Juicy Campus Gossip Site Calls New Jersey Attorney General’s Questions About It ‘Absurd’

Well, Juicy Campus is consistent in its mocking tone toward authority. Today the site posted a statement on its company blog calling an investigation by the New Jersey attorney general into whether the site engages in fraudulent behavior “absurd.”

“We consider the Attorneys General’s conduct to constitute a heavy-handed attempt by the government to ignore the clear direction established by Congress and the Courts and interfere with the free-speech rights of our users,” the statement said. The statement is unsigned, which is appropriate, considering that the site’s motto is “always anonymous … always juicy.”

Juicy Campus has sparked outrage on campuses across the country for publishing hateful or malicious comments about students, posted by anonymous users. Popular topics on the site include lists of “sluttiest girls” and “biggest cocaine users.”

The state’s e-commerce investigative unit is exploring whether the Web site is in violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act. Investigators issued a subpoena to Juicy Campus last week seeking information about how the college affiliation of users is verified, how the site enforces its policy of requiring users under 18 years old to submit a parental release form, and other details about its business practices (The Chronicle, March 19, 2008).

“The position taken by the Attorneys General that website operators can be liable for failing to censor potentially defamatory, mean-spirited and uncivil postings has been rejected by Congress and by dozens of courts,” Juicy Campus said today in its statement.

The site is weighing its legal options, but called on its users to complain to state officials about their behavior.

Meanwhile, many students whose names are listed on Juicy Campus continue to complain to the site’s operators about what they see as its irresponsible behavior. —Jeffrey R. Young