Blogger safety-valve ‘squashed’

It is no secret that people are Web posting comments on just about anything these days – we like to air our frustrations on just about anything. The First Amendment guarantee’s us the right to blow-off steam concerning issues, commonly referred to as “the safety valve.”

In a recent article, Subpoena seeks to unmask anonymous bloggers, by The Associated Press, First Amendment Center Online staff, they write, “McALESTER, Okla. — Police detectives seeking the identities of bloggers who criticized McAlester officials on an online message board delivered a subpoena to the site's operator, who says he won't cooperate with investigators.”

I’m curious to see how this subpoena plays-out in the court system because it could have an impact on how people will post on the Web. Weather we use our real names or screen names; we are protected by the First Amendment and our true identities should be protected. As a society, we are guaranteed unrestricted debate in an open forum and we are also allowed the safety valve.

When these things are questioned or investigated, this could have a chilling affect and bloggers will be less likely to engage in open forums which ultimately hurt our ability to discover truth through open debate. There is no language in the First Amendment that states we can only debate openly if we use our real names.

People, who choose those ambiguous screen names, do so, to protect themselves from public scrutiny. Screen names in itself, represents the ability to avoid unnecessary repercussions from any organization, and to maintain some sense of privatization with that open debate.