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2/9/11

10:50

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News in brief

Carers website restored after libel law complaints

A government-contracted company is at the centre of a row over libel law after it threatened a website used as a support group for care workers and the disabled with legal action. Atos Healthcare, the firm responsible for reassessing 1.5 million people claiming sickness and disability benefits, alleged that a comment posted on a forum run by campaigners Carer Watch was malicious and defamatory. The forum was subsequently removed from the internet but Carer Watch was not informed why until it raised the issue with the American company responsible for hosting the website.

Carer Watch was taken down by its hosting service

Vulnerable users
According to Frances Kelly, a founding member of Carer Watch, the move left vulnerable users of the website cut off from an important channel of support. When our website was abruptly taken down we didnt know anything about it until it happened, she said. We couldnt get in contact with any of our members and that was really bad, because were carers and a lot of our members are long-term sick and disabled. This happening was quite frightening to them. It was a really nasty situation. The website was eventually reinstated after Carer Watch removed the offending comment. However, the incident caught the attention of freedom of expression group Index on Censorship, which runs a campaign advocating the reform of libel laws in the UK.

This case shows why we need to reform our libel laws, said Mike Harris, a spokesman for the Libel Reform Campaign. Carer Watch, a community website, was taken off the internet for a single post criticising Atos. Atos didnt approach Carer Watch before pulling the plug, but went straight to their lawyers... The government must act so that lawyers acting for big business cant just take down websites without even telling the community who run the website what their complaint is. He added: Were working hard to impress upon the MPs and Lords of the select committee looking into our libel laws that wholesale change is needed, not just tinkering around the edges. Britain has become an international laughing stock because of our restrictive libel laws. We need reform.

Examinations were brought down after solicitors acting on behalf of the company alleged they contained libellous content. Atos has found itself subject to sustained criticism since it won a government contract in 2010, worth an annual 100 million, to reassess incapacity benefit claimants for the Department of Work and Pensions. In July this year the crossparty Work and Pensions Select Committee said it had found many people who had not received the level of service from Atos which they can reasonably expect. Anarchist campaign group the Black Triangle has since offered Carer Watch and others subject to libel threats online sanctuary by hosting the websites on servers, located in Iceland, which they say are beyond the legal reach of Atos due to the countrys strong freedom of expression laws.

MISSING PERSON
Thirty-five-year-old Joseph Shann has been missing since December 2008. He is 5ft 6ins, of slim build, with blue eyes and cropped hair. Shann is urged to call confidential message service Message Home on 0800 700 740. Missing People, the independent charity funded by donations, is also appealing to anyone who may have an idea of Shanns whereabouts to call 0500 700 700, email seensomeone@missingpeople. org.uk or visit www. missingpeople.org.uk/josephshann for more information.

Unnecessary concern
A spokesperson for Atos said: Atos Healthcare fully supports the right of people to express their opinions. However, some comments on the Carer Watch forum fell far outside the boundaries of fair comment and included malicious, unsubstantiated and tasteless allegations relating to our company and our employees. In order to protect the reputation of our company and employees, we requested that these defamatory comments be removed from the forum. However, we did not ask for the closure of either the forum or the wider site. We appreciate that the closure of the forum by the system administrator has caused unnecessary concern for the forums members and we would like to offer assurance that this was never our intention. We recognise that Carer Watch is a useful resource for the carer community and have taken steps to help bring it back. We are pleased to confirm that the website is again active.
RYAN GALLGHER

CHARITY SHOP
Leeds-based homeless charity St Georges Crypt has opened its second charity shop, providing volunteering and work experience opportunities for its clients. The former Co-op on Town Street, Armley, is over 5,000 square feet and will provide much needed revenue for the charity that works with homeless and disadvantaged people by running a drop-in, training and accommodation centre, as well as two hostels for residents with a background of addiction.

CYCLING ACTION
The Cyclists Defence Fund has launched an action against Sheffield City Council over an out of repair road. Strines Moor in the Peak District has been used in stages of the Tour of Britain and is expected to feature in Sheffields proposal to host part of the 2016 Tour de France but the charity fears for the safety of the roads users. The council has four months to take remedial action or it could face a court hearing.

Sustained criticism
The removal of the Carer Watch website is not the first time that Atos, a French-owned company with annual revenue of over 4 billion, has issued legal threats to UK-domiciled websites. Earlier this year three others After Atos, Atos Register of Shame, and DWP

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