Surviving the 'Wild West' of Public Expression

Chicago - Bullies, gossip mongers, and haters.

Words can do all the damage these days, as the Internet turns into the wild west of public expression.

But how far is too far? Can we do anything to protect ourselves?

Craig Wall looked into those questions and found some answers.

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ADDITIONAL COVERAGE:

VIDEO: Evanston 'Cyber Bullying' Investigated

VIDEO: Surviving the 'Wild West' of Public Expression

EXPERT: Internet Expert Sarah Evans

LINK: Facebook Safety Center

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Speaking your mind online happens all the time on social media websites.

The hateful words fly and then stick on the cyber-walls of Facebook, or other places like DontDateHimGirl.com, for ripping your ex, Glassdoor.com for blasting you boss, or Ripoffreport.com for ranting about a bad consumer experience.

"Because the Internet is such an easy and accessible tool, people use it as their first line of defense or offense when they want to go after someone," said Daliah Saper, a Chicago attorney whose firm specializes in defamation cases.

The Facebook page "Evanston Rats!!!" is just the latest to raise concerns about cyber bullying. Students from Evanston Township High School used the page to post nasty stuff about other students.

It led to fights in school and a warning Tuesday from the principal about possible suspensions or criminal charges for students who posted comments. By late in the day the site had been redone, but students who saw what was on there earlier were rather shocked.

"Whoever had sex with somebody else, they was putting it out. Whoever was doing something that they weren't supposed to with somebody else, they was putting it out," said student Taylor Gee.

"They do it for like a joke, like for fun, but once it gets serious it's not funny anymore," said fellow student Sha'myah Triplet.

Tuesday, Facebook did unveil an updated Safety Center with advice for teens and parents about how to be safer on line, and what to do when things get out of hand.

Some of the comments that wound up on Evanston Rat!!!, and others that people have posted on different sites, could result in lawsuits for defamation.

"You have to demonstrate that the person made a false statement of fact about you, that's important, because that's differentiating from an opinion. I can call someone a jerk all day long," said attorney Saper.

And while that may be mean, it's not something you can sue about. On the other hand, it may rise to the level of defamation if you falsely accuse someone of a crime, or say something that costs them their job. You could also be legally liable if you say someone has a sexually transmitted disease, or is in essence a tramp.

And if you think by posting something anonymously you can get away with it, think again. It may take some digging, but the person you victimized can find out who you are through the court system. If they win their lawsuit, the award could prove costly.

Once upon a time children used to chant "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me." Now social media sites have shown that names and words can push kids to commit suicide because the words hurt so much.

The advice to those who want to vent about others on line: think twice before posting, you could wind up in court.