Judge To Order LoHud.com To Name Forum Posters

[x635 4,066]

Just a reminder to stand behind what you post.........in the end, you can't hide behind a screen name.

Judge to order LoHud to name posters

By Rebecca Baker

The Journal News • June 27, 2008

The Journal News will have to turn over the identities of anonymous Web-site posters who may have slandered an ex-congressman on the newspaper's Web site, according to attorneys involved in the case.

Westchester County Judge Rory Bellantoni will issue an order to LoHud.com to release information to identify "SAVE10543," "hadenough," and "aoxomoxoa" for comments they made about former Rep. Richard Ottinger and his wife, June Ottinger.

FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008806270358

[JBE 328]

This just goes to show free speech truly is dead.

[abaduck 123]

This just goes to show free speech truly is dead.

Don't bury it quite yet. It's a VERY long way from getting a subpoena to getting an actual name! I suppose it's just possible that the posters might have (shock! horror!) used *false information* when creating their lohud.com accounts...

Mike

[x635 4,066]

I suppose it's just possible that the posters might have (shock! horror!) used *false information* when creating their lohud.com accounts...

However, when they registered (and posted) chances are their IP (in easy terms, their internet "address") was recorded, which, in some cases, can be used to trace back to the computer or house it came from.

[ny10570 745]

Without knowing what they actually said libel is not protected by free speech. If you can prove what you're saying to be true and can sing it from the mountain tops.

[jd783 64]

Free speech is not dead you can say whatever you want just now you will be held accountable for what you said. Cowards love the internet because of this I have argued this point for years John DeMuro

[helicopper 1,050]

This just goes to show free speech truly is dead.

The allegations are that slanderous/libelous remarks were made in certain posts. Slander and libel are not protected forms of speech.

[abaduck 123]

However, when they registered (and posted) chances are their IP (in easy terms, their internet "address") was recorded, which, in some cases, can be used to trace back to the computer or house it came from.

In some cases it can (in other cases it can't, of course). That gets you a *little* closer to figuring out who the poster *might have* been. Still not a hell of a lot to hold up in a court of law.

Mike

[Dr. Zuki 1]

Judges will not order internet providers to divulge IP addresses, the internet providers won't give them out either.

Yonkerstribune.typepad.com already won a case like this that was brought by the head of the Independent Party in Westchester. BUT....he still had to file legal papers at his own personal great expense.

And I can tell you for a fact that even private investigators cannot get IP addresses. And what happens if the IP address comes back to an internet cafe or a public library that does internet access with library cards???

Dr. Zuki

Lawrence Hospital

www.whatsmyipaddress.com