Agree. It does seem extreme. I wonder if Poet even knew she was not supposed to do this and if she did it to harass or annoy someone? It would make a dfference, IMO.... However, I think Jeff is within his rights under the TOU.
BTW, my opinion is that TOU should not be enforced to suppress opinions of any stripe (there are moderated threads)even negative opinions about other posters. However, hypothetically speaking I think SI could be exposing itself to potential liability if SI failed to act with respect behavior acted out in posting which is excessively creepy and indicates some sort of unhealthy obsession (cyber stalking) if, heaven forbid, something should happen to the person who is being virtually stalked or if the person becomes emotionally damaged, requires treatment, etc. For instance, if it could be shown that the stalker became increasingly emboldened by lack of action on the part of SI, that could provide a causal link to a claim for negligence or whatever a creative lawyer could devise. If the actions are found to be criminal in nature, it would just strengthen the claim, IMO. Many states now have cyberstalking laws. Just speculating and expressing my opinion of course but it is an interesting problem for SI Admin., IMO.... |
