A panel of Ottawa judges is considering whether Web sites named in libel actions must identify people who post anonymous defamatory comments, and that is raising concerns among some privacy and civil liberties organizations. The Ottawa Citizen reports on privacy advocates' view that, "if the judges support unmasking anonymous posters, that could erode their privacy by allowing others to piece together vast amounts of personal information." Meanwhile, a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has ordered that newspapers provide the identities of anonymous commentators in legal cases such as defamation suits, stating, "They, like other people, have to be accountable for their actions."
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