The Telegraph has agreed to pay substantial damages to business and tech entrepreneur Lu Heng after accusing him in an article published on its website of disrupting organisations that provide IP addresses to different continents.
In a statement read in the High Court today before Mrs Justice Steyn, Mr Lu’s solicitor, Tom Double, explained that the Daily Telegraph had libelled Mr Lu by accusing him of “advancing China’s colonisation” of the internet in Africa by orchestrating the collapse of AfriNIC, the organisation responsible for providing IP addresses to the African continent, and “engaging in a sophisticated misinformation campaign” in an attempt to seize control of Apnic, the organisation responsible for providing IP addresses to Asia and the Pacific.
Mr Lu complained to the Telegraph about their mischaracterisation of him: he has not sought to “advance China’s” interests by orchestrating the collapse of AfriNIC , nor has he engaged in the alleged misinformation campaign.
The matter was settled in March 2024 with the Telegraph agreeing to pay Mr Lu substantial damages and his legal costs, as well as removing the article from its website.
Lu Heng was represented by Tom Double and Adham Harker and Hugh Tomlinson KC of Matrix Chambers.