Reporting that Silence Dogood, Polly Baker, and Richard Saunders are weeping for America.

it's the next logical step. nationalize a few key industries, scapegoat 'the rich' (who really did make themselves easy to hate), and then find a way to quash the free flow of information/opinion online.

But then everyone would know that I am a dog.

_/woof

Procedural Texture: But then everyone would know that I am a dog.

/woof

That made me gigglesnort.

eqtworld: Link (new window)

fantastic

Piss off, wankers

signed, A. N. Onymous

Did anyone RTFA? This is the result of a subpoena to a website for people harassing this couple. Now, if it's just lots of internet bad-talk, then this is stupid. If there has been real-world harassment as a direct result of these people, then they have every damn right to get their names and sue their asses.

Well, it's a good thing that judges don't get to decide these things.

Making fun of people on the internets? Say it aint so!

Procedural Texture: But then everyone would know that I am a dog.

/woof

Ralph Von Wau Wau?

I thought that was the whole point of the internet!

/I'm a 13 year old girl and I'm getting a kick out of these replies

Its time for eve\ry conputer to be given a unique serial number, be directly connected to one central hub controlled by Obama and the government monitor each and every keystroke from each and every person, profile the people and keep records on them.

This is what the Democrats and liberals want.

Mike Hunt approves

Frizbone: This is what the Democrats and liberals want.

You been asleep for 8 years?

While I wish there were less people who think that you can be as incredibly rude to people as you want to just because you can hide behind your computer screen, I also don't think there should be any law or ruling requiring people to reveal their identities if they don't want to.

So how do you get both? You don't. So you err on the side of privacy and encourage people to not be an asshat to people. However, I don't actually expect people to conduct themselves well on the internet. For far too many people it provides them a place where they can reveal who they really are without facing the consequences of how they treat others.

The real question they should be asking themselves is, What Would Internet Jesus Do?

(he would ask people to eat his flesh and drink his blood... of course)

The internet is a form of Anarchy that works. 'They' don't like that one bit.

/it works because you can't get hurt

inb4 7 proxies

JohnnyC: (he would ask people to eat his flesh and drink his blood... of course)

y'know, I was trying to forget that I had picked up 'Left4Dead' until I got home from work and could install it on the computer. But noooooo! you had to remind me that I can't go play my game until after midnight tonight!

Bastard.

/looking forward to zombie carnage.
//easter zombies ftw!

I dont understand these sort of people. While I understand their frustration over getting bad comments despite being acquited, I dont see that as worth suing over. If you dont like what people are saying on that particular site then stop going there and pick a different internet site. Its not like there are any shortage of them. I also dont understand how anybody would know who they are in the first place. You would have to be some sort of major retard to place personal identity info on the internet.

Well, at least we'll still have semaphore and aldus lamps.

Durendal: Did anyone RTFA?

Did you forget what site your on?

lewismarktwo: The internet is a form of Anarchy that works. 'They' don't like that one bit.

/it works because you can't get hurt

If you die on the Internet, you die for real.

Frizbone

You're going to have to do better than that. 0/10.

Can I just cut to the chase and have a damn cop sitting in my house to keep me from breaking the law? I suppose I'd have to provide food and a place for him to sleep. We may need to get rid of more than one Constitutional amendment for this, though.

I have the perfect solution. Take the internet, kick all the kids off of it. Take down all the kid friendly websites, increase the amount of porn on it. Now we don't have to worry about children being hurt/kidnapped/insulted/etc via the internet. Make it adults only. Secondly, have all the ISPs draw up a contract saying that cyberspace doesn't really exist within the boundaries of the U.S. and law enforcement will be next to impossible. If someone hurts your feelings, the best thing to do might be to turn off your computer. And finally, don't vote for any politician who wants to regulate the internet. Let's make the internet a place where people can say or post what ever the hell they want.

Ima4nic8or: You would have to be some sort of major retard to place personal identity info on the internet.

Ok, you caught me. I'm really Michael Moore! And knock off the fat jokes, alright!?

Weaver95: Ima4nic8or: You would have to be some sort of major retard to place personal identity info on the internet.

Ok, you caught me. I'm really Michael Moore! And knock off the fat jokes, alright!?

Which means you're really Rush Limbaugh! My god, it all makes sense now!

Gosling: If you die on the Internet, you die for real.

So it's like D&D?

This doesn't bother me. Somebody was mean to me on the internet six years ago, so I never came back. Until today.

Kuroutesshin: Weaver95: Ima4nic8or: You would have to be some sort of major retard to place personal identity info on the internet.

Ok, you caught me. I'm really Michael Moore! And knock off the fat jokes, alright!?

Which means you're really Rush Limbaugh! My god, it all makes sense now!

I'm sure Rush scores far better drugs than I ever could. I don't think i'd mind having access to Limbaugh's medicine cabinet though.

In my court I rule that there should be no such thing as as a call with a blocked number. If you have something to hide you are doing something you shouldn't be doing. NO exceptions.

outatime: Gosling: If you die on the Internet, you die for real.

So it's like D&D?

poor WoTC. They really ARE dying for real.

Smeggy Smurf: Mike Hunt approves

So does Mike Rotch, Oliver Clothesoff, Al Kahalic, I.P. Freely, Hugh Jass, Bea O'Problem, Amanda Hugginkiss, Ivana Tinkle, Anita Bath, Maya Buttreeks, Eura Snotball, and Homer Sexual.

/The Simpsons made me do it.

Weaver95: Bastard.

Haha Add me to your friends list in steam if you want (JohnnyGFX is my steam id but my player name is JohnnyC). I play Left 4 Dead often. :D

Durendal: Did anyone RTFA? This is the result of a subpoena to a website for people harassing this couple. Now, if it's just lots of internet bad-talk, then this is stupid. If there has been real-world harassment as a direct result of these people, then they have every damn right to get their names and sue their asses.

This. There is something called the 6th amendment, which is every bit as valid as the 1st. It's one thing to be able to post anonymously - even I use a pseudonym here, although I don't try too hard to hide my personal info. But it is absolutely not a constitutional right to disparage or threaten others behind the shield of anonymity. It doesn't apply to any other media, and should not apply to the internet.

This means that any time you create an online identity, at least the site through which you create it should have enough information to determine who you are. That information should only be available to authorities, and only by legal demand, but it should be mandatory. And I consider myself a champion of freedom of speech.

While I agree this is stupid and scary, Topix is a shiathole. If you don't want to be offended by assholes probably a good idea to not even go there. No one forced them to read the posts I'm sure.

<i>Its time for eve\ry conputer to be given a unique serial number, be directly connected to one central hub controlled by Obama and the government monitor each and every keystroke from each and every person, profile the people and keep records on them.

This is what the Democrats and liberals want.</i>

Well, as an Obama supporter I won't have much to worry about then.

/Sux 2 b u

Another witch-hunt where the only bit of identifying information is an IP address.


lawyer dream...
Wouldn't it be great if I could charge and potentially convict entire groups of people instead of an individual? If the evil-doer was behind an office firewall, I could charge the whole office with the crime. If the evil-doer were in a household, I could charge the entire household with the crime....
/ lawyer dream

I note that Topix has no age verification. What if they come after a Topix poster who is under 13? IIRC, it's a federal crime for a website to produce information about their users who are under 13.

/It should be a federal crime to produce information about dogs too
// I am a dog, and less than 13 dog years old.
/// Woof

Defamation is a tort no matter where it occurs. If there is a legal justification (i.e. a crime or civil wrong done via the Internet)then identities can be revealed if they can reliably be established. Your Internet privacy is not absolute. This is not new. I would be more worried about companies tracking you and warrantless spying than I would by judges allowing discovery in defamation suits.

They'll never get to /b/, farking never. If someone tried to take away anonymity on the internet, /b/ would pull a 187 on their servers!

A Tout Le Monde: <i>Its time for eve\ry conputer to be given a unique serial number, be directly connected to one central hub controlled by Obama and the government monitor each and every keystroke from each and every person, profile the people and keep records on them.

This is what the Democrats and liberals want.</i>

Well, as an Obama supporter I won't have much to worry about then.

/Sux 2 b u

i'm gonna spoof your IP and tell all my friends how to do it.

ain't gonna be us who will be the sorry one....

Hey, wouldn't it be nice if everyone were nice? Then we wouldn't even need to worry about this stuff.

Kuroutesshin: Weaver95: Ima4nic8or: You would have to be some sort of major retard to place personal identity info on the internet.

Ok, you caught me. I'm really Michael Moore! And knock off the fat jokes, alright!?

Which means you're really Rush Limbaugh! My god, it all makes sense now!

Fred savage is the greatest actor of all time

Anonymous will not forgive.

Jesus tap-dancing Christ on a CRACKER! This judge is a moron, the couple are douchebags, and I'd like to see the posts in question, plz.

Pics are still protected speech though, right? Right?

Sticks and stones, baybee!

I bet this is all ebaumworld's fault!

eqtworld: I guess the law will require posting your Social Security number after all letters to the editor too


Our paper won't print any letters without a confirmed name and phone number on the submission. Anonymous submissions aren't accepted at all, though you can request the name withheld. They'll sometimes honor that request.

Weav: poor WoTC. They really ARE dying for real.

The hyper-reactionary mother of a friend of mine will be thrilled to hear that, speaking of censorship. Remember the old Jack Chick tract about D&D? (^) Yeah, she could repeat it verbatim.