The end of the illusion of anonymous blogging
ADOTAS — Not that you could truly be anonymous for the most part anyway, but it looks as if the courts are pushing to make unmasking easier.
Google was forced to hand over the identifying information of an anonymous blogger who had insulted a model on “Skanks in NYC,” a now-defunct site. Liskula Cohen had argued that she had been defamed by the site’s anonymous proprietor and needed to find out who that person was in order to sue him or her. And a court agreed.
Now I’m of two minds on this. I’ve turned against the idea that people should rip other people anonymously, whether through blogs or comments. The discourse can become quickly poisoned, and I think it hurts the web in general.
On the other hand, important leaked information from people who either could get fired or worse has been a long and revered tradition in journalism. Certain types of whistleblowing are now even protected because of retaliation against people who released information that was in the public interest.
I don’t like government getting involved, but I don’t think a self-regulated crackdown on anonymity is a bad thing in the long run. People should stand behind what they write. Having said that, I’m not changing the policy here. If someone crosses the line, I pipe in and warn them. Then, if they can’t stay civil, and on this side of libel, I’ll delete their comment with, usually, a note. For now, that’s the best route.
Reader Comments.
There should be some regulation, certainly. But the free spirit of internet must not be touched. Ain’t enough the troll masses?
Leave a Comment
Article Sponsor
More News
-
Loading ...
Latest News
- Hulu’s Bringing Its “A” Game But… March 19th 2010 ADOTAS – Hulu’s sales team is actively subverting the ad [...] more »
- Yelp! A class-action suit? March 19th 2010 ADOTAS – One of three civil suits against Yelp filed [...] more »
- Viacom Accuses Google; Testing Digital Millennium Copyright Act March 19th 2010 Viacom has accused Google of turning a blind eye to [...] more »
- Google to Leave China April 10th? March 19th 2010 ADOTAS – According to the China Business News, Google Inc [...] more »
- [x+1] Creates The Smartest Tagging System Around March 18th 2010 ADOTAS – Today, if you happen to be at the [...] more »
- IAB’s Video Standards Tackled By ADTECH March 18th 2010 ADOTAS – ADTECH, a part of AOL Advertising and an [...] more »
- Google Search and Mobile and….TV? Oh My! March 18th 2010 ADOTAS – Google wants to dominate your screens…. Not just [...] more »
Features
- Growing Pains March 19th 2010
- For Better or For Worse? March 18th 2010
- Yahoo! Wants to Get More Personal March 17th 2010
- Creative Considerations for the iPad March 16th 2010
- Amazon Leaves Colorado Affiliates Out in the Cold March 12th 2010
Spotlight
AdBidCentral’s CEO, Vivek Veeraraghavan Talks Openly*What was the inspiration to start AdBidCentral? The conditions that inspired AdBidCentral came from a variety of factors in my personal [...] more...
Reader Favorites
Classifieds
- ATT Senior Product Marketing Manager- Atlanta, GA
- Lead Online Marketing Manager eCommerce
- ATT Senior Marketing Manager, Healthcare, Bedminis
- Communications Fellow
- Sr Director, Marketing Services
Recent Comments
- Abby: Hi, It's great and useful stuff for affiliate marketing here, thanks for sharing. I also
- Durk Price: This is one early adoption I would do!
- Rolv Heggenhougen: Companies invest a great deal in their website which in many cases is their only
- docreiss: I find it interesting that the author ("Bob") indicates the reader may have the "patients"
