So You Think You Can Remain Anonymous?
October 1st, 2013
It is so easy to sit down at your computer, iPad, or smart phone and vent your aggression, anger, or frustration by posting negative or false comments about someone else. In order to protect yourself, you create a special gmail address containing a name that is not in any way related to you. You use this gmail address to create an account on Yelp, ComplaintsBoard.com, RipOffReport.com, Google, or some other platform. You then set to work, flaming the person who is the target of your anger and frustration with all kinds of statements that you know will hurt their reputation.
You think you are very clever. You smile knowing how smart you really are. You feel anonymous and powerful. But guess what? An internet defamation attorney such as myself can find out who you are. Chances are, you have left digital clues as to your identity in the defamatory post itself or related to the account you created so cleverly to remain anonymous. But even if a good internet and technology attorney cannot quickly identify you from your digital trail, I could always send a subpoena to the platform on which you posted. Chances are, they have your IP address which will tell me what internet connection you used in order to post anonymously. From there, I can subpoena the internet service provider to find out who owns the account through which you accessed the internet. Assuming that doesn’t reveal your identity, I can always identify the computer used on the account to access the internet and trace it directly to you. You are no longer anonymous.
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