The rising issue of Internet defamation does not change the principles of Common Law surrounding defamation: published slander (libel), whose untruth is given wide circulation as fact, resulting in injury to the victim's reputation.

The principles of Common Law surrounding defamation, which include the publication of false statements that cause harm to someone's reputation, remain applicable in the context of Internet defamation. The medium through which the defamation occurs (online versus traditional forms) does not change these foundational principles.