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High school sues after Wikipedia users make 'mean-spirited' comments
© 2006 Student Press Law Center
August 28, 2006
NEBRASKA — A
private high school in Omaha has filed a lawsuit to obtain the names of some
anonymous users of the encyclopedia Web site
Wikipedia.org that made "mean-spirited"
remarks about the school on the site, the school’s lawyer says.
Skutt Catholic High School filed the lawsuit last month against
anonymous users John and Jane Doe. Patrick Flood, attorney for the high school,
said this is just a tactical move to obtain the identities of the users because
after a lawsuit was filed, the school was able to subpoena Cox Communications,
the Internet service provider of the users. The lawsuit does not name Wikipedia,
a free Web site that allows members to create and edit encyclopedia
entries.
Flood declined to comment specifically about the nature of
the postings, but The Associated Press quoted the following remark from the Web
site: "It’s (sic) tuition is ridiculously high, too. Not to mention
you get an awful education there. They put more emphasis on sports than they do
education. No wonder almost all kids there are complete
idiots."
The Associated Press
reported that the school
objected to four postings made since February that included vulgar language,
allusions to student drug use and criticism of the school’s principal.
All of the comments have since been removed from the Web
site.
Flood said the school does not see this as a free speech
issue.
"To us this is not about the First Amendment,"
Flood said. "It’s really about finding out who may have posted some
vandalous edits on Wikipedia.com, and if they’re affiliated with the high
school, to try to take some appropriate action with
them."
David Grabert, a spokesman for Cox Communications, said
the company will comply with the subpoena, "unless there are further
developments in the case, which quashes that order."
"We
have an obligation to comply with lawful subpoenas," Grabert said in an
e-mail. "However, we otherwise go to great lengths to protect our
customers’ privacy. We never share customer information without receipt of
a lawful subpoena and our security measures are top notch."
— by Whitney McFerron, SPLC
staff writer
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