U. S. legal experts have said that people taking to the Internet to air grievances and complaints about businesses may find themselves targeted by defamation lawsuits.

The New York Times reported on Monday that the exploding popularity of Web sites like Facebook and Twitter has given rise to cases of businesses suing people for posting critical comments online.

Some first amendment lawyers criticize such lawsuits, saying they're just the latest version of a legal maneuver called a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or Slapp.

The Times also said that the term traditionally meant merit-less defamation suits filed by officials or business against citizens who criticized them.

Those filing such suits don't always expect to succeed, in fact, most such suits fail, but use them to intimidate critics who often back down from the threat of a long, expensive court fight.

The Times further said that many states have anti-Slapp laws, and Congress is looking at legislation to make it harder to file such suits.

With people going online with their criticisms and attacks and businesses responding with lawsuits, the debate over Slapps has moved to the Web.

George W. Pring, a University of Denver law professor, says, "We are beyond the low-tech era of people getting slapped because of letters they wrote to politicians or testimony they gave at a city council meeting." (With Inputs from Agencies)