March 26, 2008
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
Posted on Wednesday March 26, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
Commenting is closed for this article.
Previous: Information-Literacy Classes Surge at Community Colleges
Next: Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be ... Unless You Have 32 Digital Versions of 'Hamlet'
I fail to understand why libel, defamation of character, etc. suddenly become legal when committed via a web site. The “free speech” defense wouldn’t hold up if such defamatory (and, we’re assuming, false) statements were made in a newspaper or magazine, nor would the paper’s or mag’s management and staff be able to claim that they always protect the anonymity of their writers. This is like claiming that if a predator uses a site to find victims, it’s “not their department.” Bologna.
Among the other things people are supposed to learn during their tenure on campus is to take responsibility for their actions. Of course it doesn’t take a Ph.D. in psychology to figure out what sorts of personalities are in fact hiding behind this bogus veil of “free speech.” They clearly don’t have the guts to confront a challenger in a public forum. I hope this gets to court so that these twerps can be publicly exposed for what they are.
— Dan Kirklin Mar 27, 08:36 AM #
Um….Dan Kirklin….Bologna?
— scotteebee Mar 27, 10:46 AM #
“Bologna sausage is an American sausage somewhat similar to the Italian mortadella…”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_sausage
— Eliot Mar 27, 11:58 AM #
“Bologna” (or its phonetic spelling, “baloney,” for those who don’t own dictionaries or can’t understand the pronunciation guides in them) is a common euphemism for a word expressing skepticism as to the veracity of some assertion.
More to the point, I wonder how patient and long-suffering Matt Ivester would be if he were publicly labeled, say, a child molester, a rapist, or a member of Westboro Baptist Church. I’m willing to bet he would be whining for the law to protect him from the same treatment he so blithely lets others in for. Bullies never understand the concept of fair play, and they are always cowards.
— Dan Kirklin Mar 27, 03:34 PM #
I went to this site for the first time after reading the article. Is anyone else worried about our kids? The site ranks among the most useless and foolish on the Internet. Are people really spending time there?
— Donna Changstein Mar 27, 04:42 PM #
Can’t SOMEONE get Juicy Campus to explain why, if they value free and uncensored speech, any negative comments about Juicy Campus posted on their website are immediately removed by site administrators? They can dish it out, but they can’t take it.
— Martha Mar 27, 05:20 PM #
Honestly, while I despise any kind of gossip – I don’t understand the big deal over this website. If you don’t like what is being said about you – then stop doing those actions. If you aren’t actually participating in the actions, then why do you care about it?
What happened to being aware that anyone who cares about silly gossip like this is not important enough to be in our lives? The only time this kind of situation should be illegal, is if the “gossip” causes someone to lose a job, to be expelled, or similar. If this isn’t happening, then it is just another stupid website full of stupid rumors that everyone should ignore and move on from.
No respectable person should ever enter that website, so what is the big concern? That people will think negatively about you? I for one, know that I live my own life how I choose and surround myself with people who know me for who I am. I would probably a) never be mentioned on that site because I only do things I am proud of or b) be confident enough in who I am and what I represent to not care if I was on the site.— CrysD Mar 28, 01:54 PM #
Also, my understanding is that if there are any negative consequences of being a “rumor” on the website, the fault would be with the person who creates the consequence – not in the site. If I am harassed, that person should be charged for harassment. If I am fired or not taken on for employment where I should be, then I will confront the employer over this. Is this not true?
Anyone who uses the information found on Juicy is only looking to fuel a fire that they have already created before it existed.
— CrysD Mar 28, 01:58 PM #
juicy campus ruined my reputation! cant anyone do anything about it and make it stop!!! please
— UF student Apr 28, 06:49 PM #