Cyberbullying, Defamation & Digital Reputation
PROPOSED / DRAFT — CYBERBULLYING, DEFAMATION & DIGITAL REPUTATION
Americans should be free to criticize, disagree, share truthful experiences, express opinions, report suspected wrongdoing in good faith, and participate in public debate. Defamation and cyberbullying rules must not become tools for silencing lawful speech or punishing an accuser merely because a claim cannot ultimately be proven.
The law should provide effective remedies for knowingly or recklessly false statements of material fact that cause legally recognized reputational or economic harm. Standards must clearly distinguish provably false factual claims from opinion, satire, rhetorical exaggeration, parody, fair comment, and substantially true reporting.
Digital misconduct should also address targeted harassment, repeated unwanted contact, credible threats, doxxing that creates a foreseeable safety risk, impersonation, manipulated evidence, nonconsensual intimate imagery, coordinated false-review campaigns, and accounts created to deliberately spread fabricated allegations or evade lawful platform enforcement.
Rules must apply equally regardless of sex, race, religion, political affiliation, popularity, profession, or relationship status. Men and women deserve the same protection, and the same evidentiary and legal standards.
Remedies may include rapid correction and retraction procedures, preservation orders, narrowly tailored injunctions after due process, identification of anonymous speakers through lawful court process when a viable claim is shown, compensatory damages for proven harm, and proportionate penalties for intentional and repeated misconduct.
Platforms should publish understandable reporting and appeal procedures, preserve relevant evidence after lawful notice, disclose enforcement standards, and act consistently. Government may not require platforms to remove constitutionally protected speech merely because it is controversial or embarrassing.
Status: Proposed / Draft — not yet formally adopted.
Originally published: August 24, 2026.
Last updated: August 24, 2026.
Version: Draft 0.1.