Legality of naming people who owe money?

[kate]

I've been invited to a group on facebook who is threatening to write the names of people who owed money to them. They are planning on giving these names over the Internet. I believe this to be illegal is it? What law are they breaking?

Said people have gone out of business because of it and are now threatening to expose them unless they pay what they owe.
Sorry, should mention this is UK.

[Linda M]

Defamation IS illegal.

[Logic316]

It's free speech and it's perfectly legal, as long as their claims are true. It's only considered libel or slander if somebody injures your reputation by making a deliberately false statement about you. Truth is always an absolute defense. If somebody owed you money and didn't want to pay you back, don't you think you'd have the right to tell people about it?

* According to the Wiki article below, the Brits supposedly don't respect this principle. However, an excerpt from a UK civil liberties site says this:
"It is a complete defence to an action for defamation to prove that the defamatory statement is substantially true."
http://www.yourrights.org.uk/yourrights/...ation.html

[MissyDoo]

Its called Defamation, thats pretty messed up! You should report this to someone. maybe your local police office or at least to the facebook people. The bad thing is, these people's information will be online.

[victoriouswood936]

black mail don't do it or you will be the one in trouble

[Charles G]

If they actually OWE the money to the people, it isn't illegal.

If they sue for libel, the accuracy of information is a legal defense.

(This is what the major credit bureaus do)

If they DON'T owe the money, and they say they do, and it harms them financially, then you could sue.

[RK]

If "said people" have documentary proof that the money is actually owed to them, they are home free. Otherwise they are skating on thin ice, to mix a metaphor.

[Likalotapus]

I once lived in a small town that had one independent furniture and hardware store. Much of the business was done on credit with no credit checks, only hand written agreements. The owner of the store ran a full page ad in the weekly newspaper expressing his "Special Thanks" to a list of customers. There was a list of names published below. Everyone in town knew that that list was people who were behind on their payment without the ad expressing such. Maybe you should try that approach, it worked well for him.