Geronimo Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 web site owner goes to court to force 'troll' offline 01/18/03 Chris Seper Plain Dealer Reporter A local pest-control Web site is trying to exterminate what it believes is a specimen of one of the Internet's most bothersome creatures: The Message Board Troll. GIE Media, a Cleveland company that runs the online pest-control portal PCT Online, is suing an Arkansas man who the company says is constantly leaving obnoxious and offensive messages on its Internet bulletin board and then, after he is banned from the site, sneaking back using fake names. Try Our Classifieds While the Internet has allowed the world to communicate, many public message boards are plagued by users - often referred to as trolls - who spew personal attacks, emit racist invectives or yell an online version of "fire" in a crowded theater. Many companies ban users, delete posts and even change locations to avoid abusive users. But GIE's suit against Ronald Huckaby in U.S. District Court is one of the more extreme attempts yet to control chatter on Internet forums. GIE is alleging trespassing, breach of contract and violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. It is seeking at least $5,000 from Huckaby. The company also wants the judge to bar him from visiting PCT Online. "This is a little extreme, but there comes a point when you have to draw the line," said Michael Sweeney, a lawyer for the company. A man who answered the phone at Huckaby's home in DeQueen, Ark., said he was working and wouldn't want to talk about the Web site. To Sweeney, this isn't a case about free speech but about honoring the contracts - those long terms-of-use agreements most users click through - that users accept before they use an Internet service. PCT Online's message board (www.pctonline.com/messageboard) is a tame collection of messages about fire ant treatments, squirrels in the attic and the best way to capture a feral cat. But Huckaby and a few other users chased away many of the regular users with a mix of angry messages and racially charged exchanges, according to the lawsuit and regular visitors to the site. The suit says Huckaby's exchanges cut traffic to the Web site and as a result hurt advertising revenue and sopped up staff time required to bar him and his comments. The suit said Huckaby regularly violated the rules of the forum - it bars abusive, hateful or vulgar language - and Huckaby repeatedly was asked to stay away from the site. "Just like anyone else, he'd get in his certain moods and nothing could calm him down," said Randy Harrah, a regular visitor to PCT Online who works at Innovative Pest Management in Akron. It's rare for a company to sue someone for bombarding its message board, said Wendy Seltzer, a staff lawyer with the Electronic Freedom Foundation in San Francisco. Seltzer said that, contrary to popular belief, Internet speech can almost always be regulated. Even though there are all kinds of Web sites distributing all kinds of thoughts, there's no purely public place for the rejected outcasts. Every message board is run by someone who can delete messages and every Web site is hosted by companies that can kick them out if they don't like their content, Seltzer said. "It sounds in part that this [lawsuit] highlights the lack of public spaces on the Internet," Seltzer said. "I would be more comfortable saying they could kick off whoever they wanted if there was someplace else they could tell him to go." To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: cseper@plaind.com, 216-999-5405 Source : The Plain Dealer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxikk Veteran Posted January 18, 2003 Veteran Share Posted January 18, 2003 wow. we can sue trolls. sweet. :shifty: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Dorr Veteran Posted January 18, 2003 Veteran Share Posted January 18, 2003 Watch out everyone. If this site wins, we're going to have to change our moderating practices: Warning > Ban > Lawsuit :) You have been warned ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timan Veteran Posted January 18, 2003 Veteran Share Posted January 18, 2003 uh oh mr. timdorr ur gonna need a job if they sue you :happy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P. Administrators Posted January 19, 2003 Administrators Share Posted January 19, 2003 Yea trolls are a real problem for every site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanD Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Yea trolls are a real problem for every site sure are! i think we should pay trolls and then sue them so neowin can get money :D (j/j) :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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