judicial punishment, namely deterrence, while literary satire is supposed to reform people. The lawyer responds by a warning to watch out for libel laws. Pope, however, insists that he should punish rogues like Walpole exempt from effective legal retribution. Then Pope’s satire becomes an honest quasi-judicial sanction to lash criminals escaping from laws. If laws fail to punish criminals properly, he has to punish them using satire.

Alabama Justice: The Cases and Faces That Changed a Nation by Steven P. Brown

Reviewed by: Alabama Justice: The Cases and Faces That Changed a Nation by Steven P. Brown Ian J. Drake Alabama Justice: The Cases and Faces That Changed a Nation. By Steven P. Brown. (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2020. Pp. xiv, 262. $49.95, ISBN 978-0-8173-2070-6.) Steven P. Brown has written an account of notable U.S. Supreme Court cases and short biographies of three Supreme Court justices, all from Alabama. [End Page 421] This volume appears to be intended for an undergraduate or graduate-level readership. Although the explanations of the litigation histories and doctrinal backgrounds of these cases are engaging, scholars in the fields of law and constitutional history will find little that is new here. It is uncertain what unites the cases collected in this volume other than their constitutional law elements and the fact that they all happened to originate in Alabama state and federal courts. The author is aware of the arbitrary nature of these cases and poses a question, "Why Alabamians?" (p. 3). Brown suggests that state residents in the mid-twentieth century began to take their constitutional rights "seriously" and turned to the courts to vindicate them (p. 3). Did they fail to take their rights seriously before? If so, why? No explanation is given. The cases reviewed are quite important in American constitutional history. For example, NAACP v. Alabama (1958) was a case wherein Alabama state officials sought the membership list of the state chapter of the NAACP. The Court invalidated the state action under the substantive due process clause rubric of incorporating the free expression rights of the First Amendment through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. This case aided the civil rights movement by protecting advocacy organizations from being compelled to reveal their members and agents, which would, in turn, have deterred supporters from contributing or joining such organizations. Another notable case from Alabama was New York Times v. Sullivan (1964), wherein the civil rights movement was again indirectly aided by the Court's creation of a higher bar for the successful pursuit of defamation claims by public officials against news organizations. The result encouraged greater media coverage of the civil rights movement due to the reduced fear that state officials could maintain successful defamation lawsuits against newspapers and radio and television organizations. Although these are important—even landmark—cases, there does not seem to be any distinct reason that they originated in Alabama. In fact, what makes the cases important is the fact that they resonated far beyond Alabama; they affected other states because other states were engaged in the same or similar behaviors. Although this book is a hodgepodge of cases, they are all from the twentieth century, and most of them are related to the civil rights movement. In fact, a slim majority are from the era of Chief Justice Earl Warren (1953–1969). This work will be most beneficial to undergraduate and graduate students in terms of recounting the history of constitutional doctrines and explaining how those doctrines were exemplified in a single case. Brown recounts the history of a doctrine, such as gendered distinctions in the law or the Court's treatment of the commerce clause, both before and after the instant case, and explains how that case affected constitutional law and social or political practice. One feature of the book from which even constitutional scholars will benefit is the mini biographies of three Alabamians who served on the U.S. Supreme Court. Brown reviews the histories of John McKinley, John Archibald Campbell, and Hugo L. Black. McKinley's life exemplifies the hardships of justices from the antebellum period when circuit riding was hazardous to their health and made the Court the least appealing of federal posts. Campbell was so renowned a practitioner that all the then-sitting justices petitioned President [End Page 422] Franklin Pierce for him to be nominated. Finally, Black, Franklin D. Roosevelt's first appointment to the Court, is remembered for his strident support for applying the Bill of Rights to the states. Unfortunately, there is no concluding section to the book, which might have provided an argument for the distinctiveness of Alabama politics or culture...

A Theological Perspective of Domestic Violence in Kenya

This paper acknowledges the fact that there is escalation of domestic violence in Kenya despite efforts of the church. Theologically in both Christianity and African religion violence is not accepted and taking away life is not condoned. It recognises how in the traditional African society domestic violence was limited unlike during this era of Christianity. This paper seeks to unveil how the Nandi Addressed domestic violence in the past and how the church can borrow from this in order to incorporate some of the traditional methods of resolving this form of violence. The study adopted a qualitative research design where the perceptions of the respondents were used to gather in-depth information about the field of study. The findings were analysed and presented descriptively. The main sources of domestic violence include drug abuse, poor foundation of children, unclear marital roles and economic problems among others. The major findings of the study are that domestic violence leads to character defamation and even death of persons. Lack of economic resources underpins women’s vulnerability to violence and their inability to disentangle themselves from abusive relationships. This paper recommends that there is need to revisit teachings from traditional institutions of marriage and initiations and incorporate positive forms of teaching with teachings in Christianity for harmony in the society. This paper concludes that the society is no longer knit together due to the brake up of the traditional family and the society in general. Domestic violence in Kenya indicates the laxity and failure of the religious institutions in checking family relationships. It further recommends that there is need to go back to our traditional family settings to reflect on what is expected of the family and to derive the worth of an individual and meaning of life

Michael Adams and Christopher Mayhew Against Maariv: The Trial that Defined the New Antisemitism

This article examines a mostly forgotten libel suit that examined the boundaries of the term antisemitism. Public rhetorical attacks against the Jewish people as a whole were less frequent in the West after World War II, but Israel and Zionism became the target of fierce propaganda beginning in the 1970s. In 1975, British MP Christopher Mayhew and former Guardian reporter Michael Adams co-authored a book criticizing Western media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict titled Publish It Not: The Middle East Cover-Up. A review of the book, published in the Israeli newspaper Maariv the following year, called them out as antisemites. Mayhew and Adams sued the paper and its book reviewer for libel. In the trial, held in Jerusalem, both sides argued over whether their fierce anti-Zionism and harsh criticism of Israel was politically legitimate or antisemitic. In August 1979, District Court Judge Jacob Bazak's verdict absolved Maariv of the charge of libel, characterizing the book review as "justified and accurate," and drew a fine line between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism. This dispute between opposing high-profile scholars, former generals, and politicians contributed to a wider discussion of antisemitism and has relevance for these same debates today.

How Google Autocomplete Algorithms about Conspiracy Theorists Mislead the Public

How Google Autocomplete Algorithms about Conspiracy Theorists Mislead the Public