The deeply offensive comments made by Twitter about Canada’s Governor General Mary Simon have stirred a call for legal action comparable to what a newspaper would face under similar circumstances—she should sue for defamation.
As the first indigenous Governor General of Canada, the respected 75-year-old Mary Simon is urged to file a defamation lawsuit against Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, where these harmful comments were published. The comments on Twitter, which described Simon in derogatory and insulting terms, not only generated significant online traffic but also profited the platform through increased advertising revenue. This monetization of defamation highlights the platform’s accountability.
Canadian legal precedents on social media’s responsibility for content have been somewhat lenient, often not holding platforms like Twitter accountable for the damaging falsehoods they circulate continuously. This approach needs to change. There’s a clear avenue for Simon to pursue legal action against Elon Musk for the defamatory statements published under his platform’s watch.
Mary Simon, who has served as Canada’s ambassador and as a special advisor on significant indigenous agreements, has a reputation of significant national and international importance. The harmful nature of these tweets could have severe implications on her dignity and legacy. Traditionally, if a newspaper had published such slanderous remarks, it would face immediate legal repercussions, and the same standards should apply to social media platforms.
Legal actions in Canada, such as the Giustra v. Twitter case, have demonstrated that Canadian courts can assert jurisdiction over foreign-based social media companies like Twitter. This provides Simon a tangible path to challenge the outdated legal protections that currently shield social media platforms from liability for the content they host.
By suing, Simon could set a vital legal precedent that would clarify the responsibilities of social media companies in Canada, compelling them to moderate their content more diligently. Such a case would not only address her specific grievances but could also reshape how social media platforms manage defamatory content, balancing the scales between traditional and new media under Canadian defamation law.
This legal battle could reinforce the principles of equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which mandates equal protection and benefit of the law. It’s an opportunity to challenge the discrepancies in how the law treats professional media versus social media platforms, which currently operate under a model that allows unchecked and harmful content to proliferate at the expense of individuals’ reputations.
Mary Simon’s potential lawsuit against Elon Musk and Twitter could become a landmark case, pressing social media giants to reform their content policies and uphold standards that protect against defamation, thereby safeguarding the reputations of individuals across Canada and beyond.
Source: https://www.internationalnewsservices.com/featured/mary-simon-should-sue-elon-musk-and-tame-social-media-lies-for-ever