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Legal liability. Everything else flows from that. They can't be careless and ruin lives; they're on the hook for what they do. But a bunch of people on a foru
by roc 14y ago
Legal liability.
Everything else flows from that. They can't be careless and ruin lives; they're on the hook for what they do.
But a bunch of people on a forum? Will they even feel responsible for their individual small part of participation in a thread that ruins someone's life? It's very similar, psychologically, to a mob. And that's why it's so dangerous.
- jellicle 14y agoBut your assessment of legal liability is completely wrong. Law enforcement has absolutely zero legal liability for anything they do in the course of their job. Anything. This is well-settled law. On the other hand the forum mob is legally liable for their actions. So if your sole criterion was legal liability, we should expect greater care, consideration and accuracy from the forum mob than from law enforcement members.
- roc 14y agoIt certainly isn't perfect, but the liability is there. Particularly the organizational liability. People's careers get ruined when they screw up. They certainly don't get promoted for leaving cities on the hook for massive payouts. (Hatfill won 4.6M from the justice department. Koon and Powell did time in federal prison.) Whose livelihood is threatened by participating in a 4chan thread pseudonymously?
- rayiner 14y ago> Law enforcement has absolutely zero legal liability for anything they do in the course of their job. Anything. This is well-settled law. That's not actually true, random internet anecdotes aside.http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/cases/katrina/Human%20Rights%20Watch/uspohtml/uspo30.htm http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/cases/katrina/Human%2...
- jellicle 14y agoThe city may choose to settle civil claims against it. The officer is not at risk. Which is a point made extensively in your link, actually.