Review bombing: Kerala HC calls for caution against reviews from anonymous sources
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has called for caution against movie reviews from anonymous sources and directed concerned authorities to take necessary measures under the Information Technology Act (IT Act). The court made the remarks while considering a petition filed by the director of 'Aromalinte Adyathe Pranayam'.
Justice Devan Ramachandran observed that anonymous reviews could be done with ill-intentions and hence the identity of the reviewer must be revealed. Amicus Curiae Shyam Padman opined that defamatory reviews are often published through fake IDs without any credentials.
Later, the state police chief handed over a special protocol in the high court, clarifying that a case can be filed if expression of opinion on a film is found defamatory. The police protocol was formulated as per the instruction of the high court. The practical difficulties in the case of anonymous sources were also pointed out in the court.
- In case of review bombing, cases can be registered under various sections (66E, 67) of IT Act. The new protocol also details the procedures to be followed when a complaint is lodged in this regard.
- The reviewer's information, history, and consistency should be checked properly. Also, officials should verify the profile picture, contact number and username.
- Time, language, style and context should be verified as use of foul language can be a sign of review bombing. In case of a review with good intentions, the exact reason must be specified.
- Actions taken over reviews should not affect one’s freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Experts must be consulted in this regard.
Meanwhile, police have also pointed out the practical difficulty of filing a case under criminal charges for reviewing.