Anonymous mums caught in the net

The anonymous nature of the web, particularly online forums and social media networks, has for many years served to embolden an army of whistle-blowers, concerned-consumers and, at the other end of the spectrum, Internet Trolls. However, hiding behind a unique username does not guarantee a safe harbour from the threat of legal reproach.

The high court has recently demanded that parenting website Mumsnet reveal the identities of two of its users following a claim by cosmetic surgeon Dr Jesper Sorensen.

According to media reports two individuals, using the pseudonyms Skohl and Blackfairy7, had posted criticisms of the surgeon on a number of Mumsnet forum posts. The comments have since been deleted by web moderators.

Under the high court order, Mumsnet must reveal the users real identities and supply copies of all messages posted by Skohl and Blackfairy7 relating to Sorensen or his surgery. Sorensen has offered to pay any costs incurred by Mumsnet in revealing their members true identities and “not to use the information disclosed save for the purposes of pursuing legal remedies”.

Identities of other users who contributed to posts featuring Skohl and Blackfairy7 will be protected.

Justine Roberts, co-founder and chief executive of Mumsnet, told journalists: “Initially we refused to hand over the information and said we would only comply if we were required to do so by a court order.”

While this is not the first time an online publisher has been forced to reveal the identities of users hiding behind a screen name, it is certainly one of the most high-profile cases and will act as a useful reminder that user generated content is governed by the same laws as more “traditional” media.

Media law is hammered into journalists during their on-job training or university education. The general public are not afforded the same luxury. The question is, should online forums like Mumsnet do more to protect their users from legal repercussions or would this impact on site engagement and ultimately damage the community?