Bloggers sometimes hide behind their anonymity to make comments which they would be reluctant to make in the offline world. Anonymity is often thought to protect bloggers from being accountable for their comments. However, this thin veneer of protection can be removed either by application to court or, sometimes, by some simple cyber-sleuthing. This week,…
Category: Online
Microsoft working to eliminate Internet anonymity
Microsoft researchers have unveiled an anti-hacking concept that can help track hackers or malicious content to origin servers. The Host Tracker program’s goal is to “de-anonymize the Internet” through the ability to host servers with 99 percent accuracy. Host Tracker is designed to unmask would-be hackers who take advantage of anonymizing techniques by cross-referencing Internet…
Employee who trashed boss on Facebook forgot he was a “friend”
From the not-such-a-good-move dept.: The worker, known only as “Lindsay”, updated her Facebook status with “OMG [oh my God] I HATE MY JOB!!” She went on: “My boss is a total pervy w****r, always making me do s**t stuff just to p**s me off!! W****r!” Her boss “Brian” responded a few hours later just before…
Court offers guidelines on when to unmask anonymous posters
In the US, the right to free speech is construed as also protecting the anonymity of the person doing the speaking. Provided that the content, be it spoken or written, violates no laws, citizens have the right to fulminate in public fora without said public being aware of their identity. Courts have also extended this…