“Skanks” Wank Gets Spanked

By Akela Talamasca on August 24th, 2009

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Something quietly interesting has been taking place that might have long-range repercussions for bloggers everywhere. Brief history: “Skanks In NYC” blogger Rosemary Port had previously said some spicy things about Vogue model Liskula Cohen on her blog under cover of anonymity. Cohen retaliated by suing Google to reveal the blogger’s name, and Google has done so.

Now, Port is herself suing Google for breach of privacy to the tune of $15 million dollars. Her lawyer is claiming that blogs “have evolved as the modern-day soapbox for personal opinions.” Which means, I suppose, that they ought to be considered free from considerations of libel that more prestigious publications are bound by.

One wonders how this will affect bloggers like Perez Hilton, who has said many borderline-defamatory things on his blog; but then again, he isn’t really hiding behind his name. And the fact that Port was writing under a pseudonym does seem to show that she acknowledges the seedy nature of her posts.

At the same time, however, it does seem to be true that the legal system ought to evolve to include this relatively new field of citizen journalism. Personally, I do feel that Port’s lawyer has it right: you don’t necessarily hold a blogger on some random site to the same standards that you would a reporter for Reuters. But with so many thousands, if not millions, of bloggers out there, is it really Google’s responsibility to ensure that they’re all playing fair? Keep your eyes on this continuing story!