Wanderings – Landmark ruling for internet responsibility

A small claims court ruling in London, Ontario has ramifications for keyboard warriors on the internet.

Deputy Judge David Miller heard a case in July and August 2025 where a person sued the administrator/moderator of a Facebook group and website for defamation. The group, “Are We Dating the Same Guy in London Ontario,” was created to allow women within the group to identify potential safety risks to its members. In that group, several people made comments about an individual. When the subject of those comments learned what was posted within the group, they requested to the moderators remove the comments in accordance with the Facebook group’s rules. The comments were not removed.

The subject of those comments then filed a defamation lawsuit in court. Deputy Judge Miller, in his October 14, 2025 ruling, said the defendant in the case, the Facebook group moderator, was aware of the various posts and comments made, and that the defendant had taken part in the conversation.

The deputy judge ruled that in addition to being defamatory, the posts violated the group’s rules that prohibited members from “making comments to make fun of men, crack jokes about anyone posted, or speculate on posts about a person that the member does not know.”

In his ruling, the deputy judge said the statements made by members of the Facebook group were malicious. While saying the moderator was not maliciously leaving the posts up, he did find that the moderator was negligent in removing those posts. Deputy Judge Miller ruled for damages of $7,500, and did not award punitive damages. The ruling has set a new precedent for responsibility on the internet, one that has been long overdue.

Since the dawn of the internet, it has been far too easy for people with an axe to grind to take to their keyboards and post their airing of grievances. The advent of social media platforms has exponentially increased the opportunities for people to say what they want, truthfully or not, on public forums with impunity. In some jurisdictions outside Canada, there have been legal victories for those who were tarred and feathered in the court of public online opinion — and no one was accountable for it. The impact of this on people’s lives outside the world of ones and zeroes is immense.

There is freedom of speech in Canada. Having that freedom also means being responsible for it. Speak the truth, back it up, don’t defame.

Working in media, there is an onus on journalists to have the facts straight and to be truthful. It’s what a journalist’s relationship with the public is built on. It’s also why we now face issues with people not believing reporting by journalists. A person making an offhanded comment on a Facebook group carries the same weight with a viewer as a reporter with 30 years of experience.

On the topic of defamation though — and this is critical — someone can finally be held responsible for false statements made by a person online.

There are many Facebook groups out there, including some that are “news adjacent” where police reports and town gossip are posted. Nearly every village and community has a “What’s Up” group. Now, when things go awry — and that happens often from my observation — there will be people to hold accountable.

In Ontario, now that this ruling has been made public, it should serve as a wake-up call for people who post whatever they feel like to the internet, and also a wake-up call for those who moderate groups — words have consequences.

This is a landmark court ruling. Considering that Ontario increased the limit on Small Claims cases to $50,000 last year, I expect to begin seeing many defamation suits based on the comments made on Facebook groups to be filed very soon.

This column was originally published in the January 14, 2026 print edition of the Morrisburg Leader.