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ARTICLE · 05 JUNE 2019

Disclosure Orders – An Order To Snitch? Or A Stitch In Time?

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In early April 2019, a High Court judge ordered the website Mumsnet to disclose the identity of one of its users who had allegedly defamed a transgender activist on the site.

United KingdomPrivacy
Amber Melville-Brown
Amber Melville-Brown
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Recent reporting of a High Court disclosure order has highlighted the danger of defaming third parties under the cloak of anonymity.

In early April 2019, a High Court judge ordered the website Mumsnet to disclose the identity of one of its users who had allegedly defamed a transgender activist on the site.

Such disclosure orders enable a claimant who has been abused anonymously, to seek to track down their detractor in order to be able to bring proceedings against them. The order is sought against the “innocent” third party website, requiring them to provide the name, address, e-mail address and other relevant contact details of the party using their services allegedly for ill. Once armed with that information – otherwise inaccessible to the claimant – they can then bring appropriate legal proceedings against the real wrongdoer.

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