|
Previous Posts
One Final Word
My dear friend Michele slipped into eternity on Wednesday, February 1. She was a remarkable woman who left a legacy of faith, determination, and love. For three years she courageously battled the ovarian cancer that eventually robbed her of her life. A few days before she died, one of her docto
posted 8:43:41pm Feb. 10, 2012 |
read full post
»
The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated
My husband told me that there are rumors that I've died. I'm happy to report that I'm still very much alive. My cancer has gone to stage four but we are controlling it with chemo, the cancer numbers are currently in the normal range. I've stopped blogging to concentrate on my daughters and writing a
posted 7:07:55pm Aug. 23, 2010 |
read full post
»
An update and a prayer request
Several people have asked about Michele's condition, and have promised to pray for her. On her behalf, I thank you for that. I spoke with her a little while ago, and she asked that I come here and tell you what's going on, and to ask you to pray for her. She isn't able to post here herself right
posted 4:55:36pm Apr. 06, 2010 |
read full post
»
Rest in peace, Internet Monk.
A man known in the cyber world as The Internet Monk, has died. Michael Spencer lost his battle with cancer tonight.
My prayers go out for his family and for all those who loved and will miss him. :(
posted 11:52:00pm Apr. 05, 2010 |
read full post
»
The peace that passes all understanding, pt. 1
I'm coming out of my normal hiding place to make a few comments.
The internet is a strange place. It is often a wonderful place, a helpful place, a unifying place. But it is also alienating, cold, and is the perfect medium in which to depersonalize others.
Through it, I have seen people reach out
posted 4:39:08pm Mar. 25, 2010 |
read full post
»
|
posted August 19, 2009 at 12:40 pm
oh my, is that a veiled threat?
no worries, commenters. just don’t post anything that’s not true, and be sure to state things properly, such as “it’s my opinion that michele dispenses untruths” even if it’s clear that they are lies.
posted August 19, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Hi Michele. Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I read the article you linked to and several more related to the case, and it brought up some interesting ethical issues.
First, why is anonymity a precondition for freedom of speech?
And, how do you handle cyberbullying if there’s no redress?
We blogged about the issue in your sister beliefnet blog, Everyday Ethics, today. Especially, I was curious to know whether the blogger would be publicly unmasked, or only privately. I invite you and your readers to check it out: http://blog.beliefnet.com/everydayethics/2009/08/google-forced-to-reveal-bloggers-identity-after-skank-comment-riles-model-ethical-or-anti-freedom-of.html
As always, fascinating blog.
posted August 20, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I don’t think that any sort of “precedent” has been set here that didn’t already exist. Besides, the New York Supreme Court is not like the supreme courts of other states. It is not a court of ultimate appeal and authority, it is at the level of what would be a lower trial court in other states.
It seems pretty clear that the blogger deliberately set up a blog site for the purpose of harassing and defaming another person. Even if that sort of behavior is not criminal in the New York jurisdiction, it is certainly civilly actionable, just as it would be if the blogger bought a full page ad in the New York Times with language that harassed and defamed the victim.
The blogger seemed to be relying on her misunderstanding about internet anonymity and Google’s legal and contractual obligations. Too bad for her. Media intense states such as New York and California treat libel, defamation, and damage to public reputation cases pretty seriously.
The victim appears to have been able to show the court that she was in fact professionally damaged by this site. I’m sure she was emotionally distressed by it as well. That was the blogger’s intent!
Anonymous protests and pseudonymous writing were around for centuries before the internet existed. They will continue regardless of this distasteful episode.