Brighton mum launches legal battle against Facebook trolls (From The Argus)

Doomed to failure. Honestly she should just drop it. She had the option of not going on Facebook. Not that I'm defending the people who did it, but to take this to it's logical conclusion anonymity will be removed from the interwebs. She cannot win, and will just possibly inflame the situation. Anyone can set up an untraceable account with a false name and a proxy server. And rightfully so! (not for facebook, i mean in general). And i think you'll find the law has been used many times on 'trolls'. I think she is being egged on by the solicitors with a case she cannot win but will still have to pay for.

Archie Bun wrote:
Doomed to failure. Honestly she should just drop it. She had the option of not going on Facebook. Not that I'm defending the people who did it, but to take this to it's logical conclusion anonymity will be removed from the interwebs. She cannot win, and will just possibly inflame the situation. Anyone can set up an untraceable account with a false name and a proxy server. And rightfully so! (not for facebook, i mean in general). And i think you'll find the law has been used many times on 'trolls'. I think she is being egged on by the solicitors with a case she cannot win but will still have to pay for.

Too right. This is all about exposure for the solicitors; publicity if they win and money even if they lose. As Ice-T put it, 'Freedom of speech--just watch what you say.'

She looks a bit old to be getting involved in all that x-factor business. But good on her for fighting back. As Archie rightly says though, doomed to failure it certainly is. However, at least she's having a go. 'Trolls' are a pain in the ar@e. You go girl!

What a complete waste of time and money. Not in the public interest. I have to say bullying is abhorrent but "Cyber Bullying", do me a favour, entirely avoidable.

I think its more the case that people are setting up accounts in her name and using them to slander her.I should think that being a victim of this must be awful.I for one think it would be in the public best interest if people new that they could be traced.

Thetruth666 wrote:
I think its more the case that people are setting up accounts in her name and using them to slander her.I should think that being a victim of this must be awful.I for one think it would be in the public best interest if people new that they could be traced.

It would be libel. But i think you are missing the point. It would not be in the public interest. Anonymity is very important. Think about it. You haven't used your real name on here. Have you any idea how much time and resources it would take to investigate every case where someone got upset about a website comment? And she doesn't 'own' her name, it's not unique. Better just to let it drop and forget it. Troll wins but nothing you can do.

Trolls primary purpose is to get to you. By going public about it you are just letting them know they have succeeded.

I don't condone what the trolls did but ....

1. Why did she give out personal information on Facebook ?

2. Why did she not lock down her Facebook account ?

3. Why did she not just stop using Facebook ?

The stupid woman is after a fast buck. Well, if that's what she wants then she should move to the USA.

A sensible judge is also likely to pour scourn on the fact that she continues to court the media when she claims to have been damaged.
It would be best not to enter the public domain if she intends to pursue a case.

Or the local paper went to her

http://www.prweek.co
m/uk/news/1131751/by
field-lobbying-tough
ening-laws-internet-
trolls/

There certainly appears to be more behind this story then meets the eye ...

Facebook claims to operate under a 'real names' policy (check the statements they have made about this case and their terms and conditions if you are in doubt). The suggestion that anonymity should be protected at all costs is a red herring in this case - this story is not about whether or not fake profiles should be allowed on Facebook. Facebook already say that fake profiles are not permitted and that therefore anonymity is not permitted.

The problem could be solved overnight if Facebook took sensible steps to enforce the 'real names' policy which it claims to be using, and if it took realistic and timely action against the minority of troll users who do not want to play by the same rules as the rest of us. But instead, they pretend that asking for an email address and a telephone number is the same as verification of identity - which is completely ridiculous.

The point about anonymity is that if one wants it, there are plenty of places one can go to to play stupid trolling games with hidden identities. All the rest of us need to know is where those places are so we can avoid them like the plague and leave the trolls to troll each other.

Yes, as Archie Bun suggests, anonymity is important. But NOT on Facebook. On a social network like Facebook, trust is essential. We need to be certain that the people we are talking to are who they say they are, and we need to have mechanisms in place to ensure that they take responsibility for their free speech. I am not asking for addresses to be made public, but I am asking that Facebook be certain that it knows who is who and responds to appropriate legal requests for disclosure when asked to do so by a court of law.

I also disagree with the contention that fighting back is the wrong thing to do. Whether or not Ms. Brookes fights back or not is entirely her decision. I'm sure it would be better for the trolls if she just shut up and took the abuse being handed out to her without complaint, or if she allowed herself to be hounded off of the network, but I tend to agree with her - hiding from the bullies is not a real solution. And that is the bottom line. Ms. Brookes is the victim here. Why should she be forced to adjust her behaviour so that the trolls can continue to abuse her and others without sanction? I say good on her. Even if she does not get everything she wants, she is at least bringing the issue to the media and hopefully her action will contribute to Facebook becoming a safer and more responsible network we can all use safely.

Fight Back wrote:
I don't condone what the trolls did but ....

1. Why did she give out personal information on Facebook ?

2. Why did she not lock down her Facebook account ?

3. Why did she not just stop using Facebook ?

The stupid woman is after a fast buck. Well, if that's what she wants then she should move to the USA.

She gave out her personal information because by default that is what Facebook was set up to do. Facebook encourages openness.

She may have failed to lock down her Facebook account because the privacy settings on Facebook are massively complicated and difficult to administer.

Why should she stop using Facebook? She has every right to use it, the same as anyone else.

As for the derogatory comment, I have reported it. I do not believe it is acceptable that you abuse the victim of abuse here as she has been abused on Facebook.