Fried skewers stall owner jumped into a river and committed suicide after receiving negative reviews. Lawyer explains the boundaries of "lightning protection posts"｜Legal advisor is by his side

China News Service, October 14 (Reporter Fan Fenghui) Recently, media reports that "a female stall owner jumped into a river and committed suicide after receiving negative reviews from customers" attracted attention. This incident has once again triggered discussions among netizens on "lightning avoidance posts". So, what boundaries should Internet users have when posting "lightning protection posts"? Does the platform have any obligation to manage "lightning protection posts" that cause adverse consequences? What responsibilities should the parties involved bear in this incident?

In this regard, Yue Qishan, deputy director of Beijing Yuecheng Law Firm, analyzed that Internet users posting "lightning protection posts" on social media should be based on their own real experiences and cannot be fabricated out of thin air. The content described should be based on objective facts and cannot be distorted or intentionally omit key information. They can express their own subjective feelings, such as "unpalatable" and "poor experience", but the wording must be reasonable, and they must not use insulting words to abuse wantonly, make personal attacks or leak privacy, and must not incite others to carry out concentrated attacks on businesses.

Customers post negative reviews based on their real consumer experiences. If they do not fabricate false information, it is true feedback on the product or service. If they do not use insulting words, there is no insult. If Internet users engage in cyber violence such as arbitrarily posting insults, spreading rumors and defamation, infringing on personal information, they should bear civil tort liability. If the circumstances are serious, they can be punished according to the "Public Security Management Punishment Law" and may even bear criminal liability.

In addition, Yue Qishan said that the platform has no obligation to actively review the content posted by users in advance, but if the rights holder issues a qualified infringement notice to the platform, or the platform knows or should know that the relevant content constitutes infringement, such as the content is obviously illegal and has been reported in large numbers, the platform is obliged to take necessary measures such as deletion, blocking, and disconnection in a timely manner. If necessary measures are not taken, you will be jointly and severally liable for the expanded damage.