SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court opinion ordering Comcast Cable Communications to identify a subscriber who posted an anonymous message suggesting a political candidate molests children.
The court said Thursday that the internet service provider must identify the subscriber who commented on a 2011 article in the Freeport Journal Standard about Bill Hadley’s candidacy for the Stephenson County board.
The commenter, who used the online name “Fuboy,” wrote that “Hadley is a Sandusky waiting to be exposed” because he can see an elementary school from his home. The comment was an apparent reference to former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky who was convicted of child sex abuse in 2012.
Hadley filed a defamation lawsuit against the commenter and subpoenaed Comcast demanding that it identify the subscriber.
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I guess this is just a little reminder that you aren’t anonymous on the internet if you anger somebody rich enough to pursue the matter in court.
That said, libel, slander, and yelling fire in a crowded theater were never protected as free speech.
Every internet service provider I’ve had randomly supplies a new IP address every time the connection is interrupted. Is Comcast different? Is every ISP required to keep track of every IP address and who was using it when, so they could respond to such a court order?