Legal Question in Technology Law in Michigan
Message Board Trolls - how to legally get them to stay away
I run a very large automotive website with the most activity being the large message board. We've had on occasion trouble makers we've had to ban - but a few just keep coming back. Is there any legal action to take to keep these people off. Thank you.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Message Board Trolls - how to legally get them to stay away
I have heard of people getting injunctions to stop harassment or "trespass" to bulletin boards, but not sure whether it has been tried in Michigan. It's worth a shot, if you can positively identify the person.
The problem is, that you'll never be able to keep up with the aliases that people can create, and anonymous servers are very hard to pin down, especially if one is routed from overseas.
Unfortunately, the wide open nature of the net is such that you can't even succeed by going to the extreme measure of blocking their computer, 1) because the public library has net access and one could post from anywhere, 2) low-cost IP addresses are not often static, 3) spoofing someone else's e-mail account isn't that hard to do with the right tools.
In real terms, unless there is a lot of money at stake, and you're willing to go the RIAAA route, you're just going to have to keep moderating your board and trying to identify trouble-makers before they get too bad.