Protection of Good Name

In the era of the creation of a new reality in which the virtual world permeates the “real” one, the influence of content published through social media, such as X, Facebook, or Instagram on the functioning of individuals in the world outside the Internet is becoming increasingly noticeable. The world created online has a tangible impact on what happens beyond it.

Social media are a source of easily accessible, always up-to-date knowledge about current events around us, a source of income, and also serve as a medium useful for amplifying social campaigns.

Unfortunately, the Internet is also a space where there is an intensity of expressing various forms of hatred. Users, considering themselves anonymous, control their comments and posts much less than their spoken words in real life.

This sad phenomenon has many negative consequences, not only because it affects the mental state of the people to whom these negative actions refer but also because it introduces information chaos and facilitates the spread of so-called “fake news.”

Polish law provides several types of instruments that are helpful in responding to verbal violence both on the Internet and outside it. The Penal Code describes, among other things, the crimes of defamation, insult, incitement to commit a crime, assault due to xenophobia, racism, or religious intolerance, and criminal threats. The Civil Code, on the other hand, establishes the protection of personal rights, which include, among others, dignity and good name.

Taking advantage of the above, numerous means of legal protection available to each of us, not only allows obtaining compensation for the damage we have suffered but will certainly also influence the actions of those who abuse freedom of speech in the future.