For example, if I accuse Andy of egregious mopery contributing to the delinquency of a typewriter and do so on a public mailing list, what is his recourse? He can demand a retraction. If I have the information on a web page he can demand I remove it, but it is just NOT possible for me---or anyone---to find all the places in the world that might now hold copies of this quite baseless statement and remove them.
Sure, but when he does find some one holding information about him, in NZ, the privacy act gives him the right to ask for it to be corrected. It also prescribes you responsibilities as to how you manage information you keep about him. Separate to the privacy act he may pursue you for deformation. Anyway, I think I've done my bit to contribute to the noise in the group and won't comment further. I'm just concerned that many members are proposing action that may well be illegal. It doesn't change anything that you feel morally justified. You don't make the law. The organisation that is most likely to be penalised if there is a legal problem is the University. So, I'm exiting the discussion. Tony - To unsubscribe from nznog, send email to majordomo(a)list.waikato.ac.nz where the body of your message reads: unsubscribe nznog