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Information published on the Internet is difficult to control. How to protect your e-reputation ? Do we always have to react?
Know what people are saying about you
To protect your reputation on the Internet, you must first monitor what is being said about you. First recommendation : make sure that those around you do not distribute private information or photographs on social networks, blogs or forums. It is also advisable to set up alerts on the main search engines: you enter your surname and first name, or your surname and profession, and you are immediately informed by email of the posting of a new message. containing this information.
Should we react?
When a derogatory message appears on the Internet, the question arises whether to react or not. It’s not always easy… Sometimes, it’s better to leave this message in the dark, because the more it is consulted, the more flows we will create and the more it will increase in referencing. Indeed, the messages referenced at the top of the search engines are the most watched messages. Therefore, if the message is not well referenced, it is better not to react and avoid consulting it so as not to raise it in the referencing. On the other hand, if the message is visible from the first pages of the search engines, it is necessary to react. For this, you can use the services of a dereferencing company which will automatically send other “neutral” messages.
Have the message deleted
First possible reaction: request the deletion of the derogatory message. To do this, you must send a formal notice by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to the site editor or, failing that, to the host (especially in the case of an anonymous blog or discussion). This is called an “illegal content notification”. If the message is still not deleted, you must then seize the judge by an action in summary procedure: you must have the accessibility of the message noted by bailiff’s report, then summon the publisher or the company hosting the site then ask to the judge order the deletion of the message under penalty.
The right of reply
Another possible reaction is to request the rectification of the information. Indeed, the law has opened a right of reply to all messages involving a person as soon as this person is named or designated. However, this right of reply is not possible on forums and chat rooms. For all other sites, it is possible to exercise the right of reply. It must be sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to the publisher or the host of the site. The right of reply is mandatory and immediate.
The right to be forgotten
You can also claim the right to be forgotten for old information and which refer, for example, to cases in which you have been involved in the past (arrest, conviction, etc.). To do this, you must first send a formal notice to the site, then seize the judge, who will decide, on a case-by-case basis, on the deletion of the information, or even the anonymization of the message so that we do not know more who it was.
DAMY law firm , Nice, How to protect your e-reputation? 2022 Update
