Sabriel - Slashdot User

Submission + - Google fined for someone else's graffiti (smh.com.au)

Submitted by Sabriel on Monday April 26, 2010 @12:39AM

Sabriel writes: Google's appeal against a 2008 defamatory anonymous posting on Orkut has been denied in Brazil, and Google fined $US8500 ($9100) for the crime of being vandalised. In the words of the judge, Alvimar de Avila, "By making space available on virtual networking sites, in which users can post any type of message without any checks beforehand, with offensive and injurious content, and, in many cases, of unknown origin, [Google] assumes the risk of causing damage [to other people],".

I'd submit a more blunt opinion of this farce, but it might be considered offensive and injurious content... I wonder if he's related to the judge in Italy?

Submission + - South Australia outlaws anonymous political speech

Submitted by Sabriel on Tuesday February 02, 2010 @06:45AM

Sabriel writes: If you're online in South Australia and want to comment about the upcoming state election, be prepared to hand over your real name and postcode first — because this month it becomes illegal to do so anonymously (even under a pseudonym). Media organisations must keep your details on file for six months and face "fines of $5000 if they do not hand over this information to the Electoral Commissioner". This abomination was passed with the support of both major parties (Labour and Liberal), and to quote its sponsor, Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, "There is no impinging on freedom of speech, people are free to say what they wish as themselves, not as somebody else." Apparently incapable of targetting a few imposters without resorting to "nuke it from orbit" legislative tactics, it seems he's forgotten that protecting anonymity is important to the democratic process; hopefully both major parties will get a reminder come the polls on March 20.

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