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Google Gives Up IP of Anonymous Blogger

Posted by kdawson on from the balancing-rights dept.

An anonymous reader alerts us to a story out of Israel in which Google (its Israeli subsidiary) gave up the IP address of a Blogger user without being compelled to do so by a court. A preliminary ruling was issued in which a court indicated that the slander the blogger was accused of probably rose to the level of a criminal violation. Google Israel then made a deal with the plaintiffs, local city councilmen whom the blogger had been attacking for a year. Google disclosed the IP address only to the court, which posted a message (Google says the anonymous blogger got it) inviting him/her to contest the ruling anonymously. When no response was received within 3 days, Google turned over the IP address to the plaintiffs' lawyers.

16 of 386 comments (clear)

  1. double entendre by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Google Gives Up IP of Anonymous Blogger

    Sounds like that guy could use a good IP attorney.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:double entendre by FuzzyDaddy · · Score: 4, Funny
      i believe that slander, libel, defamation, etc are... perhaps outdated concepts.

      I would expect no less from a fascist wife beater like yourself.

      --
      It's not wasting time, I'm educating myself.
    2. Re:double entendre by Reaperducer · · Score: 4, Funny

      in a country like the one I live in, where the citizens are told that they have free speech, but where you can be jailed for years for speaking certain truths to your lawyer, spouse, or doctor, and where thugs can come to your home or workplace and intimidate you if you publicly question your rulers, anonymous speech is necessary.
      That's why so many people are moving out of California.
      --
      -- I'm old enough to have lived through six different meanings of the word "hacker."
    3. Re:double entendre by moderatorrater · · Score: 4, Funny

      Judging from your user name, I'm prone to trust you. You sound like a parental figure to me.

    4. Re:double entendre by Internalist · · Score: 5, Funny

      I would expect no less from a fascist wife beater like yourself. I dunno, if my wife was a fascist, I'd probably beat her.
      --
      Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. -- Wernher von Braun
  2. What could be more fair? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    FTA:

    Quote: "The notice would invite the blogger to disclose his identity, participate in the hearing, or oppose the disclosure of his identity by filing a motion as "anonymous"."
    End Quote

    Hey after all he was warned. "...the Israeli blogger who used "Google Blogger" for a blog in which he slandered Shaarei Tikva council members running for reelection. ..." In a free democracy, he should have know better than to slander someone in Israel, guess he should have used the Arab Media.

  3. Re:Interesting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    First the Israeli court came for the Israeli criminal blogger. But I was not an Israeli criminal blogger so I did nothing.

    Next the Israeli court ... did some kind of Israeli law thing ... and then the story kind of went nowhere ... so again, I did nothing.

    I really need something to do. But I lack motivation. I suppose I could blog ... nah.

  4. Please understand... it's Israel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They had several servers at gun point when they asked for the IP address.

  5. How Can You by Trailwalker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Slander a politician? Did he accuse them of honesty?

  6. Quite simply: by gentlemen_loser · · Score: 1, Funny

    Evil.

    Do not get me wrong - I do not believe that Google is evil because they started out that way. Additionally, I do not believe that Google is evil because they are an evil corporation(TM). Rather, I believe that Google is evil because they are a publicly held/traded corporation. At this point, all of the Good(TM) mottos in the world will be unable to save them because their primary goal, second to "Don't be evil", is to serve the shareholders. It amazes me that ANY individuals are so willing to give their private data up to any public company.

    The moral of the story - its a lot easier for a company to have "morals" if it is privately held.

    On a brighter note, maybe we can coin a new term: Googged
    Definition: To have been fucked by Google.
    Usage (verb) (as a victim who has had their imagined private data used in an undesirable way against them) - Dude, I've been Googged!

  7. Comcast vs Google vs Apple vs MS by king-manic · · Score: 5, Funny
    Google: would require a court order to give the IP. negotiated a weak compromise. handed over IP.

    Comcast: Would give the IP without a court order, offer to enable electronic wiretaps, and give full logs of everything that IP did.

    Apple: Would require a court order to give IP. Negotiate a weak compromise. Hand over the IP on a sleek and stylish apple brand flash drive.

    Microsoft:

    It appears you are trying to arrest an anonymous person. Would you like me to:

    *Find their unique CPU ID?

    *Transmit contents of their hard drive?

    *Enable back door key logger?

    *Contact Microsoft Sales representative for more options?

    --
    "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
  8. Re:Conflicting thoughts by 4D6963 · · Score: 3, Funny

    And the CIA is evil because?..

    Because they're a Corpor.. err.. crap! My communist hippie logic is failing me again..

    --
    You just got troll'd!
  9. Re:Interesting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    > First the Israeli court came for the Israeli criminal blogger. But I was not an Israeli criminal blogger so I did nothing.
    > Next the Israeli court ... did some kind of Israeli law thing ... and then the story kind of went nowhere ... so again, I did nothing.
    > I really need something to do. But I lack motivation. I suppose I could blog ... nah.

    And when (in Soviet Russia!), the Jews came for YOU, Google had already given them your IP address!

  10. Re:Interesting... by e-scetic · · Score: 2, Funny

    tell me when "the right to privacy" became a right to injure others anonymously - safe from any consequences.

    This post offends my sensibilities. Can we have your real name, please.

    Thank you.

  11. Re:Conflicting thoughts by c6gunner · · Score: 2, Funny

    *shrug*

    Sure, that's as convenient an excuse as any, although pretty irrelevant, really. A much more likely reason would be the constant propaganda being drummed up by middle-eastern regimes, as well as the unwaivering American support of Israel (and the rabbid-hatred of same by all muslim nations). In reality, it's certainly a mix of factors, and your simplistic analysis doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.

    But yes, if you just want easy answers that you can understand without having to really think, then sure, blame the American assistance of the Brits. And don't ask yourself why the Iranians seem to hate a minor player more than the main character. That'll just lead to more troublesome questions which you don't know how to answer.

  12. Re:Interesting... by akirapill · · Score: 3, Funny

    IANAIL