In a decision that raises a host of legal and ethical questions, the Cleveland Plain Dealer today disclosed the identity of someone who had frequently posted anonymous commentary on the newspaper's web site. According to the paper, the commenter,...(read more)
Fourth Circuit Affirms Section 230 Immunity on Motion to Dismiss
With 2009 drawing to a close, a panel of the Fourth Circuit affirmed a decision by the Eastern District of Virginia holding that the website Consumeraffairs.com was an “interactive computer service” entitled to immunity under Section 230 of the...(read more)
New Hampshire Supreme Court Hears Anonymous Source Dispute
In light of our recent discussion of Bartnicki v. Vopper and the legality of publishing information that was illegally obtained by a third party, this recent case from New Hampshire drew our attention. In early November, the New Hampshire Supreme...(read more)
Texas Court Protects Anonymous Posters
A Texas court has ruled that the Abilene Reporter-News does not have to reveal the identities of anonymous posters who submitted online commentary concerning a murder defendant to an Abilene newspaper’s website. According to the Reporter-News , the...(read more)
New Limits on Section 230 Immunity
In a seemingly simple little case that has turned out to have all kinds of interesting and important twists, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit last month held that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act did not preclude...(read more)
Former LSU Student Files Libel Claim Against University Newspaper and Officials
A former Louisiana State University student recently filed a libel complaint against the student newspaper, the Daily Reveille , its management staff, and several officials associated with the university for alleged defamatory comments about the...(read more)
Another Brick in the Anonymous Poster Wall
As we discussed earlier, courts across the country are now dealing with the question of how state shield laws apply to anonymous commentary on newspaper web sites. Mirroring these cases is a series of cases approaching the issue from the perspective...(read more)
N.C. Bill Aimed at Curbing Defamatory Internet Content
A bill introduced this session in the North Carolina General Assembly would take the regulation of speech on the Internet in a troubling new direction. Indeed, the negative response to Senate Bill 46, introduced by Senator Steve Goss, has spanned...(read more)