Reply #1: That has some chilling implications. [View All]

[riverdeep]

Does that mean all those people who post critical opinions of a product on Amazon could theoretically be revealed and sued. Here was the comment on the Dunkin Donuts that the messager left:

"I wouldn't go to that Dunkin' Donuts of Brodie's anyway ... have you taken a close look at it lately? One of the most dirty and unsanitary-looking food-service places I have seen."

And that was enough to start the litigation process.

The other side of this that there have been cases where people have posted derogatory and untrue statement about individuals, identified very specifically. When employers do a Google search on the potential employee, or a college admission board does, all these horrific allegations pop up. For most of them, they won't listen to the other side of the story, they just move on to the next applicant. So, they're rejected because of what posters with no soul said on the internet. In some cases, the afflicted party went and sued to have the owners penalized. Here's an example:

"Students File Suit Against Ex-AutoAdmit Director, Others"
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/06/12/students-file-suit-against-autoadmit-director-others/

And a blog posting from someone on the receiving end of abusive postings (but not one who sued):

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2007/06/13/take-it-like-a-man/