Annoy.com Gag Order Lifted

A reader writes "Annoy.com, the web site that pushes the first amendement envelope, has emerged victorious in their most recent court ruling. Haven't heard of the case? That's not surprising. The magistrate's gag order covered not only the details of the case, but also the very existence of the case. Read details in this SF Gate Article or this annoy.com release."

Comments

The correct link...

[msnomer]

...is this

--meredith

Link to lots of info about the case.

[PopeFelix]

www.ejournalism.com have put together a central site with the various legal motions and such filed, as well as annoy.com's response to the case.

It seems to me that U.S. case law is taking an ominous turn with all the stuff that's been going on regarding insulting messages being said anonymously. Shouldn't slander and libel be reserved for people and/or organizations that make official statements that are libelous and/or slanderous?

Let's say I have a friend named Joe. One day, Joe asks me to put up some flyers for him, and I don't ask what they are, nor do I look at them longer than it takes me to put up the flyers. Am I then liable for their content? Or am I legally bound to reveal that it was Joe who asked me to put them up?

Summed up, my feelings are, "If you're a duck, shed water." I think most people take anything they read that's posted anonymously with a large grain of salt. After all, an anonymous post shouldn't really be perceived to have a lot of credibility, should it?

Pope Felix the Scurrilous.

And look here

[myster0n]

On their website, when you click censure (where you can post anonymous postcards, what this was all about), there is a warning :

WARNING

It has come to our attention that certain people have been using annoy.com to deliver what some might consider to be threats of physical violence or harm to others.

Do not mistake our commitment to freedom of speech for a license to abuse our service in this manner.

We plan to cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies in whatever efforts they make to find you and punish you - even if it's some renegade authoritarian dictatorship that might crucify your stupid ass if they catch you.

Free speech and annoy.com are not about harassment and definitely not about harm or violence. If you think for a second we will allow cowardly idiots to spoil our free speech party you are making a mistake. A huge mistake.

Just wondering what they mean with "some renegade authoritarian dictatorship that might crucify your stupid ass if they catch you". In light of these events I mean.