Internet annonymity may be a thing of the past.

[58ford]

Warning to abusive bloggers as judge tells site to reveal names

· Football fans may face expensive libel claims
· Defamation lawyers see growth area in cyberspace


Clare Dyer (http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/claredyer), legal editor
The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian)
Monday October 22 2007 Disgruntled fans of Sheffield Wednesday who vented their dissatisfaction with the football club's bigwigs in anonymous internet postings may face expensive libel claims after the chairman, chief executive and five directors won a high-court ruling last week forcing the owner of a website to reveal their identity.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/22/news.blogging

[dyates]

Actually I don't believe there's ever been "internet annonymity". I guess those particular posters will claim invasion of their privacy/freedom of speech etc. But then again if malicious lies are swarming around on those sites then it would be considered slander and their rights for this are no more?

[CircusRide]

Oh well.......they can't get blood out of a turnip.

[aaron]

This has been going on for years now. No one should think that should because they are behind a user name that they can say what they want. If you make someone mad enough, they will force a web site to reveal your computer's internet address. Then they will force your internet provider to give them the owner of that address. I do see in the article that some users were let off the hook because the judge recognized they were joking.

[wilebill]

And it's England, too. Things are a little different there, at least for now.