On 5/6/05, slimvirgin@gmail.com slimvirgin@gmail.com wrote:
On 5/5/05, Stan Shebs shebs@apple.com wrote:
I would say anybody who posts to Usenet automatically becomes a "public figure"; you can hardly spew your thoughts and opinions into a million computers around the world, then try to claim "privacy". If you want to be private, start by keeping your mouth shut, eh?
It's an interesting point, whether sitting in your own home typing material onto the Web should in and of itself make you a public figure. I'm not aware of any relevant case law. Using your real name would certainly make it harder to argue that you'd intended to retain your privacy.
Another factor is the ease of access to the same audience. If a newspaper libels you, it is difficult to present counter-claims to everyone who read the original libel. But on Usenet, and arguably on Wikipedia, you have the same access to the same audience.