The United Kingdom has recently launched a review of their online libel laws, with critics calling the current laws “outdated”. The Internet has always been somewhat anarchic in this regard, and will likely continue to be because of the anonymity of the worldwide web. It ought to be interesting to see how this review of the libel laws turns out–especially in regard to online reputation management.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/17/internet-libel-review-launched