Online reputation is a commercial asset. For businesses, it drives customer enquiries and revenue. For professionals, it determines referrals and career opportunities. When false, defamatory, or harmful content appears online — a fake Google review, a social media attack, a defamatory forum post, or damaging content from an aggrieved former employee or customer — the harm is immediate and can be persistent.

EAGLEGATE advises businesses, company directors, professionals, and individuals on online reputation protection — from obtaining the removal of harmful content through to commencing defamation proceedings where required. We draw on defamation law under the Defamation Act 2005 (Qld), privacy law under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) to achieve practical outcomes.

Your online reputation is the first thing potential clients see. Protecting it is not optional — it is commercial risk management.

Key Online Reputation Expertise — Remove, Protect, Restore

EAGLEGATE advises on every form of online reputational harm.

False Google Reviews

A false Google review can appear on the first page of search results for your business name. Where the review is factually false — not merely negative — it may constitute defamation under the Defamation Act 2005 (Qld). EAGLEGATE advises on the legal options for removal, including: sending a concerns notice and demand for removal to the publisher; requesting removal from Google under their review policies; and where necessary, commencing defamation proceedings.

Social Media Defamation

Defamatory posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and other platforms are publications for the purposes of the Defamation Act 2005 (Qld). Platform removal requests, concerns notices to publishers, and in urgent cases, injunctions to prevent further publication are all available tools. EAGLEGATE advises on the most effective approach depending on the platform, the content, and the urgency.

Forum and Review Site Content

Negative content on Glassdoor, ProductReview, TrustPilot, and other review and forum platforms can cause significant commercial harm. Where content is false, EAGLEGATE advises on removal requests through the platform’s own processes, concerns notices, and defamation claims where the content meets the serious harm threshold.

Urgent Injunctions to Stop Publication

Where defamatory content is being published on an ongoing basis, or where a threatened publication would cause serious harm, an urgent injunction may be obtained from the Supreme Court of Queensland or the Federal Court of Australia to prevent further publication. The test for an interlocutory injunction in defamation requires a serious question to be tried and a balance of convenience that favours restraint — courts are traditionally cautious about prior restraint of publication. An undertaking as to damages will be necessary.

Privacy and Data-Related Harm

Where online content involves the disclosure of private information — medical information, financial details, personal relationships — the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the privacy tort (where applicable) may provide additional remedies beyond defamation. The Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) provides a regime for responding to cyber abuse, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and harmful online content through the eSafety Commissioner.

1. Assess the Content and the Harm

We assess what the content says, whether it is false, what harm it has caused or is causing, and what the most effective removal or remediation strategy is for the specific platform and circumstances.

2. Pursue Removal

We pursue removal through the most direct available avenue — platform reporting tools, concerns notices, direct communication with publishers, and where required, court orders. Speed in obtaining removal reduces the long-term harm.

3. Protect Against Recurrence

We advise on structural protections — reputation monitoring, contractual protections in customer and employment relationships, and early warning systems — that reduce the risk of future reputational attacks.

4. Litigate Where Necessary

Where removal cannot be achieved through informal means, EAGLEGATE commences defamation proceedings or applies for court orders requiring removal and compensating for harm already caused.