Index:
[thread]
[date]
[subject]
[author]
From: Gur Bligh <gb2171@columbia.edu>
To : <cpc@emoglen.law.columbia.edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:22:37 -0500
Anonymity on the net - a comparative perspective
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_001_0043_01C653F4.A19C79B0"
------=_NextPart_001_0043_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
A recent Israeli court decision ordered ISPs to reveal the identity of
internet users who posted anonymous talkbacks on an Israeli media website,
in the context of a criminal libel suit -
Online libelers to be outed
By Yuval Yoaz <mailto:yuvaly@haaretz.co.il>
Court orders ISPs to out people who broke libel law
Internet service providers will have to reveal the identities of people
posting anonymous "talkback" responses on Web sites if a court rules that
they raise a concern of libel with malicious intent, according to the
Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. Malicious libel is a crime in Israel.
This precedent-setting ruling made last week required Barak and Bezeq
International - along with the Tehila project, the Internet service provider
for government ministries - to identify people who posted potentially
libelous responses regarding a mother and her infant daughter on a website
about a year ago.
The mother, a senior civil servant, sued to force the ISPs to reveal the
names of people who posted comments regarding the identity of the infant's
father, the mother's sexual proclivities and accusations that the mother had
stolen money.
The Magistrate's Court slapped a gag order on the details of the woman and
her daughter, to protect the identity of the child,
who is now 1.
Judge Michal Agmon-Gonen ruled that justice could be served "in only one way
- the exposure of the surfers' names by the providers themselves."
However, she restricted the decision to cases in which the libel could be a
criminal offense, rather than a case of damages, in which no malicious
intent is needed.
The ruling - which could potentially affect the English and Hebrew websites
of Haaretz, both of which allow readers to send talkbacks - essentially
assigns too much importance to talkbacks, said Dr. Yuval Karniel, who
researches libel on the Internet.
Impairs privacy
"The ruling damages privacy in order to protect against the criminal offense
of libel, while viewing the Internet as a form of publication in any other
media - television or radio or a newspaper," said Karniel.
"But posting talkbacks anonymously on the Internet cannot damage the good
reputation of a person at all, because it is more similar to a conversation
in a park or to curses between drivers on the street, not to publication in
its traditional meaning. For that reason, the talkbacks should not be
compared to libel in the regular sense."
Dr. Nimrod Kozlovsky, an expert on Internet law, said that the court has
shown that the Internet cannot be construed as a space beyond the law.
"From the surfers' perspective, talkbacks are considered an area in which
the rules of the game don't apply," said Kozlovsky.
"If until today we related to talkbacks as a protected space where no one
could chase us, the court came and said - here too, there are rules of the
game."
------=_NextPart_001_0043_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<html xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" =
xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" =
xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" =
xmlns:st1=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" =
xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">
<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style>
<![endif]--><o:SmartTagType
namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" =
name=3D"country-region"
downloadurl=3D"http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/>
<o:SmartTagType =
namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name=3D"place" downloadurl=3D"http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:David;
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</head>
<body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>
<div class=3DSection1>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>A recent Israeli court decision ordered ISPs to =
reveal the
identity of internet users who posted anonymous talkbacks on an Israeli =
media
website, in the context of a criminal libel suit </span></font><font =
size=3D2
face=3DArial><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>– =
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<table class=3DMsoNormalTable border=3D0 cellspacing=3D0 =
cellpadding=3D0>
<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Online libelers to be =
outed<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><img width=3D10 height=3D3 =
id=3D"_x0000_i1027"
=
src=3D"cid:image005.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>By <a =
href=3D"mailto:yuvaly@haaretz.co.il">Yuval =
Yoaz</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><img border=3D0 width=3D10 height=3D5 =
id=3D"_x0000_i1028"
=
src=3D"cid:image006.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt15b><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Court orders ISPs to out people who broke =
libel law</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign=3Dtop style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><img border=3D0 width=3D1 height=3D2 =
id=3D"_x0000_i1029"
=
src=3D"cid:image007.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><br>
Internet service providers will have to reveal the identities of =
people
posting anonymous "talkback" responses on Web sites if a =
court
rules that they raise a concern of libel with malicious intent, =
according to
the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. Malicious libel is a crime in =
<st1:place
w:st=3D"on"><st1:country-region =
w:st=3D"on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></f=
ont></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>This =
precedent-setting
ruling made last week required Barak and Bezeq International - along =
with the
Tehila project, the Internet service provider for government =
ministries - to
identify people who posted potentially libelous responses regarding a =
mother
and her infant daughter on a website about a year =
ago.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>The mother, =
a senior
civil servant, sued to force the ISPs to reveal the names of people =
who
posted comments regarding the identity of the infant's father, the =
mother's
sexual proclivities and accusations that the mother had stolen =
money.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<table class=3DMsoNormalTable border=3D0 cellspacing=3D0 =
cellpadding=3D0 align=3Dright>
<tr>
<td rowspan=3D2 style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><img border=3D0 width=3D3 height=3D10 =
id=3D"_x0000_i1051"
=
src=3D"cid:image008.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style=3D'padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=3DMsoNormal align=3Dright style=3D'text-align:right'><font =
size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>The =
Magistrate's Court
slapped a gag order on the details of the woman and her daughter, to =
protect
the identity of the child, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>who is now =
1.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Judge Michal
Agmon-Gonen ruled that justice could be served "in only one way - =
the
exposure of the surfers' names by the providers =
themselves."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>However, she =
restricted
the decision to cases in which the libel could be a criminal offense, =
rather
than a case of damages, in which no malicious intent is =
needed.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>The ruling - =
which
could potentially affect the English and Hebrew websites of Haaretz, =
both of
which allow readers to send talkbacks - essentially assigns too much =
importance
to talkbacks, said Dr. Yuval Karniel, who researches libel on the =
Internet.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><strong><b><font =
size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Impairs =
privacy</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>"The =
ruling
damages privacy in order to protect against the criminal offense of =
libel,
while viewing the Internet as a form of publication in any other media =
-
television or radio or a newspaper," said =
Karniel.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>"But =
posting
talkbacks anonymously on the Internet cannot damage the good =
reputation of a
person at all, because it is more similar to a conversation in a park =
or to
curses between drivers on the street, not to publication in its =
traditional
meaning. For that reason, the talkbacks should not be compared to =
libel in
the regular sense."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>Dr. Nimrod =
Kozlovsky,
an expert on Internet law, said that the court has shown that the =
Internet
cannot be construed as a space beyond the =
law.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>"From =
the surfers'
perspective, talkbacks are considered an area in which the rules of =
the game
don't apply," said Kozlovsky.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><span class=3Dt13><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p style=3D'margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3D3
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>"If =
until today we
related to talkbacks as a protected space where no one could chase us, =
the
court came and said - here too, there are rules of the =
game."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>
------=_NextPart_001_0043_01C653F4.A19C79B0--
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: image/gif;
name="image005.gif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-ID: <image005.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0>
R0lGODlhCgADAHcAMSH+GlNvZnR3YXJlOiBNaWNyb3NvZnQgT2ZmaWNlACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAB
AAEAgAAAAAECAwICRAEAOw==
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: image/gif;
name="image006.gif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-ID: <image006.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0>
R0lGODlhCgAFAHcAMSH+GlNvZnR3YXJlOiBNaWNyb3NvZnQgT2ZmaWNlACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAB
AAEAgAAAAAECAwICRAEAOw==
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: image/gif;
name="image007.gif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-ID: <image007.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0>
R0lGODlhAQACAHcAMSH+GlNvZnR3YXJlOiBNaWNyb3NvZnQgT2ZmaWNlACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAB
AAEAgAAAAAECAwICRAEAOw==
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C653F4.A19C79B0
Content-Type: image/gif;
name="image008.gif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-ID: <image008.gif@01C653F4.A13D1BA0>
R0lGODlhAwAKAHcAMSH+GlNvZnR3YXJlOiBNaWNyb3NvZnQgT2ZmaWNlACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAB
AAEAgAAAAAECAwICRAEAOw==
------=_NextPart_000_0042_01C653F4.A19C79B0--
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Computers, Privacy, and the Constitution mailing list
Index:
[thread]
[date]
[subject]
[author]