What are Reputational Damage Control Measures on the Shitaraba Bulletin Board?

When it comes to internet bulletin boards that rival 2channel, Shitaraba Bulletin Board is a name that comes to mind. It is known for its service that allows you to rent a bulletin board for free. You may have browsed it, or even started your own thread and had a bulletin board. However, because you can create bulletin boards in various genres, the potential for reputational damage is very high. In this article, we will explain the types of reputational damage that are likely to occur on the Shitaraba Bulletin Board, along with countermeasures.

What is Shitaraba Bulletin Board?

The Shitaraba Bulletin Board is an electronic bulletin board established by Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder of “2channel”. It adopts a rental bulletin board format, allowing anyone to have a bulletin board for free. With a variety of genres such as movies and entertainment, you can basically create a bulletin board on any topic you like. Of course, you can freely create threads within your own bulletin board, and it’s easy to change the design and customize it. Another major feature is that it is a “thread float type” bulletin board, where the thread with the latest post is displayed at the top. For these reasons, the Shitaraba Bulletin Board is user-friendly and widely used. With a large number of users, there is a high risk of posts being made for the purpose of slander. There are many bulletin boards and threads with specialized content, and conflicts can arise when the values and thoughts of posters clash. Like 2channel, it has a high level of anonymity, so there are often posts with high levels of aggression, such as abusive language and insults towards others.

What is the content of reputational damage (defamation) posted on Shitaraba?

Shitaraba has various genres of bulletin boards, so various types of reputational damage can be considered. Here, we introduce some typical examples of reputational damage.

Negative reviews of companies by job-hunting students

One of the personalityistics of the Shitaraba bulletin board is that it is often used by job-hunting students. It has been attracting attention since around 2016 (Heisei 28) because it allows users to obtain company information and information about recruitment exams that cannot be obtained from company recruitment websites or job support services. On the other hand, there has been an increase in defamatory posts about HR personnel and the selection process from job-hunting students who were not hired. They vent their frustrations on the bulletin board. For example, posts like “The selection process of this company is just for show, most of the hires are nepotism” or “I was subjected to personality-denying words from a person named ○○ in HR during the interview”. Such posts can damage the brand image of the company.

Invasion of privacy

On the Shitaraba bulletin board, there may be posts that leak personal information of specific individuals. For example, there are many threads related to celebrities, and personal information about celebrities may be posted in them. Posts like “△△ was part of a famous delinquent group in his/her local area when he/she was in junior high school” or “I saw △△ complaining to a clerk at a local supermarket” can be a significant blow to celebrities, whose image is their livelihood. Also, not limited to celebrities, there is a risk that those who hold a grudge against a specific person may indiscriminately post personal information such as addresses and names on various bulletin boards. In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in cases of “revenge porn”, where former partners publish sexual videos and photos of their partners from when the relationship was good. Revenge porn, which publishes private parts of others without permission, is one of the acts that is likely to constitute an invasion of privacy.

Defamation

Defamation is the act of degrading the social value of a specific person in an environment where the eyes of an unspecified number of people can reach. For example, a post saying “The section chief of section B of company A is embezzling company money” despite being baseless, is likely to constitute defamation.

How to Remove Posts from Shitaraba Bulletin Board for Violation of Terms?

This article explains how to remove posts from the Shitaraba Bulletin Board that violate its terms of service, especially when you find posts that defame you or the organization you belong to.

Shitaraba Bulletin Board Terms of Use

If a post violates the terms of use of the Shitaraba Bulletin Board, there is a high chance of successful removal. The Shitaraba Bulletin Board’s terms of use prohibit the following:

Defamatory posts can be addressed under “2. Acts that defame honor” and “5. Acts that infringe on privacy”. For example, if a post claims that “the company’s money is being embezzled”, you can argue that it falls under “2. Acts that defame honor”.

Please note that the operator of the Shitaraba Bulletin Board (Caesar Corporation) does not remove defamatory posts on its own. It is explicitly stated in Article 4 of the Terms of Use that “Basically, troubles on the bulletin board and deletion requests are handled at the discretion and responsibility of the bulletin board administrator. The operator only provides the system and does not interfere with the content of the bulletin board in principle.”

How to Remove Posts from Shitaraba Bulletin Board for Violation of Terms

Normally, requests for deletion due to violation of terms are made to the site operator. However, in the case of the Shitaraba Bulletin Board, the management of each bulletin board is entrusted to the administrator of the rented bulletin board. Therefore, it is possible to make a deletion request to the bulletin board administrator. In the “Notes on Inquiries” of the Shitaraba Bulletin Board, it is written that “We ask for requests for deletion to the bulletin board administrator”, so let’s make a deletion request to the bulletin board administrator first.

To make a deletion request to the bulletin board administrator, click the “Contact the Bulletin Board Administrator” button at the bottom of each bulletin board. Then, the “Contact the Bulletin Board Administrator” screen will be displayed, so fill in the necessary items.

If the bulletin board operator does not respond to the deletion request, you will need to make a deletion request to “Caesar”, which operates the Shitaraba site. From the “Contact Us” at the bottom right of the Shitaraba Bulletin Board’s top page, jump to the inquiry form and fill in the necessary items. In the “Body” section, include the URL of the thread or comment, and clearly specify the part you want to delete. It is also a good idea to mention which part of the terms of use is violated.

Requesting Removal on the Grounds of Illegality

When initiating a lawsuit on the grounds of illegality, you will be asserting claims such as defamation, insult, or invasion of privacy. If you are claiming defamation, you need to argue from a legal perspective that it meets the three conditions of being “publicly”, “factually presented”, and “infringing on a person’s honor”. It can be quite difficult to make this claim on your own, so it is recommended to hire a lawyer. Lawyers have their strengths and weaknesses, so look for a lawyer who is strong in dealing with online slander.

https://monolith.law/reputation/cases-not-recognized-as-defamation[ja]

Requesting Removal through Provisional Disposition

When asserting illegality, it is generally more common to proceed with provisional disposition rather than a lawsuit. Provisional disposition refers to the realization of the requested situation before substantial deliberation. While a lawsuit takes time to result in removal, provisional disposition allows for a removal order without going through a trial, enabling swift deletion. If defamatory posts are left as they are, reputational damage will only spread, so it is necessary to delete them as soon as possible. However, please note that even though it’s a provisional disposition, legal arguments must be made and the court must be convinced, just like in a trial.

https://monolith.law/reputation/provisional-disposition[ja]

Identifying Posters through Provisional Dispositions

In provisional dispositions, it is possible not only to request deletion but also to identify the poster. Even if the deletion of a post is successful, there is a risk of re-offense if the identity of the poster is unknown. However, if the poster can be identified, they are unlikely to post defamatory comments again. The process of identifying the poster begins with a request to the operator for the disclosure of the poster’s IP address. If the disclosure of the IP address is successful, a request is made to the provider used by the poster for the disclosure of information such as the poster’s address and name. In other words, it is necessary to make a disclosure request twice. Although the procedure may be more cumbersome than deletion, it has the advantage of leading to a fundamental solution.

https://monolith.law/reputation/identifying-contributors-after-deletion[ja]

Summary

We have explained the content and countermeasures of reputational damage on the Shitaraba bulletin board. Shitaraba bulletin board is a service that allows you to rent the bulletin board itself for free, and it has quite a lot of users in Japan. Therefore, it can be said that there is a high possibility of reputational damage occurring. If you find a post that defames or slanders, such as defamation, please first request the bulletin board operator to delete it. If the operator does not respond, try contacting the operator, Caesar. If that still doesn’t work, hiring a lawyer and claiming illegality is one option. We recommend taking provisional measures to ensure quick deletion.