Financial Crime Forum: Pre-Announcement - Combating Internet Trolls, Libel and other Malice

Dec. 4, 2012 - PRLog -- The Financial Crime Forum pre-announces its 2013 season with the launch of Combating Internet Trolls, Libel and other Malice, a combined Forum and Workshop dealing with issues arising out of the use of social media.

This Forum, to be held in Singapore on 5/6/7 February 2012, will address a range of issues arising from the use and abuse of social media.

Covering compliance and enforcement issues in the financial, legal and corporate sector, including the use of social media by listed companies, the seminar will also consider issues such as libel, internet trolls and issues arising out of cross-border enforcement of rights. Importantly, it will also address issues such as the impact of social media on the justice system.

An optional third day will comprise a workshop for companies developing a social media presence both domestically and across borders.

Day One:

a) Threats to Justice
b) Threats to Compliance

Day Two:

a) Threats to rights and freedoms
b) Libel and other rights and their enforcement

Day Three: Optional Workshop
Policies, procedures and enforcement within business entities

Facebook, Twitter and a host of other "Web 2.0" or "Social Media" are the modern equivalent of the village pump.

But they create conflict with a wide range of law and regulations.

"Washington, D.C., 4 Jan., 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged an Illinois-based investment adviser with offering to sell fictitious securities on LinkedIn and it issued two alerts in an agency-wide effort to highlight the risks investors and advisory firms face when using social media. "

In October 2012, the Attorney General of Victoria, Australia and his national and other state counterparts met and agreed that there is a need to ensure that material on social media websites can be removed in order to prevent the perversion of justice.

In November 2012, the "twittersphere" was alight with accusations, including false accusations, of sexual impropriety by several public figures in the UK. One, Lord McAlpine, has instructed solicitors to track down posts, including posts that users have attempted to delete, and to bring legal action against those who posted them. He says it will "cost them a lot of money."

In November 2012, an Australian court found that Google can be regarded as a publisher at common law in relation to its search engine results. The same plaintiff, Milorad Trkulja, had already won damages from Yahoo! in a similar case.

For lawyers, there are issues of confidentiality and, where advertising is prohibited or heavily restricted, the risks of breaching the code of professional conduct.

For listed companies, there is the serious risk that an off-the--cuff comment might reveal market-sensitive information at the wrong time.

For Securities dealers, there are issues such as whether a click on a button might amount to an endorsement of a company and therefore breach Regulations.

This comprehensive Forum will address these areas in a number of jurisdictions, including the UK and the USA for those outside those countries but operating within them.

More information: http://www.financialcrimeforum.com

----------

The Financial Crime Forum Ltd is a member of The Anti Money Laundering Network group of companies.

Trademarks acknowledged