Throughout the wide, wide world of the internet, some vicious people (aka internet trolls) live to feast on the rest of us. Making speculative statements regarding their target’s integrity. Posting bogus reviews on business websites. Leaving unwarranted comments on blogs, community boards, etc. And they do so, anonymously.
In 2011, The Internet Protection Act was presented to the New York Assembly. If passed, it would “protect a person’s right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting,” and amended the Civil Rights law. By taking away the option to be anonymous, so argued the bill’s supporters, “internet trolls” would be identified and those receiving the nasty remarks would be allowed the option of rebuttal—should they want.
“Bullies are notorious for harassing and/or threatening their victims face-to-face. However, modern technology now allows this behavior to occur anonymously, from just about anywhere—at any time.” ~NY Assembly Bill A08688A October 27, 2011
That same year, an Indiana judge ruled that two media outlets identify anonymous commenters, which some argued violated the state’s shield law, protecting reporters from being forced to name their sources in some situations.
Protecting anonymous commenters is a “bad idea … anonymous posters are nothing like confidential sources.” ~Edward Wasserman, Knight Professor of Journalism Ethics at Washington and Lee University (Kirtley, 94 Minn. L. Rev. at 1479.)
So … how do we protect people from undue harassment and false statements that the anonymous sometimes make (cyber bullying) without eradicating the most basic of rights? Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing that should be protected, but there’s a fine line between speaking one’s mind freely and spewing “fighting words intentionally meant to inflict emotional distress.”
There is no wishy-washy way to say this, but I believe our society has reached a point where some limitations on freedom of speech need to be considered. Discussed. Civilly. Case in point, the Boston Marathon bombers (allegedly) visited the website, “How to make a bomb in your mom’s kitchen,” and, well, we all know what happened next. Why was/is a website like that allowed to publish? Why isn’t it censored? Because doing so would limit the author’s First Amendment rights. Sorry, but that’s absurd. Now, I’m not suggesting our government create some massive, severely limiting firewall (think China), but there has to be some sort of solution. Am I wrong?
In 1919, when referencing freedom of speech, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., wrote the following:
“The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.”
For me, most of the anonymous or no reply blogger or name withheld comments I receive are perfectly fine, and on the rare occasion that my mother finds my blog and wishes to leave a comment it is the only way she knows how so I wouldn’t limit the option, but what about the rest of you? Have you ever received a comment or an email or if you’re a business owner, an unwarranted review, from someone unwilling to leave their name? Should anonymous postings, of any kind, be allowed? It’s a slippery slope at best, I know, but one to be examined none the less.
Oh, and for the record, I worry more about the ogres than those creepy little trolls—trolls you can step on. Trolls you can ignore. Ogres, now they scare me.
Read more—specifically how freedom of speech relates to the more recent events surrounding ICE, and listen to the podcast, March 11, when episode 7, discusses this very topic.
Post inspired by today’s Daily Prompt, “If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?” Cover image created with Google AI.
DISCLAIMER: I’m a writer and an editor. And I try my best to make sure every post is articulate and free from errors. However, being that I edit my own work—and it’s next to impossible to properly edit your own work—I admit, occasionally there may be an error or two I miss. But doing so doesn’t make me an idiot so don’t be mean. Just smile, pat yourself on the back for finding an error and be glad you’re not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes … xoxox
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