IDA Article o' the Week - Donut Shop Reviews

A court recently ruled that web sites do not have to release the identities of anonymous comment posters. But I suppose it will make you think twice before you post that flaming blog comment.

Here's a snippet from the article:

Web sites involved in defamation suits are not required to immediately hand over the identities of readers who leave anonymous comments, a Maryland court has ruled, laying out guidelines for future suits involving online anonymity.

The Maryland Court of Appeals on Friday overturned (PDF) an earlier ruling that would have forced Independent Newspapers, which runs the online forum NewsZap.com, to turn over the names of three unknown Internet posters who posted negative remarks regarding the cleanliness of a Dunkin' Donuts in Centreville, Maryland. The owner of the Dunkin' Donuts, Zebulon J. Brodie, claimed the anonymous posters defamed his store.