The good name of an employer to be protected on the Internet
On August 30, 2024, the Sejm received a bill amending the Civil Procedure Code which is intended to make it easier to hold accountable those who anonymously infringe online personality rights (e.g., publishers of hateful posts on social networks).
The key features of the bill are:
- a plaintiff (e.g., a company about which a former employee spoke negatively on the Internet) will be able to file a lawsuit without naming the defendant,
- a court will oblige a service provider (owner of the website, social network) and the provider of the defendant's ICT system to make available data on the defendant,
- failure to make available the data of a defendant will mean that a court will be able to fine from PLN 100,000 to PLN 1,000,000.
The proposed changes could significantly facilitate employer claims for compensation for posts on websites that harm the image of the employer, even if authors do not sign comments.