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Court Rules in Favor of Anonymous Blogger

joel_archer writes "The Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed a lower court decision requiring an Internet service provider to disclose the identity of an anonymous blogger who targeted a local elected official. Judge Steele described the Internet as a 'unique democratizing medium unlike anything that has come before,' and said anonymous speech in blogs and chat rooms in some instances can become the modern equivalent of political pamphleteering. 'We are concerned that setting the standard too low will chill potential posters from exercising their First Amendment right to speak anonymously,' Steele wrote."

10 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Huzzah! by jettoki · · Score: 5, Funny

    And then, a million bloggers rose in triumphant jubilation, only to sit back down panting heavily.

  2. Judge Steele??? by ferrellcat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damn, just his name alone makes him someone I wouldn't want to fuck with. I wonder if he has his own TV show.

    NEXT, ON JUDGE STEELE...

  3. OT: being a grammar Nazi. ;-) by interactive_civilian · · Score: 1, Funny
    dustinbarbour wanted help with the following:
    The public in this country has taken a rash beating in the passed (past? Could a Slashdot grammar Nazi clarify?)
    Past is a noun talking about the time before now (i.e. Past, present, and future), an adjective for talking about previous times (i.e. past tense, past few days), or a preposition (i.e. go past the post office)

    Passed is either the past tense or past participle of the verb pass, and basically means to move past something (i.e. time passes, one car passed another, Those days have passed into history, etc).

    So, for dustinbarbour the following would have been correct: The public in this country has taken a such a rash beating in the past years that we get all excited when things are decided in favor of the law.
    (I added the "such a" to make it more grammatically correct with the "that we..." though there are other ways of phrasing this).

    Hope this helps. Now, Mods, do your job and mod me down with all of your hatred (for being off-topic).

    Disclaimer: this post has not been check for its own grammar mistakes. Real grammar Nazis, do your worst!

    --
    "Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
  4. Re:Sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    I'm glad anonymity won, but I don't know if I'd feel the same way if some anonymous ass was slandering me on a popular website

    That's about what I'd expect from a cock-sucking asswipe such as yourself. When did you stop beating your wife? PS - I'm glad your crack habit doesn't keep you from molesting young boys.

  5. Re:Title dyslexia by maxwell+demon · · Score: 1, Funny

    Do you mean that the blogger is annoying, or that the court favours annoying him?

    --
    The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
  6. Re:Sad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yeah, because he said popular website and this is Slashdot.

  7. Anonymous Posting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    For all of you Slashdotters who have have historically ( I assume no links are needed between gentlemen here on this subject? ) assaulted the AC's posts merely because they were posted as AC let this article be a reminder that AC posting is a constitutional right that has been upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court. This is of course not to admonish you for justifiable assault on poor comments and err *cough* flamebait.

  8. Re:The judge was wrong and so are you. by indifferent+children · · Score: 2, Funny
    What is a politician without reputation?

    A politician.

    --
    Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
  9. Re:what right? by indifferent+children · · Score: 2, Funny
    Yes, and I have the right to pee on you while singing Marry had a Little Lamb...

    You can pee on him while singing Ring Around the Rosy or Greensleeves, but Mary had a Little Lamb and Happy Birthday are copyrighted. Good luck.

    --
    Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
  10. Re:Sad by chenjeru · · Score: 2, Funny

    Since when was this a popular website?

    --
    Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers