The Internet is a wonderful thing. From the way that it connects people all over the world to the wealth of information it provides, there has never been a form of media like it. But, for all of its positives, the Internet does have a dark side. As we’ve written about time and time again on the Reputation.com Blog, the anonymity of the Internet, while providing opportunities to communicate freely, also fosters an environment where slander and defamation can occur with little recourse for victims. But that could change if a defamation lawsuit against Google India is successful.
The lawsuit filed by a Mumbai construction company seeks to reveal the identity of a blogger who posted allegedly defamatory language about the company. A Bombay High Court has ruled in agreement with the company and ordered Google to reveal the blogger’s identity. FYI – Google is involved because the blogger in question used Google’s free blogging service, Blogger.com. As of the writing of the article, Google had not revealed the blogger’s identity. If they were compelled to, however, it could set a significant precedent for the anonymity of Blogger users.
This case represents how, in the Internet age, the legal understanding of privacy and defamation are still unclear. Because courts are being asked to render opinions on Internet cases with laws written for a pre-digital world, every decision made is going to break new ground in internet case law.
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