Protest issues and rumours – the Internet provides a forum for protests and rumours of all kinds (legitimate or fictitious, believable or ludicrous) to gain an instant worldwide audience. These can range from calls for a boycott on a particular company or its products to customer complaints or simple messages of hate.

They can appear on web-sites or in widely circulated e-mails or newsgroup messages. This issue can also include attempts at share price manipulation through the propagation of false information or faked press releases.