Suppression Challenges David Farrar www kiwiblog co nz

Suppression Challenges David Farrar www. kiwiblog. co. nz

Who knows the entertainer u u u u Unscientific poll on Kiwiblog – 71% knew the identity Google on “identity of entertainer with name suppression” gets front page hit Trade Me Forum under thread “Who's the dirty dog musician with name suppression” MSN NZ has name in comments on story Yahoo Answers has name in an official Q and A GP Forums has explicit name many times A NZ Blog

ZD Net u “Indeed, with such details given in newspaper coverage, like the date of the offence and that it happened after the Auckland-based singer performed in Wellington, it was easy to work out who he was” u The same article said “Were they taking the X? Or, were they on the xxxxx with these comments?

Challenges for a Blog Owner Finding out what is suppressed u Have they named the correct person? u Finding out if a comment may have breached u Older posts or comments u Is a link a breach? u Is a hint a breach? u Is a reference a breach? u Frustration when no action taken against deliberate and serious breaches (Rickards trial) u

Some thoughts Suppression orders work well for low profile (esp family court) disputes but are ineffective when a public figure is involved u Suppression orders often rely on a collective amnesia, which clashes with the Internet’s memory u Even pre-Internet, NZ gossip revealed all – ie Wellington taxi chit case u Think Law Commission’s recommendations are generally positive and in right direction but only if ISP obligation is to remove rather than block material u