Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Gold Price Monitor -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: long-gone who wrote (61633)	12/2/2000 8:50:51 PM
From: Rarebird	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116762

Judge Sides With Anonymous Chat Room Posters Friday, December 01, 2000 07:47 PM EST MORRISTOWN, N.J., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- A New Jersey court ruling protecting the anonymity of Web users who post unflattering comments about corporations may set a precedent say privacy advocates. New Jersey Superior Court Judge Kenneth MacKenzie refused this week to order Yahoo to divulge the identities of two chat room participants. Morristown, N.J.-based software maker Dendrite International filed suit to learn the identities of four chat room writers who had posted disparaging remarks about the company, including the charge that it was engaging in illegal activities. But the judge denied the request for a subpoena, saying Dendrite had not demonstrated that it had been harmed. Privacy advocates who follow the issue said it might be the first time a court has sided with anonymous posters. "Great decision," said Paul Levy, an attorney for Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer group that filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the anonymous posters. "It seems to me to be a significant development when people can or cannot use the judicial system to identify an anonymous poster on the Internet. There have been a number of decisions that have said you have to meet a certain test to achieve that aim, but this is the first time a court has said the request doesn't meet the test." Judge MacKenzie cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that set a First Amendment basis for anonymous speech. The judge wrote that the right to speak anonymously "in diverse contexts" is inherent in the Constitution's First Amendment protections and that the company had failed to adequately show that its damage warranted revoking the posters' First Amendment right to remain unknown. Levy said many people view anonymous speech as less credible, raising the bar for companies who try to use the courts to unmask their critics. "When you read something in a chat room, you don't know whether the information is reliable. The courts have to make sure companies have suffered real damage and aren't just trying to identify disgruntled employees so they can fire them," Levy said. Levy suggested the ruling would be cited as a precedent in similar cases nationwide, even though Judge MacKenzie's ruling is not binding beyond New Jersey's borders. Corporations have filed dozens of similar lawsuits against anonymous online critics, but so far, none have gone to trial. Levy said companies would likely think twice now before filing legal action. For its part, Dendrite is celebrating a partial victory. While Judge MacKenzie ruled in favor of the two anonymous defendants who fought the subpoena in court, he ruled that legal efforts against two other anonymous posters who did not challenge the subpoena request could proceed. An attorney for Dendrite said the company is pleased with that part of the ruling and will "vigorously pursue" the case against the remaining defendants. (reported by J. MARK HUFFMAN in Washington, D.C.) (c) 2000 UPI All rights reserved. -0- Copyright 2000 by United Press International. News provided by COMTEX comtexnews.com

To: long-gone who wrote (61633)	12/2/2000 8:52:59 PM
From: Rarebird	Respond to of 116762

Cantwell confirmed as New Senator from Washington State Saturday, December 02, 2000 06:21 AM EST WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) - Maria Cantwell, a dot-com millionaire who paid for her own campaign, won a seat in the U.S. Senate, beating incumbent Slade Gorton, a recount has confirmed, CNN reported Friday. Her election gives Democrats a guaranteed Senate majority - but only for 17 days in January -- after which the Senate may have a 50-50 party split. The machine recount carried Cantwell's margin of victory slightly above 2,000 votes. Before the recount it had been slightly less. Gorton, a close advisor to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, conceded Friday night. If George W. Bush wins the presidency, his Republican sidekick Dick Cheney will be the tie breaking Republican vote in a Senate with 50 members from each party. But if Vice President Al Gore occupies the White House, his vice president Joe Lieberman will have to relinquish his Senate seat and a Republican governor is expected to appoint a Democrat to replace him, restoring Republican dominance - by one vote. Cantwell, 42, had served in the House for one term. Gorton, 72, first won election to the Senate 20 years ago. During the 17 days that Democrats will assume control of the Senate - with Vice President Gore the tie breaker -- Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said he will propose a resolution that gives Democrats control of Senate committees, but will not attempt to pass any legislation, CNN reported. (c) 2000 UPI All rights reserved. -0- Copyright 2000 by United Press International. News provided by COMTEX comtexnews.com

To: long-gone who wrote (61633)	12/2/2000 8:59:58 PM
From: Rarebird	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116762

U. Wisconsin Hillel highlights hate crimes with mock trial Thursday, November 30, 2000 07:52 PM EST MADISON, Wis., Nov 30, 2000 (The Daily Cardinal, U-WIRE via COMTEX) -- A 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student was on trial for a hate crime Wednesday. He was alleged to have been outside of a Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender dance at Memorial Union where a fight broke out, apparently motivated by prejudice against gays. This was the scenario presented at Hillel's Hate Crime Mock Trial, an exercise to promote awareness of prejudice and hate crimes. This is the third mock trial that Hillel has organized as a means of promoting awareness of hate crimes. "(The mock trials) were originally designed to put issues of social importance up for discussion," Hillel adviser Lauren Bloom said. The defendant was on trial for both battery and a hate-crime enhancer, which would intensify a verdict based on the crime's prejudicial nature. The scenario was intentionally set up so that the focus would remain on the question of hate crimes. "A hate crime is a crime motivated because of race, sexual preference, ethnicity, etc.," said Andrzej Pease, who played the police officer on the scene. "It's not based on the race or sexual preference of the victim, but on the perception of their race or sexual preference." The jury decided on a unanimous conviction of battery, but when it came to the hate crime enhancer they were split five-to-four in favor of no enhancer. "We have to determine if the defendant was even partially motivated by prejudice, if 1 percent was based on homophobia, even if 99 wasn't, he is guilty of a hate crime, according to Wisconsin state law," jury member Kevin Otten said. Determining what is a hate crime is subject to interpretation, and the trial exemplified the complications dealt with in a court of law. "There is a dangerous weakness in the definition of 'hate crime,'" said Marcus Peterson, who acted as a friend of the defendant. "Perception makes the job of the prosecution and jury very complicated." A clear-cut conclusion of this complicated issue was not reached during the exercise, but the exercise brought it to discussion amongst the students. "I came because I thought the idea of a mock trial was interesting, and because it was about hate crimes, which is something I feel very passionate about," Otten said. "It was a very valuable experience, because it drew a lot of attention to issues which people don't talk about, issues which are relevant and important." Assistant State Public Defender Mitchell Cooper, who acted as the judge, emphasized the importance of this issue on campuses today. "It is a relevant topic, but is particularly relevant on a college campus where there is more diversity then people have confronted in their (past) experiences," he said. He said the issue of hate crimes has pertinent on campus. "It is relevant particularly at UW-Madison which draws students predominantly from in-state, where they come from homogenous communities. Some may feel baffled by diversity and this is a way for them to become more sensitive to the things around them," he said. Another trial is scheduled for next semester. By Alexandra Gekas dailycardinal.com (c) 2000 The Daily Cardinal, U. Wisconsin and U-WIRE -0- KEYWORD: MADISON, Wis. SUBJECT CODE: News Crime On Campus Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual News provided by COMTEX comtexnews.com