13 May 2012
Woman launches legal action to identify Facebook trolls [sic]
"A woman abused on the internet so badly that she was falsely portrayed as a paedophile has launched a landmark legal action to bring her tormentors to justice.
Ms Brookes's case was disclosed as a survey showed that just over half of all internet users have received abuse online.
Nicola Brookes, 45, is taking legal action to force Facebook to reveal details of who posted abuse and set up a fake profile in her name which was used to send explicit messages to underage girls.
She plans to then use the information to launch a private prosecution against the online bullies - also known as "trolls" [sic] - in what would be the first case of its type.
Ms Brookes's case was disclosed as a survey showed that just over half of all internet users have received abuse online or by text message at least once.
Although one in seven recipients reported the matter to police, but almost 80 per cent of the 1,000 people questioned felt the police would not take the matter seriously if they did.
Ms Brookes, from Brighton, had looked at a Facebook page dedicated to Frankie Cocozza, a teenage singer in the X Factor reality television show, because her daughter enjoyed the programme, and when she saw that he was being subjected to abuse, wrote her own message saying: "Keep your chin up, Frankie, they'll move onto someone else soon."
Within hours, her message had prompted hundreds of abusive comments and death threats directed at her.
"Facebook users began deliberately targeting me, writing under my comment that I was a paedophile and hoping that I would die" Ms Brookes said."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/9262043/Woman-launches-legal-action-to-identify-Facebook-trolls.html
Woman taking Facebook to court to unmask trolls
http://www.neowin.net/news/woman-taking-facebook-to-court-to-unmask-trolls?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+neowin-main+%28Neowin+News%29
UK Police Asking Social Networking Users to Battle Bullies
http://www.webpronews.com/uk-police-asking-social-networking-users-to-battle-bullies-2012-05
Facebook and Twitter users become police 'eyes and ears'
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=19724
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Comment:
International company; jurisdictional laws; USA Constitution.
"If you cannot stand the heat ..."
Always happy to see new case law, on the subject, of course.
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