A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has approved a request by Halifax firefighters to order the alt-weekly to reveal the identities and IP addresses of six people who allegedly defamed them in the comments section of a story about fire department racism. The Coast's editor, Kyle Shaw, says that they'd already booted the commenters from the site, and the paper will comply with the court order. "We thought we'd leave it to the judge," he says. "Are these people who deserve some kind of protection? As ex-members of the Coast community, I don't know their legal standing or my ethical obligation to them." The judge also ruled that Google must provide all information relating to the identity of one person who circulated a letter also alleged to be defamatory.

Continue ReadingThe Coast Ordered to Name Commenters on Controversial Story