Fighting anonymity with anonymity: open justice and cyberbullying – Eoin O’Dell

Say you are a 15-year old girl. What would you do if you find a fake Facebook profile which contains a photograph of you, a slightly modified version of your name and other particulars which identified you, which discusses your physical appearance and weight in derogatory terms, and which includes scandalous sexual commentary about you?  First, you’d contact Facebook, to have the fake profile taken down and to identify the IP address associated with it.

Canada, AB v Bragg Communications: What’s in a Name? Supreme Court allows libel plaintiff to proceed anonymously – Paul Schabas and Adam Lazier

On 27 September 2012 the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision A.B. v. Bragg Communications (2012 SCC 46) a case which deals with the balance between the open courts principle, privacy, and the rights of children.  The Court permitted a teenager to proceed anonymously in her application to find out the identity of her alleged cyberbullies.  The Court did, however, deny her application for a broader publication ban.

New Zealand Law Commission: Ministerial Briefing on Harmful Digital Communications

In May 2012, in response to rising concerns about the impact of cyber-bullying on young people, the responsible Minister asked the New Zealand Law Commission to fast-track the part of the project dealing with the adequacy of the sanctions and remedies for dealing with harmful digital communications.  On 15 August 2012 the Law Commission set out its final recommendations a Ministerial Briefing Paper, Harmful Digital Communications:  The adequacy of the current sanctions and remedies [pdf].  This was accompanied by a draft bill [pdf].