Social Media and Online Content Friend and Foe Thomas Eggar LLP Sports Group Introduction What is Social Media Social Media Law? Social Media in the Sports Sector Managing the risks (sporting integrity; athlete management; child protection) Compliant Websites Questions Defining Social Media 4 broad categories 1. Blogging and Networking via users own website; 1. Networking sites – Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter; 1. Sharing sites – YouTube; Flickr; 1. Review sites, third party blogs and the wikis – Wikipedia; Blogspot; WordPress; Industry Forums Defining Social Media “Social media is the use of based and mobile technologies to create highly interactive platforms via which individuals and communities share, create, discuss and modify user generated content.” Some Stats… Over 1 billion tweets are sent per week Facebook is the third largest ‘country’ in the world The average facebook session lasts 37 minutes (twitter, 23 minutes 24 hours of content uploaded onto YouTube every minute 7 billion people on the plant 2 million internet users more than 1 billion social media users Social Media Law? - - No ‘Social Media Law’ Malicious Communications Act 1988/Communications Act 2003 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Contempt of Court Act 1981 Defamation Act 1996 The Fraud Act 2006 Data Protection Act 1998 Advertising Standards Authority/ CAP Code Don’t forget…. Intellectual Property issues Where is the law going? Understanding that social media pose different issues Interim Guidelines on Prosecuting Cases involving Communications sent via Social Media (under consultation until March) More latitude to offensive and satirical comment Prosecutions only for communications that are more than offensive, shocking, satirical or the expression of unpopular or unfashionable opinion, even if distasteful to some Free speech (Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights) and practicality key factors Opportunity Exposure for governing bodies (London 2012 was the first ‘twitter’ Games’) Interaction with fans – online communities Medium for supply of information – facts, fixtures Sporting rule changes? 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It is like giving a machine gun to a monkey. Hugh Morris, Managing Director of the England and Wales Cricket Board The Risks Unfortunate tweets can affect personal and NGB sponsorship deals Stephanie Rice “suck on that, fa**ots!” Steve Nash Wow! @usairways with the worst customer service” The Risks Sporting Sanctions and Disciplinary Action –Kevin Pieterson “man of the world cup dropped from the T20 side. It’s a f**k up” “can somebody tell me how Nick Knight has worked his way into the commentary box. –Azeem Rafiq “a useless wa*ker” – Ryan Babel –Breach of FA Rule E3 (1) The Risks Rio Ferdinand 'I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahahaha!!' Ashley Cole “[The FA is] a bunch of tw**s” Managing the Risks Athlete safety Young athletes often away from home for long periods; Tweets can give too much away – location etc Serena Williams Inside information and corruption Ekaterina Bychkova Inside Information: – Inside information refers to information about the likely participation or likely performance of a player in an event, or concerning the weather, court conditions, status, outcome or any other aspect of an event which is known by an athlete and is not in the public domain Managing the Risks Solid Guidance and Polices in place Do not need to be long or complicated – clarity is key Link to disciplinary rules and disrepute clauses Reflect the rights of free speech specific policies for athletes, employees, members, coaches, protection, parents (parent from hell syndrome) Be aware what is being posted in the sport’s name Ensure trademarks/usernames registered Negative comments policy – PR v Legal child Managing the Risks One of your member athletes makes the following comment: Fuming. He cheated, and I am not convinced he is a clean athlete. And the umpire?! What was that about!? Was he on the taking bribes or something?!! What do you do? Some thoughts on policy content… Define social media and provide examples Explain that the policy and guidance note is linked to the disciplinary rules Do’s Encourage the use of social media and encourage athletes to show personality Everyone can see you (PAUSE AND THINK) Be responsible Be honest, accurate, professional and polite Share sporting achievements Engage with fans promote the sport Report other posts that cause concern Understand privacy settings (Kevin Pietersen) Respect copyright and fair use Remember postings are permanent (Chris Cairns) Report (but do not respond) to abusers (Tom Daley) Remember your rivals may be reading Avoid inflammatory topics (religion/politics) Make it clear the account represents OWN view Some thoughts on policy content… Don’ts talk negatively about competitors, other NGBs, other organisations comment on athlete injuries, team tactics, any information confidential to the sport/team post during competition time Post when you are emotional or angry give away personal info/locations (Serena Williams) provide inside information (Tennis Integrity Unit/Ekateria Bychkova Post or use the sport’s logo without consent Post spam Child Protection and Vulnerable Adults Child Protection in Sport Unit Briefing on Social Media The Safer Children in the Digital World report by Dr Tanya Bryon (the Byron Review) identifies some of the issues: – cyber bullying – grooming – abuse by online predators – exposure to inappropriate content Websites and online content - The Law Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 as amended 2011 (“E-Commerce Regulations”) Voluntary marketing industry codes Data Protection Act 1998 Intellectual Property Issues Consumer Protection e privacy regulations Marketing and Opt-in consent The British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP code), produced by the UK’s Committee of Advertising Practice reflects the provisions of the E-Commerce Regulations and requires ‘active’ consent in respect to marketing by SMS, MMS and email. Terms of use and privacy policies Selling merchandise – other considerations Use of cookies Post 26th May 2012 – website notice Cookie audit Websites - other considerations Blogs/online chat rooms: Liability for comments Should have content standard Ability to remove offensive or potentially defamatory material Copyright/Trademarks/Keywords Data Protection Defined terms Data controller Data processor Data subject ICO: Information Commissioner’s Office Personal data Processing Sensitive personal data Principles 1st principle Personal Data must be processed fairly and lawfully 2nd principle Personal Data must only be processed for limited purposes and in an appropriate way 3rd principle Personal Data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which it is processed 4th principle Personal Data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date Principles: continued 5th principle Personal Data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes 6th principle Personal Data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subject under the Act 7th principle Appropriate technical and organisation measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accident or loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data 8th principle Personal Data can only be transferred to countries which have suitable data control Conclusions and Questions Maximise the opportunities afforded by social media and websites by reference to common sense, the law and defined policies If in doubt, ask Questions Hannah Clipston Partner Tel: +44 (0)23 8083 1233 Email: hannah.clipston@thomaseggar.com Andrew Nixon Senior Associate, Sports Group Tel: +44 (0)207 842 3871 Email: andrew.nixon@thomaseggar.com Thomas Barnard Solicitor, Sports Group Tel: +44 (0)1293 742777 Email: thomas.barnard@thomaseggar.com @TheSportLawyer www.thomaseggar.com/legal-services/business/sectors/sport-andleisure Workshop locations