Earlier this year, David Kernell, 22, was found guilty of hacking into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! account and posting some of her emails on the Internetz. The Palins were pleased by his conviction.
One of the places where Palin’s correspondence wound up was the (enter-at-your-own-risk) message forum 4chan.org. During the course of the April felony trial, 4chan founder Christopher “Moot” Poole was called to testify. The Smoking Gun dug up and posted the transcript from the testimony yesterday. Federal prosecutor Mark Krotoski asked Poole to explain how 4chan operates and how it keeps track of its users. He also asked him to explain some “Internet speak.”
The testimony is a handy guide for those of you who get confused by the slang used in online comments sections. How does one define a “lurker,” “troll,” or a “b-tard”?
Learning After Law School
Once you’ve got your law degree, how do you keep your professional skills up to date? Share your perspective in this brief survey, and you may be eligible to win a $250 gift card.
Here are some choice excerpts especially relevant to ATL readers. For those of you who like to read ATL, but not to tip us or comment:
Q. What would “lurker” mean?
A. Somebody who browses but does not post, does not contribute.
And of course, these folks are familiar to anyone who spends time in the comments section:
Schenck Price Competes Smarter With Lexis+ With Protégé
LexisNexis sat down with John Ursin, Managing Partner at Schenck Price, to learn how the firm is using legal AI to strengthen client service and daily legal work.
Q. What about “troll”?
A. Troublemaker.
Here’s the rest of Poole’s testimony on Internet terms:
For the full transcript from his testimony, check out the Smoking Gun.
Turns Out 4Chan Boards Not As Lawless As They Seem [Smoking Gun]