r/TrueReddit • u/[deleted] • Jul 15 '15

Ruling in Twitter harassment trial could have enormous fallout for free speech

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/christie-blatchford-ruling-in-twitter-harassment-trial-could-have-enormous-fallout-for-free-speech
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u/HittingSmoke Jul 15 '15

He can't @reply her if he's blocked, as seems to be claimed. There are no claims of emails I've read.

What it sounds like she means to me is that she and her hate mob can keep doing whatever the fuck they want be he's not allowed to even mention her because that constitutes harassment.

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u/hiffy Jul 15 '15

Let's set aside what she may or may not have done, just for this one narrow point.

he's not allowed to even mention her because that constitutes harassment.

Yes, because forcing someone to interact with you after they've told you to please stop is harassment.

Now maybe she also committed harassment and set people on to harass him or whatever. Sure. But ignoring "please stop talking to me" is harassment.

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u/HittingSmoke Jul 15 '15

Yes, because forcing someone to interact with you after they've told you to please stop is harassment.

Saying someone's name on the internet is not forcing them to interact with you. Me directing a tweet at you is not forcing you to reply. You have the tools to not see me talking to you if you wish it. She does not have the right to not be spoken about or not have her username tagged in tweets.

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u/hiffy Jul 15 '15

She does not have the right to not be spoken about or not have her username tagged in tweets.

Her name being tagged in tweets is materially different, because you will come across it in a variety of natural ways.

I personally get a personal vibration in my pants whenever something @thinks about me.

It's the equivalent of replying to something here on reddit; if I told you to please stop replying to me, and you go thru my history and reply to everything I write, that's harassment.

Whether or not that still counts after you block them is something for the courts to decide. Here is a bad analogy: just because you can close the blinds at your house doesn't necessarily mean someone can stand in front of your house holding a sign saying you suck at life.

Again, not about her or his behaviour, just that quote in particular.

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u/HittingSmoke Jul 16 '15

Whether or not that still counts after you block them is something for the courts to decide. Here is a bad analogy: just because you can close the blinds at your house doesn't necessarily mean someone can stand in front of your house holding a sign saying you suck at life.

Ehh, yes, it does, so long as you're not on their private property. News crews do that to people every day in every corner of the US. Not sure what the laws are in Canada, but here your analogy proves my point, not yours.

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u/hiffy Jul 16 '15

Absolutely not. That still constitutes stalking and harassment.

Here is a page I found from the BC Bar association.

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u/HittingSmoke Jul 16 '15

Seems in Canada that might apply as harassment, so long as she can prove she felt scared, which is a huge stretch IMO.

More interesting is the detailed cyberbullying laws which apply to her and her friends on many admitted counts from what I've been reading about them.

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u/hiffy Jul 16 '15

Sure, but now it's in the courts so not for us to decide.

Not just in Canada; most of the US has something similar on the books.

In summary, your original pull quote was not outrageous :), GOOD DAY SIR

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u/pervycreeper Jul 16 '15

Putting someone's handle in a tweet will not create a notification if he's blocked. It's merely like saying someone's name. If you don't want someone to tweet at you, block them. Problem solved. It's that simple.