Sharing a defamatory post on Facebook is deemed libel

A couple “shared” a defamatory statement against a local newspaper on Facebook and marked “like” on another defamatory post.
The Supreme Court held that sharing a defamatory post on Facebook is publication of libel, but marking “like” is not deemed publication. Publication of a defamatory statement to one or more persons other the defamed is considered a civil tort. The Defamation Law also applies to Internet publications. The sharing act creates a "copy" of the defamatory publication and is a repetitive action on a particular publication that exposes it to other users, who may not have been exposed to the original publication, and may also contribute to widespread and resonant circulation (thus contributing to making it "viral"). On the other hand, it is hard to see the action of “Like” as a "copy" of the defamatory post or repeating it. Here, various publications by residents of the city of Givatayim were published throughout the Facebook, condemning the local newspaper and thus were defamatory acts. Although the couple did not know who wrote and published the original posts, they shared the defamatory post and are thus personally liable for this.