Social media seems like a pretty impressive place- until it isn’t. There are many legal mistakes that businesses and brands make daily. Most of the time, they got lucky to get away with it. However, after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cracked down on the companies and Influencer for posting inappropriate and irrelevant content, people have started paying attention to what they are posting.
Social media is one of the most disruptive industries. There are opportunities for every business. According to the latest report made by Statista, there are more than 3.81 billion social media users in the world.
With such a big industry, many things go wrong. Your brand and business can be sued for the things that you never intended.
In the past, companies have made many false claims to market their product and services. Though it was not highlighted a decade ago, these things have become common knowledge today.
People all over the world use social media for various purposes. Besides, this platform is not only used to gain visibility but leads as well. These platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) are regarded as the key to drive customer retention, trust, visibility, etc.
Hence, social media mistakes can land you and your business in trouble if you are not aware of your limitations on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
Everyone indeed has the right to speak freely, but that does not mean you will show your hatred regarding anyone on social media platforms. Make one mistake, and the next party files a case against you.
Social media has great potential to boost your business and get enough traffic, leads, and shares. On the other side, it can actually damage the reputation of your brand.
Most newcomers are the regular candidates for social media mistakes because they are unaware of the rules and regulations. Reading policies of social media should be your first priority before publishing any posts.
Therefore, now let’s know the top social media mistakes that could get you sued.
Defamation means writing about someone else’s business reputation on your social media platforms. However, if the statement is false and it hurts the reputation of the same business, then the next party is liable to file a case against you, according to the Mullen defamation law firm.
Therefore, you should be very careful if you are writing about any businesses on your profile. This can put you in great trouble.
If you are running your own business or of someone else’s on social media platforms, then you must be aware of this defamation. Several businesses are already the victim of this act and make sure your business will not change in the future.
Copyright infringement is the use of someone’s else copyrighted work without their approval. Photographs and contents are copyright by law, and you have no permission to use them without the consent of the owner.
However, if the person takes this seriously, then you can be in big trouble. To keep yourself protected from copyright infringement, you can give a source link to that particular image or content.
There are many individuals who don’t want to share their private information with the public as they want to highlight their privacy. So, in this case, if you disclose their information to the public, then you can be of serious concern. For example, if the information is regarding business operations, that’s a breach of a trade secret (learn more about the law surrounding this on Dhillonlaw.com) and can result in serious legal consequences.
No one has the right to disclose any private information or images to the public, and if he/she does so, there are strict laws in our constitution for the culprit. This is not a serious concern, and people should give attention to it.
So, you must not leak anyone’s private facts without the permission of the owner.
Another popular social media mistake that could get you sued is misappropriation. People have the right to control their names and images.
Some individuals post updates using someone else’s images and names, and this is not allowed at all. If the owner of the image files a case, it can harm your business greatly.
False-light publicity is another social media mistake that could get you sued. Just for the sake of publicity, you are spreading wrong information about the third party or about his/her family; then you can land in jail after the person files a case against you.
This scenario often takes place on social media platforms. So, you need to be very careful about the same.
Testimonials are excellent ways to build trusted authority like professionals. However, fake testimonials can also land you in great trouble, according to social media experts. These types of scenarios mostly take place in influencer marketing.
In some cases, you may also have to give a fine, and the amount can be very big. So, avoid making fake testimonials and posts on social media platforms because it can prove to be fatal for you if you are caught.
It’s crucial to have a social media policy and a promotional clause as part of your employment agreements because personal branding is becoming more popular nowadays.
If you don’t have internal social media policies, then it can put you in trouble. So, you must be careful at any cost of this social media mistake.
The best way to get rid of social media mistakes is to read social media policies and rules beforehand. Your small mistake, either done intentionally or simply by mistake, no one will listen to it. Be aware of all social media mistakes that can prove to be fatal to you in the end. Avoid mistakes as much as you can, and also social media experts’ help if you wish!
Therefore, the above-listed are the top 7 social media mistakes that could get you sued, and you must avoid them at any cost.
Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.
