23 September 2021
‘An indispensable guide to the law and your rights, giving you a lawyer in your pocket for a multitude of legal questions and problems that
crop up in everyday life. … Exceptional’ – The Secret Barrister
From junior barrister Christian Weaver comes an indispensable guide to your basic legal rights.
We engage with the law every day: when we leave the house, and even when we don’t, we’re bound by rules we don’t even notice. Until they’re used against us. Knowing our rights means taking control of our lives.
In this handbook, lawyer Christian Weaver brings together everything you need to know to claim your space in the world. Whether you are arguing with your landlord, looking for a refund, going to a protest or being harassed, this essential guide illuminates the full power of the law, and arms you with your rights, including:
– in a relationship
– at home
– out on the street
– when you’ve spent money, owe it or are owed it
From housing to relationships, police conduct to travel, this guide will give you the confidence and clarity to take control in any situation.
The Digital World
Alexa wakes me up, Alexa reminds me to take my cooking out of the oven, and on a daily basis – with remarkable accuracy I might add – Alexa confirms that it will be raining today in Manchester.
Clearly, the digital world is no longer something separate from our ‘real world’, but is deeply embedded in it. Research shows people on average now spend the equivalent of a full day (24 hours) per week online. Whether it’s through our smart devices, our computers or our phones, it’s getting harder to see the distinction between online and IRL.
In the same way that knowing your rights in the ‘real world’ is crucial, knowing your rights in the digital world is too.
We’ll be looking at our rights when it comes to our devices, accounts, and what we say and do online. So, although on some occasions we may feel it insignificant when we impulsively post to our social media accounts (for example, Instagramming last night’s meal at a restaurant), there are occasions where what we post can have serious legal consequences.
This chapter won’t just consider the things being broadcast from your smartphone or laptop, but also what is contained within them. Our smartphones house some of the most private information about us. While you might see it as a nobrainer that your mates can’t have the PIN to your phone, you ought to know the laws that exist when an authority, such as the police, requests such information. There are times when you can refuse, and times it might require a bit more thought.
Laws all social media users should know
‘Think before you tweet,’ a wise person once told me. If you’ve got a social media account, you should become acquainted with the laws covered in this section. Not only can a misjudged tweet (or Facebook post, Instagram caption or TikTok video) cause reputational damage, it can also land you in trouble with the law.
Defamation
‘Defamation’ is a word we have all come across – but one we often associate with the rich and famous. Nonetheless, it can have wider applicability too.
Defamation refers to the publication of a statement that tends to lower the claimant (i.e. the ‘victim’) in the estimation of right-thinking members of society generally. A statement will not be deemed as defamatory unless its publication has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to the claimant’s reputation.
Defamation can be one of two things: libel, or slander. So what’s the difference? Libel generally relates to publications that have an element of permanence in nature – so, for example, things written in a book or newspaper, or even things said on the radio or TV. Even though ‘permanence’ may sound more like something chiselled into rock, a tweet that took you five seconds to compose could amount to libel. So could a retweet.
Slander generally relates to publications that are more fleeting in their nature. They don’t tend to have the same ‘permanence’ as libel. Spoken words between two individuals may amount to slander; even physical gestures might.
