[ NNSquad ] Re: Lawsuits over Web site comments on the increase

[Barry Gold <BarryDGold@ca.rr.com>]

Lauren Weinstein wrote:
> Lawsuits over Web site comments on the increase
>
> http://bit.ly/am4pFO  (Daily News)

I don't think there's anything surprising here.  Comments like "racist" 
"anti-semitic", and "cyber-stalker" are not mere "opinions", nor IMHO is 
Gibson a public figure.  And I don't see any reason why the rules should 
be any different on the internet than anywhere else(*).  The comments 
cited sound defamatory to me, and if Swingle cannot provide facts to 
prove them true (by preponderance of evidence) then he should expect to 
pay damages -- just as if he had published those same comments in a 
newspaper or said them on television.

Now... if Swingle wants to accuse Gibson of things that he _has_ done 
(e.g., get Swingle's comments removed), then that's fine.  But "racist" 
etc. seem out-of-line to me.

Oh, and btw, I thought Craigslist was a place for people offering goods 
and services to connect with those who want those goods/services.  So if 
my understanding is correct, then Swingle's comments _were_ out of place 
and _should_ have been flagged and removed.

(*) This is the converse of a principle we have tried to enunciate here: 
that sexual or other offensive speech should have the same protection on 
the internet as it does in print.