- 11
- May
- 2010
Internet not as anonymous as you’d think
Posted in : LifeAn opinion piece I wrote for work…
A ruling in Halifax, N.S., is one every person who posts on the Internet, whether anonymously or not, should pay attention to.
Many people who post online act as if the Internet relieves them of responsibility for their comments. Perhaps they think the Internet’s anonymity is a liberating thing: You can say what you think in a way that may be socially unacceptable. No one is going to reach through your monitor and punch you in the snotbox.
But the law can come to your door and still serve you with a lawsuit — even if you post anonymously.
Two top-dog firefighters in Halifax — fire chief Bill Mosher and deputy chief Stephen Thurber — were the subject of some comments on a Halifax newspaper’s website. While the comments aren’t available to be seen now, they must have been doozies, as the two men retained an attorney to represent them.
Lawyer Michelle Awad went to court to flush out the identities of the commenters and, on April 14, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Heather Robertson agreed with Awad’s arguments. According to a Canadian Press article, Robertson said the court “doesn’t condone the conduct of anonymous Internet users who make defamatory comments.”
Internet service provider Eastlink also has to provide Awad with the information about an individual who used a free e-mail service to send the firefighters nasty e-mails as part of Robertson’s ruling.
So what does that mean for NorthernLife.ca commenters? It means exactly what it means — you are responsible for what you say. The anonymity of the Internet may protect you in some cases, but when you cross a certain line, that protection goes away.
NorthernLife.ca has pretty simple, easy-going comment guidelines which, when boiled down, essentially amount to “be nice to each other.” We don’t release information about our posters — whether it’s personal information or information about corrective actions — to anyone.
We don’t edit people based on their opinion, unless the opinion is hateful. Everyone has a voice, and everyone’s voice is important, no matter if we agree with it or not.
Say what you think. Defend what you think. Try to convince others to think like you. Refute what others think. Correct them, educate them. But keep it to that — don’t go after the people who share their thoughts, and don’t say things that would get you sued (unless you want to risk that you will be). Your anonymity won’t protect you then.
Just ask the guys in Halifax. Their moment of “anonymous” snarkiness may well land a lawsuit in their laps.
Stacey Lavallie is Northern Life’s web content co-ordinator. She can be reached at stacey@northernlife.ca.
