Ecuador seeks to extend libel penalties to cover social media

“The Ecuadoran government has proposed legal changes to punish libel disseminated over social networks like Twitter or Facebook, a top official said Wednesday.  Alexis Mera, President Rafael Correa’s secretary for legal affairs, said the move aimed not to control content on social networks, but to extend to them the same rules that apply to other media.  Under Ecuador’s penal code, slanderous libel, which involves a false accusation of a crime, carries a punishment of between six months and two years in prison.  Correa has used the courts to sue for libel newspapers and journalists who have written critically about him.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/04/ecuador-seeks-to-extend-libel-penalties-to-cover-social-media/

The Freedom Watch Staff

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