On 5/6/05, slimvirgin(a)gmail.com <slimvirgin(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 5/5/05, Stan Shebs <shebs(a)apple.com> wrote:
I would say anybody who posts to Usenet
automatically becomes
a "public figure"; you can hardly spew your thoughts and opinions
into a million computers around the world, then try to claim
"privacy". If you want to be private, start by keeping your
mouth shut, eh?
It's an interesting point, whether sitting in your own home typing
material onto the Web should in and of itself make you a public
figure. I'm not aware of any relevant case law. Using your real name
would certainly make it harder to argue that you'd intended to retain
your privacy.
Another factor is the ease of access to the same audience. If a
newspaper libels you, it is difficult to present counter-claims to
everyone who read the original libel. But on Usenet, and arguably on
Wikipedia, you have the same access to the same audience.
--
Peter in Canberra