Looks like our posting days may soon be over…
I never say anything I wouldnt say to someones face,
but… I think these lawsuits are taking a normally
non-harmful activity just a little too far.
There isnt anything worse than a bunch of whiny crybaby
lawyers, and you can bet they are the ones instigating
most of these lawsuits.
sorry, couldnt get the link to work…>>>
information obtained from>>
The Associated Press - Breaking news 04-01-01
Huh? 
And the debate is…?
Zev Steinhardt
Free speech
free speech huh? well, I’ll take a risky stand and say I’m for it.
I’ve tried searching around the AP site and can’t find anything remotely like what apparently got you riled. any other details please?
I must say that I agree with wring. I’m also for free speech.
That being said, what is the URL anenquiringmind? Please post the URL, even if you can’t get the link to work. This way, at least, we can see what you’re talking about.
Zev Steinhardt
Hold your horses folks! I’m trying to access the bloody thing again.
then go to “The Wire”
then from South Eastern States
go to Tampa Bay Online
Could be an April fools joke.
Hey! That’s a good one!!
Wish I had thought of that!!! 
gee, all I see is the same list of news I got when I went to my hometown newspaper (McVeigh, jets over China, Milosovich, stupid movie at the theaters) although yours had something about some baseball player, too.
Sorry.
But, despite your link, I’m still in favor of free speech (:D)
and, I must point out, too, that if ** zev** and I agree, we must be right!
alright, this is really getting old…
if you can’t access it from here , just figure it was an Aprils Fool Joke
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZSCX41LC.html
time reported. 2:52pm
Ok, it worked. Read the linked article.
It seems to concern cases where the ISP has been served papers demanding the identity of individual users. The cases it spoke of involved (for the most part) threats, illegal stock trading etc.
The FBI openly admitted using e-mails etc. to track down one of their 10 most wanted, and all the folks who’ve been implicated in world wide viruses were tracked via computer. I guess I, for one have pretty much assumed that if I broke the law while on-line, they’d be able to track me down.
the only other thing the link suggested (and it wasn’t clear to me that this has happened) was something about a CEO being upset about being called names. But IIRC, it seemed more like an ‘example’ than an actual case.
Actually the article noted that the major providers were advising their clients about requests prior to releasing the info.
Am I missing something?
This is really nothing new. Law enforcement officials have been able to track down people writing “anonymous” things on the internet for quite a while now.
As an aside, I’ve always been a bit dubious about people who rant about the “right” to post anonymously. You do have the right to free speech, but do you have the right to have the source of that speech hidden if it is illegal or causes harm?
Zev Steinhardt
Zev,
There are other reasons to post or write anonymously. People do it if they’re afraid of being associated with a cause that might be unpopular. I’m pretty sure the authors of the “Federalist Papers” did so, and anonymous writing has a long history.