Canadian Judge Orders Disclosure of Anonymous Posters

debrain writes "The Globe and Mail is reporting that Google and a newspaper called The Coast must disclose all information they have about the identity of individuals who posted anonymous comments online about top firefighters in Halifax. The story in question is titled 'Black firefighters file human rights complaint,' and there are some heated opinions in the comments."

Comments

Such Informed Debate

[rueger]

Wow - the comments on the Globe and Mail site are even less informed than those found on Slashdot for discussions like this!

What's hard to understand? If you write or broadcast something libelous or slanderous you risk a lawsuit.

Just because you identified yourself as Poopybear4556 doesn't eliminate your liability.

If you don't want to be identified the onus is on you to hide yourself, not on whoever runs a web site.

Re:Judge needs education regardin teh intra-web-tu

[mooingyak]

Basically if someone exercises their right to free speech and anonymously posts lies about you on the internet they are a TROLL. If someone exercises their right to free speach and anonymously posts an unfortunate truth about you on the internet you will just have to live with it. It's not something that anyone needs to sue over.

If I were to anonymously, repeatedly, and convincingly (perhaps I'm a REALLY GOOD TROLL) outright state that you are a rapist and the only reason you are not in jail is because of some technicality, what recourse do you have? If it is persistent enough that it makes it to the point where you have trouble getting job interviews and acquaintances are reluctant to invite you anywhere, haven't you been genuinely harmed (assuming that it isn't true)?

I agree with you that it's easy to overreact and suing for a handful of comments (I haven't read any of them) is overboard. But that doesn't mean legal action is never valid.