The chances of accidentally breaking the law online could be greater than you might think. According a study we commissioned, only 44% of people could correctly spot illegal activities when given a number of scenarios such as defamation, copyright infringement and hacking.

More than 2,000 people completed nine tests as part of the research, measuring their ability to spot online activities that break the law. For example, they were asked to pick out a libellous tweet about a celebrity, or decide if an incitement of violence on Facebook broke the law. 

Our study found the top five risk areas were:- 

1. Uploading copyrighted content - photos, song lyrics, guitar tabs etc. to a personal website or social network 
2. Blogging – misuse of copyrighted material and plagiarism
3. Privacy – by discussing or publishing details of a super injunction 
4. Defamation – of other people using social media 
5. Uploading and downloading – of music illegally 

You can take a free online test similar to the one used in the study to check your own understanding of how the law applies online. It also gives helpful advice on how to stay out of trouble. 

Five Top Tips from knowthenet.org.uk on how to stay legal online 

1. When you log-on, don’t let your common sense log-off! Something that seems like a harmless prank could have unpleasant consequences.
2. Just because everyone else is talking about a topic doesn’t mean it’s legal to do so – if there’s any doubt, it’s best to say nowt!
3. Think about how a content creator would feel about your use of their work– whether you are sharing it online or downloading it off the web. If you wouldn’t be happy with people doing it with your content, there’s a good chance they feel the same way.
4. If you are going to say something negative about someone online, be absolutely sure it is true before you publish
5. Don’t post jokes online that might be seen to encourage people to do something illegal or violent!

You can read more advice about how to stay legal online or take the test for yourself.