MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
from the winning-fans dept
If you run a site that allows comments, and some of those commenters are incredibly annoying... is the responsibility on you, as the site owner, to deal with those annoying commenters, or can you actually go to court against people for being jerks on your site? Apparently, Major League Baseball is choosing the latter option. It's going to court to try to get the identity of some commenters on its website who have been posting comments that are:"threatening, abusive, obscene, vulgar, demeaning, offensive, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit, indecent and inappropriate"Of course, that probably describes a rather large percentage of comments on some websites these days. Apparently MLB tried to deal with it internally, but failed in blocking those users. So rather than amp up its technical skills, MLB is going to court to demand that ISPs identify who it is that's been posting these comments, so that it can "pursue appropriate action."
In a world where we're seeing people charged with being jerks online, it seems like we're entering a dangerous world, with massive chilling effects on free speech. Obviously, being a jerk, and posting inappropriate material is annoying -- and MLB has every right to set up technological or moderation measures to deal with it. But potentially suing those individuals seems to cross a dangerous line.
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Filed Under: annoying, commenters, harassing, lawsuits
Companies: mlb
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Sports fans
Sounds like every baseball fan I've ever known.
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Re: Sports fans
Also, Bud Selig can eat a bag of dicks.
Just keepin' it real.
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Re: Re: Sports fans
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Its all about money..
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MLB
So, MLB dudes! Put a sock on it!
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No offense ...
Of course, that probably describes a rather large percentage of comments on some websites these days."
I have to disagree with you, you Dumb bass, clock sucking, pig porking, fraker ... ;)
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Re: No offense ...
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Re: Re: No offense ...
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Re: Re: Re: No offense ...
Same here grin and ignore it. I wish more people were less PC and more capable of not being offended by peoples idiotic words.
Many of these law suits happen because companies and organizations keep lawyers on staff as opposed to on retainer. The need for lawyers to show their worth in a six sigma society corporation force them to do these thing. Combine that with the lack of negative financial consequences for lawyers filing frivolous lawsuits, and the glut of lawyers needing to make a living in our legal system and you have the current system.
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The children
But think of the children! What if they read those comments?
At least for now they need to go to court to potentially find out who the commenters are.
I don't understand why our government can't just legislate morality.
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Re: The children
But think of the children who are watching the ball game with their sports fan parents who, otherwise sane, burst into a (bit)torrent of profanity and broken coffee tables and shot tv sets whenever they think the ump made the wrong call on a home town favourite or the guy they have in their pool?
To me, the on line comments are restrained compared to that! ;-)
Just where do you think kids learn their profanity, anyway?
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Re: Re: The children
School, of course!
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I was unpaid staff on a large forum for resourceful gamers, they would come up with IP addresses from all over the globe. It isn't that hard to ban/block them and delete their posts. You make them invisible they give up pretty quick.
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Re:
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MLB Censorship
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MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
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Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
And how exactly do you manage to live in the world with the rest of us?
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Re: Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
his point was more to the fact that first amendment rights to free speech are not absolute (a point that sadly has to be made over and over).
the courts have been very clear in the past that the right to free speech does not equate to 'you have the right to say whatever you want whenever you want wherever you want'.
there are no first amendment rights when you are in a privately owned setting and the owner has decided he wants you out of there.
this story is the exact same thing with the added stupidity of MLB thinking they should take legal recourse rather than hiring smarter IT people.
and my own personal point is:
Dear MLB, how bout you take HALF of the money its going to cost to litigate this, hire IT people that know more than how to turn on a computer, giving the money you saved to charity (preferably EFF thanks) and take yourselves a nice tax writeoff while doing good helping the economy and not looking like a bunch of old farts that cant find their own asses with both hands and a map.
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Re: Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
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Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
First you are an idiot if you are still with AOL.
Second, Frak you. How do you control peoples vulgarity? You cant, so get over it and get on with you life. No filters can monitor and block posts on a web site or blog with out destroying free speech. You want PC family friendly buy an iPhone, go to disneyland, get your kids ear plugs, never leave the house, destroy the radio because there is hip hop with almost bleeped words, and throw out the TV.
Third, " MLB would lose the faith of their fans if stupid people are allowed to take over forums." ... hmmm ... about stupid media fed idiots I dont have any comment today.
Mike and friends, apologies I am making a point.
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Re: Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
I have no problems with people's vulgarity. I like vulgarity, just like you. I use vulgarity regularly, just like you. I can be rude when I want to, just like you. I enjoy shocking people with rudeness and/or vulgarity, just like you. I hate PC, just like you.
I am smart enough to know that there is a time and place for everything, unlike you. I try not to curse in front of children out of respect for them and their parents, unlike you. I understand that being polite at times doesn't make a person weak, unlike you.
Being socially correct (used to be called polite) is okay, honestly it is. I guess the bottom line is that I realize that politeness isn't weakness.
Honestly I now think my life would have more meaning if I can only get more of your approval.
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Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
For example, Mike can choose to delete this comment if he wishes. No violation there.
If Mike sues me because of me posting, then (assuming he wins), it would be the justice system (hence, the government) telling me I can't post... That's when the courts overstepped their bounds.
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Re: Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
And the issue seems to be over disclosing identifies of posters, not asking the government to control their speech. More of a privacy thing than a First Amendment thing.
HM
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Re: MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
Indeed, but that does not give them the right to then sue them. It's where you sue someone for comments that are "annoying" that the free speech questions come up.
MLB has an obligation to follow the rules and policies they set out in order to protect their product. I tried to participate in two AOL chats and gave up due to their lack of control over the rudeness and vulgarity. Rudeness and vulgarity have their place, but not in a supposed "family friendly environment." MLB would lose the faith of their fans if stupid people are allowed to take over forums.
Indeed. That's why it's MLB's responsibility to handle its comments. Not to sue people though.
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De facto outlawing of online games
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MLB is a government granted MONOPOLY.
MLB should just be erased. The point of this article is trivial alongside other flaws with it, except to note that the organization is going crazy with power.
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In fact, when I find such an out-of-place comment, I chuckle because when I see this, I know what's going on. Maybe you need to lighten up, and have an Irish Whisky on the rocks.
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Re:
1) your dumb
2) you dont read that much of the comments
kinda hoping for your sake its #2
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Re:
I did not claim that I found any of the commenters here annoying. Not sure why you would make that claim.
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free speech?
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Okay this goes back to the EFFs Friend of the court ...
They should only be told the court this request should be filed in.
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Why no simple solution
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MLlB suing commentors
"threatening, abusive, obscene, vulgar, demeaning, offensive, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit, indecent and inappropriate"
Some of the above does not state a cause of action, some of it may (or may not). The Judge should demand that the complaint be amended to state a cause of action, and since some of the above MIGHT be a misdemeanor, and some MIGHT be felonious, it needst t obe rather strongly narrowed.
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Cyber trespass law...
If you go to a private business and act like a jerk, they'll show you the door, if you refuse to leave or sneak back in, the cops can be called and you'll be fined and arrested for trespassing....
If you are banned from a website or online forum, and try and circumvent the ban, there should be some type of penalty for the worst offenders.
Free speech has NEVER EVER been absolute, and neither has access to private places. It's one of the few laws that really is a common sense MUST in the real world, and has it's place in the cyberworld too.
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e.g.:
javascript:document.body.innerHTML=document.body.innerHTML.replace(/Mike L/gi,'Mike LoL'); void(0)
I could crawl on the nodes on the page and replace or remove any comment by Mike L and he would never know I was censoring him, I could setup my own cursing filter and that would be ok now trying to do that at a chocking point is ridiculous and probably violates everybody's freedoms.
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try putting this on the address bar and hitting enter:
javascript: alert("Hi there!")
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Should read:
It is so easy to censor anything, people don't like at the clients end, why they want to do it at the server side?
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Like really!
My 7 year said it just about right. The MLB are cheaters and thieves for stealing from Gallaraga and he doesn't want anything to do with them ever again! Out of the mouths of babes.
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Why is this any different . . .
I don't see how the fact that MLB invites the public to participate in its chat rooms (or whatever) somehow means they have forfeited any ability to resort to legal action if someone is being disruptive.
HM
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Re: Why is this any different . . .
Resorting to legal action may or may not ultimately be a good idea. There may be other, less confrontational and/or less expensive ways to deal with it. My point is that we get to resort to the courts to help resolve disputes, and the fact that MLB runs a public web site shouldn't somehow preclude them from availing themselves of that right.
HM
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MLB Looks To Sue Annoying Commenters
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MLB
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BS
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I doubt that lack of money is a problem.
One can survive planting things to eat, some people demonstrated that they can survive on from dumpsters and handouts, people can do a lot even live without it. What people can't do without it is work, someone have to produce and work in other things so you can have more, when people stop producing real things not IP BS right then you can see the country going down the drain. With or without money it doesn't matter, stop producing real things that people can use things get ugly.
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Even though I hate baseball, maybe I should get on the MLB site
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FUCKIN LOL
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Censorship
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