Countdown's Rachel Riley threatens legal action over online abuse

From Digital Spy

Countdown's Rachel Riley and former EastEnders star Tracy Ann Oberman are threatening legal action against online trolls.

The Guardian is reporting that Riley and Oberman have hired lawyer Mark Lewis, who is considering action against up to 70 people who are accused of either posting defamatory claims about them, or repeatedly sending them large numbers of messages, following their comments about accusations of antisemitism in the Labour party.

Lewis, who is known in legal circles for representing victims of phone-hacking, told The Guardian that he is embarking on "a very early-stage legal procedure".

[Tracy Ann Oberman]

Related: Twitter is FINALLY going to let you filter out trolls and spambots

Explaining that he is in the process of identifying "potential defendants", Lewis said: "People need to realise that when they publish on Twitter they become a publisher.

"Whether it’s an initial publication or republication does not matter," he said.

Lewis added to The Guardian that he was prepared to go to court and compel Twitter to release details of individuals who are said to have made the posts.

"This is not about money," he added of Riley and Oberman. "They’re not looking to enrich themselves by taking legal action. They’re looking to stop vile lies."

Riley, who is a vocal opponent of the Labour party under current leader Jeremy Corbyn, has not directly addressed the issue on Twitter due to ongoing proceedings.

In a tweet shared yesterday (February 21), the Countdown host said: "@TracyAnnO and I will not sit idly by, whilst subject to libel, abuse and harassment."

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