legal question

By
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 11:20 AM CDT

Does anyone know if it is legal for the admin of a public forum that is supposed to be anonymous to give out the ip addresses of posters? Say i post something negative about an employer and they give out my ip address to the company to find out who I am? Is this legal? And can my company find out who I am just by the i.p. address given to them?

Print this story Post a Comment

Comments

They do wrote on Nov 3, 2009 7:19 AM:

" DI (or its employees) HAS given out IP addresses to CHS officials regarding posts about the school. "

Joe wrote on Oct 25, 2009 2:05 PM:

" There is nothing illegal about it, but if you are not on a company computer, they can not find out who you are. For example, if you do this at home, it will be against privacy rights for your internet company to give a third party your information unless it is an official investigation. If you do it at work, on your company's computer, your screwed. If they found out your information when posted on a home computer, talk to a lawyer. "

Static ip wrote on Oct 24, 2009 5:55 AM:

" I don't think the DI should give out that info. But first, the IP address that can identify you are a static (permanent, non-changing) IP, which most Cox internet users don't have, unless you are a business. Banks of IP numbers are issued to Cox and others and they won't assign you a static unless you are a business. (their words, not mine) Your ip doesn't change unless you reboot your cable modem. An easy way to find out is type in whatismyip.com and do some reading. Hope this helps. "

Mike wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:06 AM:

" If you don't want to be tracked use a proxy server! Very simple.... "

To legal question wrote on Oct 22, 2009 8:10 AM:

" Was the comment posted? If you read "Write a comment" under the forum.. it sayd Problems with private individuals or private companies are not likely to get posted. I would think the DI would NOT give out ip addresses or email addresses. "

Subpoena wrote on Oct 22, 2009 7:35 AM:

" DI can give out your IP address if they like, but your ISP won't tell anyone who was using that IP address without a subpoena. "

more marginal opinion only wrote on Oct 22, 2009 12:09 AM:

" You could try to convince the judge to rule in your favor. If the judge ordered DI to give up your IP address, the DI would probably give it to your employer without further court appeal. It would then be up to your employer to get your Internet Service Provider to give them your name, which ISPs usually do without legal fight. Email your regrets to DI publisher Will Chapman and ask him to immediately remove your comment. I'm sure he would try to help minimize your exposure, but your employer may have already seen your comment. "

marginal opinion only wrote on Oct 21, 2009 11:58 PM:

" If you posted a negative comment about your employer onto Daily Iberian forum and your employer calls DI to ask for the IP address, first it would be up to DI to decide if they wanted to give that IP address to your employer or not. They might feel the need to protect your freedom of speech or they might not. If DI refused to give your IP address, then your employer could go to court to ask a judge to force them to give up your IP address. "

Just My 2 Cents wrote on Oct 21, 2009 7:18 PM:

" "Postings are not verified for accuracy nor have we identified the identity of any person's name accompanying a comment ....." (Per the DI Admin). Unless it had to do with a criminal investigation, that would be a violation of your right to privately post on a public forum within the confines of your own home. Now, if your post was considered slander and your employer found you out some OTHER way that would be different. If the forum disclosed your ip address, that was equally wrong and could be harmful to your safety. You would have to prove it. "

legal question. wrote on Oct 21, 2009 4:36 PM:

" Sorry, I should have stated in my original post that the computer is mine and located at my house. "

legal question. wrote on Oct 21, 2009 4:35 PM:

" No, i was at my house, and still am. The post was written last night but the time listed is when the d.i. posted it. Also, the computer in question would be from my home, not work. I was wondering if they could identify me from the ip address of the computer at my house. "

Grandma wrote on Oct 21, 2009 4:33 PM:

" I don't think they are supposed to do that but remember, there's no true privacy on the internet. "

kdm wrote on Oct 21, 2009 4:11 PM:

" Yes, they can and no, it's not illegal. "

yes wrote on Oct 21, 2009 4:11 PM:

" It is very easy to find out who you are with your ip address and yes they can give it to who they want, you post you take that chance.It is their forum their website, you chose to visit, they can do with the iinfo you leave what they will "

DI Reader wrote on Oct 21, 2009 3:00 PM:

" If you are using a company computer or email address the company as all legal rights to pull up anything you email or download to that computer. If it was done on your own time and with your own email address then they don't a leg to stand on. "

Laf. wrote on Oct 21, 2009 1:27 PM:

" I am definitely not an expert on this, but it is my impression that the public forum cannot and should not give out your IP address, unless, of-course it is for the purpose of solving a crime. Also, I think that you're company can identify you by the IP address. I am anxious to see if you will get an answer from someone in the legal profession because I am curious about this also. "

To legal question wrote on Oct 21, 2009 12:59 PM:

" You need a lawyer! And why you doing that on company time anyway? "

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment related to this story. Use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

•Comments must be approved by an editor or the publisher before appearing on the Web site but are not verified for accuracy nor have we verified the identity of any person supposedly posting an comment. Please consider this as you consider any statement made. A thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

• Please note your comments must attempt to follow basic rules of grammar and punctuation or they will not be posted. Do not use unfamiliar abbreviations or text-like short cuts, like ur for your. Please keep your tone civil. You can say someone's idea is stupid but you cannot say someone is stupid.

• Comments should deal with matters of public concern. Problems with private individuals or private companies are not likely to get posted.

• Questions or comments about items posted should be e-mailed to dailyiberian@bellsouth.net.

Classifieds

Place Your Ad

View All Ads

Contact Us

Subscribe
Vacation Hold
General Email

Mailing Address:
The Daily Iberian
P.O. Box 9290
New Iberia, LA
70562-9290

Street Address:
926 East Main St.
New Iberia, LA 70560

Phone:
(337) 365-6773

Fax:
(337)-367-9640

Inside Louisiana:
800-365-6773

legal question

Comments

WRITE A COMMENT

Classifieds

Jobs

Homes

Autos

Contact Us

Local Weather