Canadian Teenager’s Identity to Remain Secret in Facebook Defamation Case

A Nova Scotian teenager who is suing the people who bullied her on Facebook will be allowed to keep her name private, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled last Thursday. However, her request for a partial publication ban was denied.

The then-15-year-old girl learned in 2010 that a fake profile was set up under name on Facebook. The profile made fun of her and contained “scandalous sexual commentary of a private and intimate nature,” according to the court documents cited by CTV News.

The court agreed that her identity should be kept a secret, but didn’t agree with her request for a publication ban. They felt that if her identity was already being protected, a publication ban would be unnecessary.

“Recognition of the inherent vulnerability of children has consistent and deep roots in Canadian law and results in the protection of young people’s privacy rights based on age, not the sensitivity of the particular child,” the court ruled. “If the non-identifying information is made public, there is no harmful impact on the girl since the information cannot be connected to her. The public’s right to open courts — and press freedom — therefore prevail with respect to the non-identifying Facebook content.”


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