There was a blurb about us in the local papers:
Computer Forensics in 2007
Everyone that has watched an episode of CSI knows all about Computer forensics. They know that even if you delete a threatening email it's still on your computer and can be retrieved through computer forensics. In fact if you're a big fan of these TV shows and the A&E true crime documentaries you would think that crime scene investigators could recreate your online activity even if your PC has gone through Hurricane Katrina. Maybe that's just a bit of artistic license but is it?There's a growing trend in digital forensics that you don't see on TV but it's being used increasingly by real life crime scene investigators and that's "Hand Held Digital Forensics" Now they can take a cellular phone, Palm Pilot or PDA and uncover all the deleted text messages, pictures or address book entries. they can even recover caller Id and ring tones. But this technology is not just limited to murder investigations by the elite CSI division of major police dept's in Miami or NYC. It's available to the average soccer mom that is suspicious about her husbands activity after his trip to that Las Vegas convention. We spoke with Ed Opperman Pres of Accurate Information Recovery Inc based in Las Vegas. He also owns and operates Emailrevealer.com a web site devoted to catching cyber stalkers and cheating spouses. "You would be shocked at what we can uncover in just a few minutes of examining a cell phone. Deleted pics from strip joints and bachelor parties are something we see everyday"I guess what happens in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas.
http://www.emailrevealer.com
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
U.S. Internet defamation suit tests online anonymity
It bills itself as the world's "most prestigious college discussion board," giving a glimpse into law school admissions policies, post-graduate social networking and the hiring practices of major law firms.
But the AudoAdmit site, widely used by law students for information on schools and firms, is also known as a venue for racist and sexist remarks and career-damaging rumors.
Now it's at the heart of a defamation lawsuit that legal experts say could test the anonymity of the Internet.
After facing lewd comments and threats by posters, two women at Yale Law School filed a suit on June 8 in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut, that includes subpoenas for 28 anonymous users of the site, which has generated more than 7 million posts since 2004.
According to court documents, a user on the site named "STANFORDtroll" began a thread in 2005 seeking to warn Yale students about one of the women in the suit, entitled "Stupid Bitch to Enter Yale Law." Another threatened to rape and sodomize her, the documents said.
The plaintiff, a respected Stanford University graduate identified only as "Doe I" in the lawsuit, learned of the Internet attack in the summer of 2005 before moving to Yale in Connecticut. The posts gradually became more menacing.
Some posts made false claims about her academic record and urged users to warn law firms, or accused her of bribing Yale officials to gain admission and of forming a lesbian relationship with a Yale administrator, the court papers said.
The plaintiff said she believes the harassing remarks, which lasted nearly two years, cost her an important summer internship. After interviewing with 16 firms, she received only four call-backs and ultimately had zero offers -- a result considered unusual given her qualifications.
Another woman, identified as Doe II, endured similar attacks. The two, who say they suffered substantial "psychological and economic injury," also sued a former manager of the site because he refused to remove disparaging messages. The manager had cited free-speech protections.
LIFTING THE MASK
"The harassment they were subjected to was quite grotesque," said Brian Leiter, a professor at University of Texas Law School. "Any judge who looks at this is going to be really shocked, and particularly shocked because these appear to be law students."
The suit is being watched closely to see if the posters are unmasked, a step that could make anonymous chat room users more circumspect. It also underlines the growing difficulty of protecting reputations online as the Web is used increasingly to screen prospective employees and romantic partners.
"They can't hide behind anonymity while they are saying these scurrilous and menacing things," said Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He said the site was not liable under federal protections that are more lenient on Web sites than TV and newspapers. Prosecuting the manager could also be difficult because he did not write the posts, Volokh added. But the anonymous posters look liable and their careers could be jeopardized, he said.
"This ought to be a warning to be people that if you say things that are not just rude but arguably libelous and potentially threatening and perhaps actionable on those grounds then their identity might be unmasked," he said.
Finding and identifying the posters -- including one called "The Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah" -- could be tough but is not impossible. The process involves subpoenas issued to Internet Service Providers for records, and then more subpoenas to companies, institutions or people identified on those records.
"I've said in my blog the most vile posters on that board are two subpoenas away from being outed," said Leiter. "This led to much amusement by the anonymous posters on the board.
"But they are about to find out that this is how it works."
http://www.emailrevealer.com
But the AudoAdmit site, widely used by law students for information on schools and firms, is also known as a venue for racist and sexist remarks and career-damaging rumors.
Now it's at the heart of a defamation lawsuit that legal experts say could test the anonymity of the Internet.
After facing lewd comments and threats by posters, two women at Yale Law School filed a suit on June 8 in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut, that includes subpoenas for 28 anonymous users of the site, which has generated more than 7 million posts since 2004.
According to court documents, a user on the site named "STANFORDtroll" began a thread in 2005 seeking to warn Yale students about one of the women in the suit, entitled "Stupid Bitch to Enter Yale Law." Another threatened to rape and sodomize her, the documents said.
The plaintiff, a respected Stanford University graduate identified only as "Doe I" in the lawsuit, learned of the Internet attack in the summer of 2005 before moving to Yale in Connecticut. The posts gradually became more menacing.
Some posts made false claims about her academic record and urged users to warn law firms, or accused her of bribing Yale officials to gain admission and of forming a lesbian relationship with a Yale administrator, the court papers said.
The plaintiff said she believes the harassing remarks, which lasted nearly two years, cost her an important summer internship. After interviewing with 16 firms, she received only four call-backs and ultimately had zero offers -- a result considered unusual given her qualifications.
Another woman, identified as Doe II, endured similar attacks. The two, who say they suffered substantial "psychological and economic injury," also sued a former manager of the site because he refused to remove disparaging messages. The manager had cited free-speech protections.
LIFTING THE MASK
"The harassment they were subjected to was quite grotesque," said Brian Leiter, a professor at University of Texas Law School. "Any judge who looks at this is going to be really shocked, and particularly shocked because these appear to be law students."
The suit is being watched closely to see if the posters are unmasked, a step that could make anonymous chat room users more circumspect. It also underlines the growing difficulty of protecting reputations online as the Web is used increasingly to screen prospective employees and romantic partners.
"They can't hide behind anonymity while they are saying these scurrilous and menacing things," said Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He said the site was not liable under federal protections that are more lenient on Web sites than TV and newspapers. Prosecuting the manager could also be difficult because he did not write the posts, Volokh added. But the anonymous posters look liable and their careers could be jeopardized, he said.
"This ought to be a warning to be people that if you say things that are not just rude but arguably libelous and potentially threatening and perhaps actionable on those grounds then their identity might be unmasked," he said.
Finding and identifying the posters -- including one called "The Ayatollah of Rock-n-Rollah" -- could be tough but is not impossible. The process involves subpoenas issued to Internet Service Providers for records, and then more subpoenas to companies, institutions or people identified on those records.
"I've said in my blog the most vile posters on that board are two subpoenas away from being outed," said Leiter. "This led to much amusement by the anonymous posters on the board.
"But they are about to find out that this is how it works."
http://www.emailrevealer.com
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Defamation and Libel on the Internet
On the Internet, where abnormal behavior is the status quo, temperscan flare in the heat of debate and word wars can last for days oreven weeks. It's not uncommon for users to ridicule, harass or insultthose who disagree with them.This is common in chat rooms and message boards. It's a well known problem on Usenet.But if you damage someone's reputation by trying to embarrass them ina public forum, you could be sued for libel or defamation. After all,there's no reason to assume that the messages you send throughcyberspace are immune from lawsuits.
There have only been a handful of libel and defamation lawsuits filedinvolving the Internet so far, but as the Net grows, the number oflawsuits will probably increase. If the few court battles that havebeen decided involving libel and defamation on the Net are anyindication of how the law will be applied to the Internet in thefuture, it's worth your time to learn what's libelous or defamatory onthe Internet and what's not.
One problem is the misconception of complete anonymity on the Internet. Most people believe that they can hide behind a screen name or email address. But this is not true. It is possible for a private investigator with the right training and experience to track down and identify these Internet terrorists and provide you with enough information to take the appropriate legal action.
the trained investigators at www.Emailrevealer.com are specialists in locating and identifying these cyber stalkers and those that engage in unlawful activity like libel and defamation.
There have only been a handful of libel and defamation lawsuits filedinvolving the Internet so far, but as the Net grows, the number oflawsuits will probably increase. If the few court battles that havebeen decided involving libel and defamation on the Net are anyindication of how the law will be applied to the Internet in thefuture, it's worth your time to learn what's libelous or defamatory onthe Internet and what's not.
One problem is the misconception of complete anonymity on the Internet. Most people believe that they can hide behind a screen name or email address. But this is not true. It is possible for a private investigator with the right training and experience to track down and identify these Internet terrorists and provide you with enough information to take the appropriate legal action.
the trained investigators at www.Emailrevealer.com are specialists in locating and identifying these cyber stalkers and those that engage in unlawful activity like libel and defamation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
