When building a public facing website that allows visitors to post comments, link to media and/or upload media (e.g. audio, video, images) ... what should I do to protect myself legally in the case such visitors link to or upload content that they shouldn't (e.g. adult oriented media, copyrighted images and/or media owned by someone else, etc...)?Some questions that come to mind in particular:Should I allow folks to post anonymously?If I make visitors agree to some kind of statement whereby they take full responsibility for what they upload, what should the copy of such a statement be?Please provide as specific as possible steps one should take if possible.
How to legally protect yourself from malicious and/or dumb users?
legal;websites;copyright
This is obviously a 'consult an attorney' question.  Find one that specializes in internet issues if you can.  In general, in the US, you wouldnt be responsible for content submitted by users.  There are some exceptions to this - for example, you'd need to comply with copyright notices.  But its generally the person who uploaded the content that is responsible.  You would though want some system in place for reporting abuse and removing content.Regarding your questions,1) No.  Not in the sense that they can post without registering.  I would suggest requiring registering w/ email verification at the very least.  Otherwise you'll get tons of comment spam.  2) Yes.  Have your attorney write up a Terms of Service that all members need to agree to during registration, and link to it on your site.