FC: Judge orders ISP to reveal identity of university critic

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Two thoughts: (1) This is yet another example of spineless, craven 
university administrators. (2) Anyone who's going to criticize said 
spineless, craven university administrators should rely on technology -- 
not the law -- to protect their anonymity. Thanks to Ian for forwarding. 
--Declan]

*******

From: "D. Ian Hopper" <ihopper () ap org>
To: "Declan McCullagh" <declan () well com>
Subject: Different topic...
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 12:03:55 -0400
Message-ID: <NDBBLKAPMMCGKEJOBIOEEEAKCFAA.ihopper () ap org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal

^Magistrate: University's Web critics must be revealed; school wants to sue
for defamation<
¶   ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) _ A Web hosting company must reveal the anonymous
people behind an Internet site that has called the administration at the
University of Louisiana-Monroe incompetent and accused top officials of
lying, a magistrate ordered.
¶   The information must be provided to Richard Baxter, the university's
vice president for external affairs, who wants to file a defamation lawsuit.
The magistrate also ordered Homestead Technologies Inc. to provide computer
logs of all people who have posted, published or provided any content to the
site.
¶   An unopposed motion asking for the information was filed last week in
federal court. The order, which was signed Thursday, was made public Monday.
¶   Baxter declined comment about the court order, as did Michael Rymes, who
represents the people behind the Web site.
¶   In his petition asking for the order, Baxter cited examples of what he
called "extreme, outrageous and malicious content" on the site:
¶   _ That outgoing university president Lawson Swearingen has converted
funds from the university's athletic foundation to a slush fund.
¶   _ That Swearingen has lied to university boosters who have been "conned,
stiffed and lied to by a dishonorable man."
¶   _ That "Baxter's job is to make sure that Swearingen's incompetence and
the university's state of decline under Swearingen are kept undercover."

Yahoo apparently hasn't picked it up yet, so I can't offer a URL. But that's
the entire piece.

- Ian.

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