Defamation is a false statement of fact, communicated to others, that damages the reputation of an identifiable person or business.
Defamation in writing or another lasting form is generally called libel; spoken defamation is slander. The details differ by country, but a claim usually requires a statement of fact (not opinion) that is false, published to at least one other person, about an identifiable person or business, and harmful to their reputation. Truth is a defence almost everywhere, and honest opinion and fair comment on matters of public interest are widely protected.
Standards vary considerably. In the US, public figures must prove 'actual malice' — that the speaker knew the statement was false or recklessly disregarded the truth — under New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964). In England and Wales, the Defamation Act 2013 requires serious harm to reputation, and for businesses serious financial loss. Many European countries also have criminal defamation laws alongside civil claims.
In practice
Defamation is the route for reviews, posts and articles that state something false as fact — a crime that never happened, a fabricated experience, a false accusation — not for harsh opinions or accurate criticism. Platforms often act on a well-documented legal notice, but in the US, Section 230 means many will remove user content only against a court order or judgment. If a case needs a court order, that should be clear before any work starts.
Related removals
- Google reviews — $350 per review, pay on success
- News article removal — $1,500 per URL, pay on success
- Personal reputation repair — Priced per removal, from $350, pay on success
Related terms
- Section 230 — Section 230 is the US federal law that generally shields websites and platforms from liability for content posted by their users and protects their good-faith moderation decisions.
- Fake review — A fake review is a review that misrepresents who wrote it or their experience — for example one written by someone who was never a customer, or by a business about itself.
- Cease and desist letter — A cease and desist letter is a written demand that a person or company stop a specific activity, such as publishing defamatory or infringing content, and often that they remove it.
- SLAPP — A SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) is a legal action brought mainly to silence or intimidate critics, journalists or activists rather than to win a genuine claim.
- Takedown notice — A takedown notice is a formal written request asking a platform, host or search engine to remove specific content because it breaks the law or the provider's own rules.