# Why we have rules in the pit

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [March 31, 2000, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544 "2000-03-31T21:09:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ReservoirDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@ReservoirDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReservoirDog)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544/1 "2000-03-31T21:09:00Z")

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Any comments on this?[http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/demon000331\_segan.html](http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/demon000331_segan.html)

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**Author:** ![ReservoirDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@ReservoirDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReservoirDog)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544/2 "2000-03-31T21:10:00Z")

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Or, how about this:  
[http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/demon000331\_segan.html](http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/tech/DailyNews/demon000331_segan.html)

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2000, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544/3 "2000-03-31T21:23:00Z")

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To quote **Don Jaime,**

> [@](#):
>
> **Dude.**

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**Author:** ![CalifBoomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CalifBoomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalifBoomer)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544/4 "2000-04-01T05:16:00Z")

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Can a libel case be effectively pursued if the victim is anonymous?

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-have-rules-in-the-pit/5544/5 "2000-04-02T05:18:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Can a libel case be effectively pursued if the victim is anonymous?

IANAL, and libel laws vary from state to state, but in general, the plaintiff must establish that a reasonable listener or reader would understand that the defamatory statement referred to the plaintiff. So a statement like, as a hypothetical example, “Otto is a thief” would not be defamatory because I could not establish that a reasonable person wouold understand that the statement referred to my offline persona. Now, if my offline ID were known, I might be able to meet this standard, but then I’d have to demonstrate that I experienced actual damages as a result of the statement.

In the specific case in question, the liable party was the ISP. US law specifically shields ISPs from legal responsibility for the actions of their subscribers. Any ISP worth its salt will no doubt, if they haven’t already, require that legal action be initiated in the jurisdiction in which the ISP is incorporated.