Another Woman Asks Google To Name People Who Were Mean To Her Online

from the the-anti-jerk-rule? dept

Thu, Aug 19th 2010 8:38am — Mike Masnick

You may remember last year when model Liskula Cohen went to court to get Google to hand over the name of a blogger who was mean to her, calling her a skank. Of course, in doing so, it brought a lot more attention to the blog which almost no one had read before. In fact, it seems clear that a hell of a lot more people now associate "Liskula Cohen" with "skank" due to her legal actions, than the blog. Eventually a court said Google should unmask the anonymous blogger -- which it did. The outed blogger, Rosemary Port, then claimed she was going to sue Google for $15 million for exposing her identity -- though I haven't heard whether or not any lawsuit was ever actually filed. Almost every legal expert noted that the case had almost no chance of succeeding. Still, it did raise some questions about how far Google should go to protect anonymous users of its site. The company's terms of service do make it clear that they can and will reveal people if necessary, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't fight for its users in many cases.

Either way, it looks like we're getting something of a repeat -- as another woman, this time a former model and actress, and now a consultant named Carla Franklin -- has gone to court to get Google to hand over the names of some YouTube users who posted some videos of her, and referred to her as a "whore." She's claiming that the comments hurt her job prospects -- though, one might imagine that going to court over someone being a jerk to you online might also hurt your job prospects.

Obviously, it's no fun to have people say mean things about you online. But, in weighing the pros and cons, at some point you have to wonder if just ignoring it makes a lot more sense than ramping up the legal response -- which is only guaranteed to get the whole situation a lot more attention (and cost a lot more money). Perhaps Ms. Franklin should take the advice that she was giving in one of the videos that she's upset was uploaded. According to various news reports (the video itself has now been taken down), in the video she advised people "Don't take things so seriously." Sometimes, that's good advice.

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Filed Under: anonymity, carla franklin, jerks, privacy
Companies: google

20 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 8:41am

Is it factually true?
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ofb2632 (profile), 19 Aug 2010 @ 8:42am

Is it factually true?

(sorry i had posted anonymously)
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 19 Aug 2010 @ 8:50am

I have to wonder sometimes
These things strike me as "any publicity is good publicity" moves, but then I'm probably giving drama queens too much credit.

Still, if she wants to optimize "whore" and "Carla Franklin" for google, I'm happy to oblige.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 8:55am

I can sympathize with something like what happened with Tila Tequila.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/08/14/2010-08-14_tila_tequila_insane_clown_posse_ fans_tried_to_kill_me_at_concert.html

But this I don't think so.

ps: I didn't know who Tila Tequila was until someone pointed out to me that article claiming she would sue the establishment for failing to secure her safety.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 8:58am

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/08/18/2010-08-18_jersey_shore_star_snooki_charged_with_being_ criminally_annoying_for_public_drunk.html

Funny one, the girl was criminaly charged for annoying people LoL
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Johnny Walker, 19 Aug 2010 @ 9:00am

From "the-anti-jerk-rule department" ?
I ask the same questions all the time, and the answer always comes back as "Mike", "Mike Did It", and "It's the Pizza Man".

*sigh*
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Jaqenn, 19 Aug 2010 @ 9:44am

Once a man who had been slandered by a newspaper came to Edward Everett asking what to do about it.

Said Everett, “Do nothing! Half the people who bought the paper never saw the article. Half of those who saw it, did not read it. Half of those who read it, did not understand it. Half of those who understood it, did not believe it. Half of those who believed it are of no account anyway.”
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 10:02am

Re: I have to wonder sometimes
I also did my part by searching for "Carla Franklin whore".
I think maybe that the Duke and Columbia grad is actually smart enough to do this as a publicity stunt. BTW since she indicates she is pretty sure who the person is that did it I believe she is also smart enough to realize it would be quieter to confront this individual without everyone associating "whore" with "Carla Franklin".
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 10:22am

Re:
fucking skanks and whores are real bitches
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 10:42am

Re: Re: I have to wonder sometimes
I did too. Several sites make her out to be some sort of heroic crusader, fighting the injustice of anonymous users on the internet.
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 10:44am

Re: Re: Re: I have to wonder sometimes
Sorry, sauce: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/19/2010-08-19_google_this_sickos_web_trash_vics_in_fight _mode.html
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Jeff, 19 Aug 2010 @ 11:19am

Nonsense
It's understandable to request information when minors are at risk but for an adult to take such pains to make an issue out of someone calling them a name without trying to get some free publicity out of the situation is just ridiculous.
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BruceLD, 19 Aug 2010 @ 11:25am

Subject
I can't believe the nerve of some peoples children.

Calling Carla Franklin a WHORE is very rude! I mean, I really doubt that Carla Franklin is a WHORE. I can understand very much so if Carla Franklin gets upset being called a WHORE. Being called a WHORE is a terrible thing, and Carla Franklin has the right to complain. Carla Franklin is right and no one should be called a WHORE. I just hope they didn't go too far by calling Carla Franklin a STUPID WHORE because she is filing a lawsuit against Google and bringing bad publicity on herself and ruining her chances for future jobs.

Only a STUPID WHORE whore would create negative publicity for themselves by suing one of the largest and wealthiest corporations in the world. That would be a VERY STUPID WHORE thing to do. But luckily Carla Franklin is neither a WHORE nor a STUPID WHORE.

So please do NOT call Carla Franklin a WHORE.
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NullOp, 19 Aug 2010 @ 11:51am

Hmmm....
Why does this all smell like another f'ed up barrel of $hit!

Ow-ee, you were mean to me, I'm gonna tell.

F'ING GROW UP PEOPLE!
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 12:05pm

This is such a joke. How is this going to hurt her career? What employer is going to even care what some anonymous 10 year old kid called her on youtube?
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Charlie Potatoes (profile), 19 Aug 2010 @ 12:10pm

Frankly:
Whore? I think NOT ... To my knowledge Carla has ALWAYS given it away for free.
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Free Capitalist (profile), 19 Aug 2010 @ 12:12pm

Re: Nonsense
It's understandable to request information when minors are at risk

Sorry I don't see how is this relevant to the situation discussed in the article? Exactly what "risk" is even present here?

Name calling and bullying have been around for-ever, and we already have laws to deal with them when they cross the line into assault and libel. Why should we write new, more draconian laws that remove Constitutional protections specifically for the Internet just "for the children"?

Why should we permit, by accusation, an activity that requires a court order in the real world? (revealing an anonymous "source")

Is the Internet to be relegated as our testbed for tyranny?
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2010 @ 1:20pm

So now we all know.. Carla Franklin is a whore!

/and hopefully this will show up on all future Google searches of her.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Aug 2010 @ 2:10am

She is a Skank! Sue me bitch!
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lyvvy, 26 Aug 2010 @ 2:30pm

Carla Franklin is no more a skank than Anonymous Coward is a prick! Eric Goldman, Mike Masnick, and Anonymous Coward are all short, ugly geeks with no life and no future. Google is a dying company whose share price is now down to $450. What are you freaky geeks going to do after Google is dead and nobody reads your rants anymore? Maybe you will take up with that gay freak, Eric Goldman! And don't tell me he isn't gay, because I have seen him leaving every gay bar in California! Hey, maybe he's just doing research on gays. Eric Goldman seems unable to find a partner because both gays and straights find him repulsive!
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