Identifying anonymous or pseudonymous cyberbullies in civil suits
Though we focus on youth, we have had an increasing number of adults who call and email us asking for help regarding their own cyberbullying victimization experiences. Some of the stories we hear are extremely tragic and horribly malicious. Many times, we are at a loss for words that might help based on the fact that Internet Service Providers and Content Service Providers historically have not turned over subscriber (perpetrator) records in response to complaints from targets. This recent article, though, may portend an encouraging change. Specifically, a New York attorney (Steven Wagner) last year specifically argued that a model who was anonymously defamed online deserved to know the identity behind those insults so that he or she could be sued for defamation. A Manhattan judge agreed and ordered Google to turn over that information so that the plaintiff and victim could proceed with a civil claim. Following this ruling, victims of online harassment and defamation of character seem to have new hope that the legal system will help them uncover those who bully under the cloak of anonymity or pseudonymity in cyberspace. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in other cases….





