Cyberbullying: Where's the Line?

1/7/2009
Yong Lee
Another example of how the Internet is just another bathroom wall.

Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights we have. In the Internet Age, how is that right tempered by responsibility? Should it be?

The NY Daily News is reporting that model Liskul Cohen has filed a defamation suit against Google because a user of its Blogger service posted "snarky" remarks aimed at her. She is seeking a court order that would force Google and its Blogger service to identify the anonymous blogger. The model will have to prove her claim twice: once to show she has a sufficient case to make Google give up the identity, and again to sue the actual offender. The incendiary remarks labeled the model as "skanky" and "an old hag."

Other than Cohen's injured pride, this story raises an interesting issue: How much protection should companies like Google afford its users, especially if these users are taking advantage of anonymity to attack someone's character? What about sites like JuicyCampus.com, where this type of dialogue is encouraged? What if your name was being slandered?

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