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Philadelphia Judge Issues Ruling That Could Give Anonymous Online Commenters Second Thoughts
CBS ^ | 03-08-2014 | Pat Loeb

Posted on 03/08/2014 7:18:35 AM PST by PaulCruz2016

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia judge has ordered philly.com to reveal the name of an anonymous commenter, in a defamation suit brought by electricians’ union leader John Dougherty.

An attorney in the case says it could have a broad impact on incendiary online comments and those users, sometimes called “trolls,” who post them anonymously.

The anonymous defendant in the suit, disguised by the nonsense name “fbpdplt,” called Dougherty a name in the comments section of an article on the website, one of the properties in the media group that also owns the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News.

(Excerpt) Read more at philadelphia.cbslocal.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: firstamendment; internet; johndougherty; judge; online; pennsylvania; philadelphia
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To: billhilly

a pekingese!


21 posted on 03/08/2014 7:57:24 AM PST by MeshugeMikey (Jesus came to Save not Entertain / Ground John Kerry Now!)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Anonymous now and anyone by name later.

Inch by inch


22 posted on 03/08/2014 7:57:37 AM PST by TribalPrincess2U (0bama's agenda—Divide and conquer seems to be working.)
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To: Friendofgeorge

The word troll is definitely overused. When I first heard the term, it was defined as someone who posts inflammatory comments with no substance or merit in order to elicit responses. Now, people use the term to describe anyone they disagree with and can’t counter their argument.


23 posted on 03/08/2014 7:57:44 AM PST by nonamer
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To: PaulCruz2016
They get the IP address and use it to identify the person responsible. Even behind a proxy, they can still track you down. See: Kernell, David.

And what if they go to a public internet location--a library or internet café? There are many ways to remain anonymous.

On a moderated website, the offended person need only report the offending post and it will most likely be removed. It isn't difficult. No need to try to quash free speech for this.

24 posted on 03/08/2014 7:58:08 AM PST by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: MeshugeMikey

probably a non-union dog


25 posted on 03/08/2014 8:00:07 AM PST by morphing libertarian
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To: morphing libertarian

ahaha very likely..a Scab Dog!


26 posted on 03/08/2014 8:00:35 AM PST by MeshugeMikey (Jesus came to Save not Entertain / Ground John Kerry Now!)
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To: Gen.Blather

Your IP address doesn’t track back to your street address. It shows your ISPs address or local hub. Someone can get your info from the ISP with an IP address, but they would need a subpoena to do that.


27 posted on 03/08/2014 8:02:03 AM PST by nonamer
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To: HiTech RedNeck
Jim, IIRC there were issues with an FR troll called Eschoir in the distant past.

Now that takes me back. I had more that one tussle with that snake.

28 posted on 03/08/2014 8:02:05 AM PST by Carry_Okie (ObamaCare: Make them pay; do not delay.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

I’ve been around online forums since the days of dialup Fidonet BBSes. (At a blistering 1200 baud) I’ve found the best way to deal with trolls (they are not a new phenomenon) is to call them out for what they are and then ignore them. You can’t “win” an argument with a troll, that’s all they want, the argument. They just want to vent their bile on anyone and everyone. The only thing I’ve seen that drives trolls mad (or off to someone else’s thread or board) is being ignored. I’ve even seen trolls create multiple online IDs just to carry on the flame war - with themselves. Until the owner/moderator steps in and punts all their accounts. These are sad excuses for people folks.


29 posted on 03/08/2014 8:02:19 AM PST by ThunderSleeps (Stop obarma now! Stop the hussein - insane agenda!)
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To: TribalPrincess2U

Credibility needs to be taken into account. IMHO. It’s still wrong to wantonly bad mouth people. The question is should the government be the automatic go-to for dealing with such issues.


30 posted on 03/08/2014 8:03:04 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: nonamer
but they would need a subpoena to do that.

Unless "they" were the fedgov, LOL

31 posted on 03/08/2014 8:03:27 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: Gen.Blather
Your IP address doesn’t track back to your street address. It shows your ISPs address or local hub. Someone can get your info from the ISP with an IP address, but they would need a subpoena to do that.

Scratch that, I confused your comment with another.
32 posted on 03/08/2014 8:04:47 AM PST by nonamer
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To: PaulCruz2016

I think this carries a useful lesson for those on FR. It’s okay to call Obama an anti-American, antisemitic, drug-addled communist. Besides flattering him, those statements would be true. However, we can’t slander him as a pedophile, both because we could lose our anonymity and because it’s unfair - we all know Obama has no interest in girls/women of any age, and that he prefers older men, not underage boys.


33 posted on 03/08/2014 8:05:03 AM PST by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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To: nonamer

“Someone can get your info from the ISP with an IP address, but they would need a subpoena to do that.”

It appears they have a judge’s order. Also, most operations automatically cooperate with the police, no warrant required. A coworker was murdered. The cops called the local phone company and got a list of the phones that had been in the house at the time. They had the culprits in hours. I find it hard to believe they got a warrant.


34 posted on 03/08/2014 8:05:45 AM PST by Gen.Blather
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To: Friendofgeorge
Some of the anti Palin folks here will sling the troll comment around

Her fan boys sling the term with equal ease.

35 posted on 03/08/2014 8:06:02 AM PST by humblegunner
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To: Gen.Blather

“Scratch that, I confused your comment with another.”

Scratched. I’ve done that, posted a comment on physics to a confused political writer...


36 posted on 03/08/2014 8:07:17 AM PST by Gen.Blather
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To: PaulCruz2016; HiTech RedNeck; TribalPrincess2U
The Holy Grail of the Left is to have ALL commenters on the Internet identifiable by name.

That way, those who do not scream the Party Line from the rooftops can be "dealt with", in one fashion or another.

37 posted on 03/08/2014 8:08:03 AM PST by kiryandil (turning Americans into felons, one obnoxious drunk at a time (Zero Tolerance!!!))
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To: PoloSec

In a milieu that is starved for love, insults create havoc. The question is not whether they should be discouraged or encouraged. It’s whether we want the lion’s paw of secular government invited into the picture. And there could be a real person behind all the bad mouthing, and some skillful dialogue could ferret out what is really eating that real person, then try to actually help him or her. At the least it could show that person to be stubbornly having no class.


38 posted on 03/08/2014 8:08:36 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Hostage
When a person signs up to a website they can use any false name they want that is not their real name and they can use a throw-away email that was also signed up under a false name.

Unless you are using Tor or some other proxy, they know your IP address. That's all they need.

39 posted on 03/08/2014 8:10:07 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (If Barack Hussein Obama entertains a thought that he does not verbalize, is it still a lie?)
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To: apillar

They now the MAC address of your computer/cell phone. You can change it in your software, but not many people do.


40 posted on 03/08/2014 8:11:20 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (If Barack Hussein Obama entertains a thought that he does not verbalize, is it still a lie?)
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