It’s widely acknowledged that most people in Northern Ireland love a good gossip. There are few things as instantly titillating as bumping into someone you haven’t seen for ages and hearing the words: “Wait till you hear…”

However, what’s less appealing to me, although apparently not to others, is when idle gossip morphs into something much crueller, more vindictive and spread via digital platforms – archived online forever, searchable by keyword, and occasionally discussed in court.

Earlier this month an award of damages against the alleged operator of Tattle Life was set aside.

For the uninitiated, Tattle Life is essentially a giant online forum dedicated to discussing influencers, celebrities and various other people unfortunate enough to have a public-facing internet presence.

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Its defenders insist it provides........

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