Baltimore – Maryland’s highest court has ruled in favor of Internet anonymity, saying Web sites involved in defamation suits don’t have to reveal the identity of readers who post comments on their site.
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The ruling Friday by the Maryland Court of Appeals reversed a lower-court decision and said NewsZap.com, an online forum run by Independent Newspapers Inc., doesn’t have to disclose the identities of participants in a 2006 online exchange about the cleanliness of a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Centreville, Md.
The company’s attorney argued that disclosing the names would have a “chilling effect” on the First Amendment right to speak anonymously. Businessman Zebulon Brodie argued that freedom of speech doesn’t extend to defamation.