§ 6.4.5.12 DEFAMATION AND ANONYMOUS DEFENDANTS.

• Jurisdiction: Arizona

§ 6.4.5.12 Defamation and Anonymous Defendants. Many persons find themselves defamed by potential defendants who have made comments anonymously, such as by posting on websites, on social networks, or by sending comments to others without identifying themselves. Finding the identity of the anonymous defendant may not be as easy as it might seem because the First Amendment protects a person's right to speak anonymously.²³¹ As a result, it is not easy to force Internet service providers, such as Google or Yahoo, to provide information about those who post on their web sites. In the case of Mobilisa, Inc. v. Doe,²³² the court held that in order to compel discovery of an anonymous Internet speaker's...