Posts on the internet coming back to bite you

[Revtim]

El_Kabong, is that the Bob Lazar stuff or something else?

[saoirse]

@Campion

There have been a couple of infamous cases centered around message boards. Those cases have generally involved defamation claims – i.e., some purportedly disgruntled employee or former employee posts claims that “Acme Corp. sucks and here are all the bad things they do!!” Acme, of course, wants the alleged defamation to stop, so they issue a subpoena to the ISP to get the real name of the poster. The ISP tells Acme to bugger off, so Acme hauls the ISP before the judge, who may or may not enforce the subpoena (depending on the issues in the case, good cause, etc.). But one way or the other, Acme is likely to get the information, and then Acme can go after the poster directly.

This is kind of interesting. Everything I’ve read about using the internet in marketing says lurk on messageboards, and use the honest feedback. There is nothing worse for a company’s image than trying to shut up someone with a complaint against them. It seems their efforts would be better applied towards fixing what the individuals are complaining about.

El_Kabong, I had just read an article written by the man who stopped this hoax. He wound up getting harassed as well.

[El_Kabong]

@Revtim

El_Kabong, is that the Bob Lazar stuff or something else?

No, not Lazar, who’s claims were considerably different and were first published aound 1986, IIRC. The hoax I’m talking about broke in '97-98; I’m not going to name the specific party involved but if you try googling some combination of the words ufo computer american you’ll find quite a lot of information on the subject. Be warned, it ends up a fairly dense, turgid and frankly boring story.

[FriarTed]

@El_Kabong

No, not Lazar, who’s claims were considerably different and were first published aound 1986, IIRC. The hoax I’m talking about broke in '97-98; I’m not going to name the specific party involved but if you try googling some combination of the words ufo computer american you’ll find quite a lot of information on the subject. Be warned, it ends up a fairly dense, turgid and frankly boring story.

Was the late Philip Corso, author of The Day After Roswell, involved?

[lieu]

I was involved in a court case against my neighbor a couple of years ago after he threatned my family with bodily harm. Prior to the trial, I did a search on him and documented a number of extreme athletic events he’d participated in over the course of a decade and a half, as well as his discussions about his exhaustive training regimen, cardio and weights. The guy was simply fit as all get out. I also found posts by him on his motocross motorcycle, type, modifications, where he rides, etc all with recent dates.

I presented my attorney with the information pre-trial. When the neighbor then made the claim in court that he was just a quiet couch potato that, although he was imposing looking, actually couldn’t hurt a flea, we busted him good. When he claimed that not only did he not rev his motorcycle engine at all hours disturbing his neighbors but that he didn’t even own a motorcycle, we busted him again.

These two documented lies enabled us to prove his account of our altercation was a lie as well. They took what was at first just a suspicious account well into the realm of perjury. The jury told the judge at the end that they had “serious reservations about his (neighbor’s) credibility”.

So yes, I’ve seen someone’s online posts come back to haunt them… but in a very good, just way.

[El_Kabong]

Was the late Philip Corso, author of The Day After Roswell, involved?

The hoaxer referenced material in Corso’s book, but there was no sign that Corso was involved in any way.