The Supreme Court of Canada determined yesterday, in A.B. v. Bragg Communications, that a
15-year old can proceed anonymously to pursue the identity of her
Facebook cyberbully.
The 15-year old, A.B., found out that someone had posted a face
Facebook profile with her picture, a modified version of her name,
and other identifying particulars. The profile also included
demeaning comments about A.B.'s appearance, and sexually
explicit references.
Facebook provided the IP address associated with the Nova Scotia
account holder. The Internet provider, Eastlink, agreed to provide
more specific information about the address – if a court
authorized it to do so. A.B. brought an application for such an
order, and along with the application requested (i) permission to
seek the identity of the Facebook cyberbully anonymously (the
"anonymity request"), and (ii) a publication ban on the
content of the fake Facebook profile.
