The Guardian Internet service providers in the US were yesterday celebrating a supreme court ruling that gave them full protection against any libellous or abusive message sent over the web.
British law is still unclear on the issue.
Mr Baker said the British position could harm free speech on the internet as it gives an economic incentive for companies to withdraw messages as soon as a complaint is made, whether or not they are libellous. If they take it down, nothing happens. In the US on Monday, the supreme court upheld a previous ruling against a former boy scout who sought damages from the ISP Prodigy. Alexander Lunney sued Prodigy after an impostor used his name to send threatening and profane messages to some of his neighbours in Westchester county. At the time, in 1994, Mr Lunney was 15 years old.