Monday, August 29, 2011

Be careful

A judge in Indiana issued a court order for two newspapers and a television station to reveal the identity of an anonymous person who posted allegedly libelous comments on their web sites. Some think such remarks are protected by the first amendment, but one paper immediately complied agreeing that the poster was not a journalist.

Many people believe anonymity will protect them from being identified. But in some states a plaintiff's lawyer can obtain the internet protocol address from the web site operator with a court order. With the popularity of the internet, these cases are becoming more prominent so be careful that what you post anywhere is true.

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