Civil Society Drug Policy Initiative v Facebook
02.07.2019
At the request of the Panoptykon Foundation, Wardyński & Partners is representing the Civil Society Drug Policy Initiative (Społeczna Inicjatywa Narkopolityki—SIN) pro bono in litigation against Facebook for infringement of personal interests.
SIN is a nongovernmental organisation which for years has been involved in promoting knowledge of the harmful effects of psychoactive substances and assisting drug users. The case involves Facebook’s decision to block pages, accounts and groups maintained by SIN.
In 2018, Facebook, which had been a strategic operating platform for SIN, took down SIN’s pages and groups, without warning or a clear explanation, claiming that they violated Facebook’s community standards. The suit against Facebook for infringement of personal interests was filed with the court in May 2019. SIN claimed in the suit that the blockade imposed by Facebook unfairly limited the organisation’s ability to disseminate information, express its views, and communicate with its audience.
On 2 July 2019 the court considering the case issued an order temporarily enjoining Facebook from taking down the pages, accounts and groups maintained on Facebook and Instagram by the Civil Society Drug Policy Initiative, and from taking down individual posts. The injunction issued by the court is temporary and does not determine the final result in the case. Facebook Ireland has a right to challenge the order before the Warsaw Court of Appeal.
The case is led by Łukasz Lasek, Piotr Golędzinowski and Bartosz Troczyński from the firm’s Dispute Resolution & Arbitration practice.
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