I believe non-public figures often receive more protection under
defamation and related laws than public figures. 'False light' claims
may be covered under privacy law.
http://www.dba-oracle.com/internet_laws_false_light_privacy_defamation.htm
It is not uncommon that if making negative statements about a
non-public figure, truth may not be a defence. It may also be
necessary, for example, to prove that the matter was of public
concern.
Some of us *do* have rather unique names, such that if people
who knew us saw our names on the internet (e.g. a potential
employer), they could reasonably assume we were the ones
referred to.
On 26/09/2007, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton(a)gmail.com> wrote:
The public is only going to be able to identify
someone by their name
alone if they are a public figure. If someone registers with the name
of a public figure as their username they are blocked until they can
prove they are who they say they are. I'm not sure what kind of
message is put on their user pages, but if it's something that
wouldn't look good on a Google search, I'm sure it can be changed.
There is a slight risk that a minor public figure might not be
recognised by anyone checking usernames, but the more minor the public
figure, the less liable we would be, so I don't think there is a
serious risk.