Since blogging entered into the mainstream a few years ago, it has pretty much been an anything-goes landscape with bloggers feeling like they have the freedom to say anything about anyone.
And while journalists had to worry about libel laws, bloggers seem to have free reign given the medium was so new, so fast-moving and attracting scores of wanna-be journalists and writers opining to their heart’s delight.
But is the say-anything party about to end? A recent court decision against Google Inc. could be an indication that things may be about to change.
The case involves a Canadian model, Liskula Cohen, who launched a lawsuit against Google after a Blogger.com user wrote five posts on a site called “Skanks of NYC” that featured photographs and derogatory comments about her.
Cohen claimed the blogger posted photographs and “defamatory statements concerning her appearance, hygiene and sexual conduct that are malicious and untrue.”
In what could be a precedent-setting ruling, the courts ordered Google to disclose the name of the blogger, who turned out to be an acquaintance of Cohen’s.
Cohen’s lawyers, Steven Wagner, told the Globe & Mail that the ruling indicates that:
“People who behave poorly and defame people on the Internet will face possible repercussions. This is one of a series of cases that is establishing a standard. The standard is not set yet.”
Could this ruling strike fear in the heart’s of bloggers who hide behind the cloak of anonymity as they fire away with incendiary blog posts?
What about people on Twitter who write inflammatory updates but don’t have provide any information within their profiles about their identity. Could Twitter be forced to disclose their identities?
It could be that the Cohen-Google ruling is a sign that the Web and freedom of speech are about to enter a new era where libel becomes a bigger issue for everyone.
More more, check out ZDNet.
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