Risk Alert: Online Defamation is Increasing
You may not think much about it until it suddenly happens to you. That's dangerous business and neglect of forward thinking and "insurance" against risk.
We may go our whole lives without having to experience defamation, whether in the form of libel or slander, yet for those who got trapped by it, they usually were not prepared for the hit, pain and suffering.
Some people have a low risk probability of being the target and victim of defamation while others have a higher (or high) probability. What isn’t common knowledge, which I will mention to you today, is that even if you’re an unlikely target for libel or slander, that doesn’t mean you will never be victimized by it.
“Honestly, I don’t have enemies. I can’t see anyone wanting to hurt me, especially infer bad things about me or flat-out lie.”
You may end up being surprised (not pleasantly), shocked, overwhelmed, traumatized and have to long endure the damaging impacts (yes, plural) of nefarious people.
Why though?
Because people are emotionally-driven, sometimes corrupted by their psychology and willing to do whatever they can to harm you.
Keep in mind that I’m communicating about defamation, not claims of wrongdoing and character deficiencies that are factual.
I’m not communicating about wrongdoers who bellow “defamation!” and have their attorneys do so, in a strategic manner to deflect and deny and hide what they have done. I’m communicating legitimate deceptions, manufactured stories and lies.
Did you know that defamation risk is rising?
“Defamation used to be contained to newspapers, legal filings or isolated online comments. Today, it spreads across social platforms and algorithm-driven content feeds at extraordinary speed,” wrote Chad Angle, the head at ReputationDefender at Gen Digital and an expert in executive privacy, digital risk strategy and online reputation management.
“AI has amplified this risk. Fabricated screenshots, synthetic audio or manipulated evidence can appear credible enough to gain traction before leaders even know they exist.”
Notice what Angle said because it’s very important to know and vividly remember, not so you will be fearful but to be well informed, so you can protect yourself and the people and positive interests that matter to you.
“Defamation… spreads… at extraordinary speed… AI has amplified this risk… Fabricated… synthetic… manipulated… can appear credible enough… to gain attraction.”
To reiterate, this isn’t intended to scare you. It’s intended to paint a picture of reality, possibility and risk.
In life, we protect ourselves regularly against certain risks, even when the probability of them happening are either low or likely, far off.
What we don’t do, usually out of ignorance or illogical disbelief, is protect ourselves against what could also be highly damaging, soul crushing and maybe now, more than ever, possible.
Angle wrote about another unsettling reality.
“At the same time, the barrier to entry for bad actors has fallen significantly,” he stated. “It now takes very little effort to manufacture a claim that reaches large audiences and inflicts real reputational harm. … defamation is a realistic threat.”
And there are bad actors in life. You and I know it because we’ve read or heard about them, witnessed these people or personally, painfully, experienced them.
If we previously thought it was easy for such perpetrators to deceive and lie and defame before, there is, Angle asserted, an even greater ease now because of the dangerous, near-universal access to and power of technology: the internet and AI.
That, combined with people’s character disturbances (a highly-recommended book) and them sometimes being a wolf in sheep’s clothing (also, a highly-recommended book), make for a superhighway for launching an attack and setting off a bomb in someone’s professional and personal life, maybe yours or someone you care about.
So, “What do I do about it?”
Be forward thinking. Look ahead, regularly, as a protective strategy.
Evaluate people, situations with them and their dissatisfaction, communication, behavior and any concerning signals about skill deficiencies and impulse control with their aggressive and passive-aggressive behavior that they’ve shown you regarding their self control.
Angle says that mitigating reputational risk before it becomes a crisis is wisdom in practice and that’s hard to argue against. In the link near the top of this brief, he wrote in depth about this issue from an organizational standpoint and detailed what you can do, if that might appeal to you.
Clearly understand that “slow response times and opportunities for quick resolution are missed,” Angle wrote. This doesn’t have to be the painful experience most of the time. It should be rare that slow response times and missed defense are the errors.
Hopefully, after reading this brief today, your thinking has been stimulated to the point you will take initiative and develop, implement and review an ethical, protective strategy as a form of risk protection.
Angle proposes systems for larger-scale organizations and leaders yet I propose to you that there are approaches that you, as an individual or small group, can also learn and apply or you can seek out professional assistance with to “move with speed and discipline” and I assert, protective effectiveness.
“What once would have taken weeks can be successfully managed within a much shorter time frame,” Angle wrote.
“… early intervention often prevents harmful claims from gaining traction. Resolution times shrink. Online narratives are shaped instead of chased. And (people), who often bear the brunt of online attacks, receive better protection.”
We’re safe, until we’re not. Remember that truism.
Just because we’re safe today doesn’t mean we always be, not in a world where people’s problematic psychology and behavior run over or seek to annihilate others, now with the weapons of technology available to them.
“In a world where a single false post can ripple… damage trust and impact careers, the (people) that invest in defamation preparedness are recognizing a fundamental truth…,” Angle wrote.
“The strongest reputations are built not only on what a business (or person) achieves but also on how effectively it defends itself when confronted with misinformation (or more often, Reputation Intelligence argues, disinformation).
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Michael Toebe and Reputation Intelligence serve clients with matters of trust, stakeholder relationships and proactive and responsive communications.
Helpful guides are also available for sale.
My background includes work in research and analysis, media, conflict management, public relations, crisis communications and crisis management.
