BY JULIETTE CAPOMOLLA

Anonymous Instagram account Celeb Spellcheck has shocked it’s 143,000 followers by suddenly and unexpectedly archiving all of its posts.

The account rose to fame in January, quickly becoming a hub for Australian celebrity gossip and information.

The anonymous account gained traction through the simple action of sharing posts from Australian influencers and celebrities that contained spelling mistakes.

However, the content quickly grew to encompass calling out famous Australians for inappropriate behaviour, such as drug use and racist social media posts. 

After all of Celeb Spellcheck's posts were abruptly archived, speculation immediately began circulating on social media that the account was subject to legal action.

This speculation was seemingly dismissed when the account posted a photo on its Instagram bio of celebrity tv Judge Judy making the "loser" hand sign.

Reality television star Laurina Fleure was the last person to feature on Celeb Spellcheck’s account before all of the posts were deleted. 

The account reposted a video of the ex-Bachelor star snorting a mystery substance while at a party.

The day after she featured on Celeb Spellcheck’s account, Ms Fleure told the Herald Sun that she felt sick, humiliated and embarrassed by her actions in the post, which were widely shared.

“I think [the account] got reported by heaps of people for bullying,” Ms Fleure said. 

Instagram influencer Em Davies had previously shared an indirect response to Celeb Spellcheck’s post of her, which read “bullying ain’t cool, think before you speak”.

Celeb Spellcheck reposted a screenshot of Ms Davies’ private Snapchat story which seemingly contained discussion of drug use.

Later that Friday night, Celeb Spellcheck responded to the rumours that it was facing legal troubles. 

“I wanted to let you know that I am completely fine,” the account posted on Instagram. 

“I’m not being sued (that I know of, lol) and I’m not at risk of having my identity revealed.

“I will be taking a little break while I think about the future of this account.”

Lawyer Rowan Lyndon said the rise of social media brought with it an increase in defamation cases being launched.

“It has forced, and is forcing, defamation law to evolve to keep pace with the unique challenges posed by publication in the online world,” he said.

MOJO News is not suggesting Celeb Spellcheck has defamed anyone, merely that legal action can be a chosen course of action for some people who feel their reputations have been damaged by online posts.

According to Mr Lyndon, Australian courts have displayed an increasing willingness to assist in defamation cases involving anonymous Instagram accounts.

“While freedom of communication is of course extremely important, it is worth remembering the harm which online or social media publication can do too,” he said.

“Much of the push for change to defamation law has been focused on making it less likely that people will face liability for defamation, and therefore on making people feel more able to communicate without fear of facing a defamation claim.

“Getting the balance right between the public interest in freedom of communication, protecting people and their reputations from unreasonable harm, and the public interest in avoiding fake news being given air is one of the challenges which the law will face over the coming years as social media continues to influence defamation law change.”

Should a defamation claim be successful, offending social media accounts could be subject to court-ordered compensation and payment of the claimant’s legal costs.  

“Each of these amounts can easily run into seven figures alone,” Mr Lyndon said. 

In Italy, Celeb Spellcheck’s international peer Diet Prada has not been so fortunate. It is being sued for defamation by luxury brand Dolce and Gabbana. 

The Instagram call-out account, which has more than 2.6 million followers, predominantly focuses on the fashion industry and serious cultural issues such as racism. 

It began anonymously, but the two owners later revealed themselves in 2017. 

Whilst the two accounts may differ in their content and scale, they share a common purpose of bringing attention to the behaviour of those within the public eye. 

The Italian fashion house instituted proceedings in March 2018 after the Diet Prada called out the brand in an Instagram post for racism in their #DGLovesChina ad campaign.

The post also included a screenshot of alleged racist private messages from D&G designer Stefano Gabbana. 

After the post garnered global attention, D&G’s Shanghai fashion show was cancelled due to a number of high-profile individuals and models refusing to attend.

Diet Prada is being sued for around $780 million in damages.