TOKYO - An Osaka court has found a journalist to be culpable of defamation for a retweet, in a case that may have ramifications as Japan updates its laws for a digital age.
Retweets are the republication of a post written by another user, and many Twitter profiles come with disclaimers that"retweets do not equal endorsements". Although the retweet was subsequently deleted, Mr Hashimoto sued Mr Iwakami on the basis his reach of about 181,000 Twitter followers at the time could impugn his reputation by conveying the impression that he was a perpetrator of power harassment.
He said in his ruling, however, that not all retweets are endorsements, and that retweets could be done for several purposes, including endorsing or criticising the original message.
Indian Judiciary needs to learn