Anonymity on the net

A new form of lawsuit called a "CyberSLAPP" suit is threatening to overturn the promise of anonymous online speech and chill the freedom of expression that is central to the online world. CyberSLAPP cases typically involve a person who has posted anonymous criticisms of a corporation or public figure on the Internet. The target of the criticism then files a frivolous lawsuit just so they can issue a subpoena to the Web site or Internet Service Provider (ISP) involved, discover the identity of their anonymous critic, and intimidate or silence them.

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view press release NEW YORK-A coalition of civil liberties and privacy groups today called on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other online companies to adopt policies protecting their users' right to anonymous speech on the Internet. That right has come under attack in recent years through a growing number of "cyberSLAPP" lawsuits, in which companies file suit just to discover the identity of their online critics - often in order to silence or intimidate them.

view a letter sent to over 100 ISPs, Internet discussion boards, and other online companies, in which the coalition asks each company to include in its privacy policy a promise that it would notify any customer whose personal information or identity is subpoenaed.

how is internet anonymity under attack...

index of briefs, decisions, and opinions from cyberSLAPP.org