Ont. Court Rules in Favour of Online Anonymity

A judge's decision in a defamation case sets a precedent for a 'reasonable expectation of anonymity' for online commentators.

An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled against a former mayor who sued a newspaper to have them release the identities of three anonymous commentators who she says defamed her and ruined her re-election bid. Phyllis Morris, the former mayor of Aurora, Ont., said she intends to appeal the ruling that found that Internet users have a “reasonable expectation of anonymity” when they post comments online. The ruling could have implications for digital privacy across Canada, as the judge decided that freedom of expression and the right to privacy were of greater importance than the public interest in revealing the posters's names. the Morris had sued the Aurora Citizen, the three posters, and Wordpress for $6 million in damages because the comments came as she was running for re-election, then lost handily.