Facebook's IPO is already down about 30% below the initial offered price
and now this along with the fact that there is currently a criminal
investigation as to how the IPO was manipulated by NASDAQ to cause
investors to loose 100 million dollars on the first day.
Brit judge orders Facebook to rip masks from anonymous cowards
Hey, real names are part of our culture ... bitch
By Kelly Fiveash
<http://forms.theregister.co.uk/mail_author/?story_url=/2012/06/11/wom...>
<http://search.theregister.co.uk/?author=Kelly%20Fiveash>
Posted in Law <http://www.theregister.co.uk/public_sector/law/>, 11th
June 2012 11:17 GMT <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/11/>
A 45-year-old woman from Brighton who was subjected to a litany of
abusive messages on Facebook has won a landmark High Court order forcing
the social network to reveal the identities of anonymous internet trolls
who labelled her a paedophile and a drug dealer. The Guardian reported
on Friday that Nicola Brookes had received "vicious and depraved" taunts
on Facebook, following a comment she had posted on the site in support
of axed X Factor contestant Frankie Cocozza. Brookes' victory in court
means she can now bring a private prosecution against at least four
alleged cyberbullies. Facebook has to reveal the names, email and IP
addresses of those said to be behind the malicious messages on the
site. The landmark order was granted on 30 May but it needs to be
served on Facebook in the US where the company stores its data.
Facebook gave The Register this statement:
Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the people that
use our service. Unlike many other websites and forums Facebook has
a real name culture, which provides greater accountability and a
safer and more trusted environment. We are clear that there is no
place for bullying or harassment on Facebook and we respond
aggressively to reports of potential abuse. We provide our users
with the tools to report abuse on every page and the option to block
people from having any further contact with them. Reports involving
harassment are prioritised, reviewed by a trained team of reviewers
and removed if they violate our terms.
*Bains Cohen Takes On First Ever Private Prosecution of *
*Internet Trolls*
**
As a specialist internet defamation solicitors firm and together
with legal PR consultancy firm, Byfield Consultancy, we made the
decision to team-up to support the first private prosecution brought
by an individual (Nicola Brookes) against internet trolls.
*The case of Nicola Brookes
*
*
*
In November last year, we were approached by Nicola Brookes, a
single mother who suffers from chronic Crohn's disease. Nicola
found herself on the receiving end of extremely abusive comments on
Facebook, after sending a supporting comment to Frankie Coccoza when
he left the X Factor last year. The abuse was vile and unwarranted
to the extent that anonymous internet trolls set up a fake Facebook
profile account in Nicola's name and image to post indecent comments
and lure young girls. Nicola contacted the police and was informed
that there was nothing that could actually be done. After getting
involved, we contacted Facebook on several occasions and the fake
profile page that was set up in Ms Brookes' name was successfully
taken down. However, this was not the end of Nicola's suffering.
The abusive communications have now got to the stage of the trolls
disclosing her personal address and making lewd comments towards her
daughter. Again the police were contacted -- this time by the firm
and whilst the inspector agreed to meet with her, the most that came
out of this meeting was the offer of panic alarms in her home. It
was clear that, unfortunately, Nicola's local Police had no idea
what to do. Both Byfield Consultancy and us made the decision to
act for Nicola on a pro bono basis to try and bring these trolls to
justice. Surely we cannot just allow these trolls to invade
someone's privacy and literally follow her movements on the web;
leaving harassing comments on each forum that she has visited? This
is precisely what is happening to Nicola now. Our case is focusing
on the dangers inherent in social media sites allowing such
activities to take place. If we do not take action; if we do not
assist Nicola, the abuse and harassment will simply escalate and
become more intrusive. Many have commented and asked, why has Nicola
simply not closed her Facebook profile to the general public and
even stated that she must have done something to attract this.
Nicola did nothing, other than to post a message of support. Her
image was then taken and a fake Facebook profile page created.
Comments about her were posted on other public forums and the
trolls' own sites. This has no connection to the status of Nicola's
Facebook profile: if only it was that simple. The current stage in
the proceedings involves an application being made for an injunction
from the High Court, known as a Norwich Pharmacal Order to compel
Facebook to release the IP addresses of the posters of this
information, in the hope of tracing the identity of the trolls.
Once this has been obtained, a private prosecution will be
commenced against these people. But lawyers should not have to do
this. A criminal offense has been committed and the police should
be involved hunting down these perpetrators, but no such assistance
is provided. We have sufficient legislation in England with *the
Protection From Harassment Act 1997, Communications Act 2003 and the
Malicious Communications Act 1988 *to deal with and punish offenders
but what we are expecting from the police is that they should be
able to police another planet altogether: the internet - with very
little local knowledge and with tools which are not fit for
purpose. The bottle neck is clearly at the point where identities
need to be revealed so the only long term solution is for the
government to establish a body with some judicial powers to make it
easier and cheaper for individuals or the police, to have the
identity of their abusers revealed to them, for the police to have
specialist divisions trained to deal with this issue and having the
tools and powers to obtain identities from the likes of Facebook,
and Twitter. There is a clear anomaly in the law and the way in
which internet abuse is treated and investigated by the police
depending on whether the victim is in the public eye or an ordinary
member of the public, like Nicola. We have taken on this case in
the hope of achieving justice for Nicola and effecting a change in
the system that will help other victims like her.
