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agsr

How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF

• The Reddit user who initially claimed credit for President Donald Trump's tweet issued an apology Tuesday.
• The day before his apology, CNN identified the man behind the account and attempted to make contact with him.

CNN is not publishing "HanA**holeSolo's" name because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again. In addition, he said his statement could serve as an example to others not to do the same.

CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change.

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/04/politics/kfile-reddit-user-trump-tweet/index.html

Max_Air29

No, the user deserves his own privacy.

The user creates or adopted the GIF I believe on Reddit or another one of those platforms maybe in a similar industry or not at all. It may have been as a joke or meant to be one.

agsr

@Max_Air29, while I agree that CNN did the right thing by not disclosing user name, the user clearyly was in fear of his name becoming public and I believe issued an apology as a plea to keep his name private.
it is a lesson learned how important privacy is, even for what seems anonymous.

ale5

I think that coupled with his other hate and anti semetic comments, he may deserve his name disclosed.  I agree though with @Max_Air29 that this particular post was meant as a joke.

SnakesOfferingApples

Is that about that wrestling thing?  Nobody is going to go out and hurt someone from CNN, even an idiot knows CNN isn't worth the jail time. I don't know the man personally, but it's just a meme, this isn't an uprising against the freedom of press.

SnakesOfferingApples

While you guys are worried about this, congress is probably repealing another law, or passing one, that's hurting America.

islander507

@SnakesOfferingApples, it is now turning into a broader issue with lots of backlash for CNN for threatening the reddit poster. There are key issues:
1) does cnn have right to track down anonymous posters and make their identity known
2) is it okay to make hateful remarks in an anonymous internet account and assume your privacy is safe

Now involving Reddit and neo-Nazis, the spiraling Trump-CNN feud is 2017 in a nutshell

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-trump-reddit-20170705-story.html

SnakesOfferingApples

 @islander507

1. No, especially not in this case.
2. Yes, it's shitty, but yes.

 (There is no threat of physical harm, that's the only exception)

CYDdharta

CNN should name the unnamed officials and anonymous sources for stories like the Trump-Russia collusion story for which there is still no evidence before they try outing a 15 year old kid.

agsr

@CYDdharta, agree that CNN should focus on that vs this reddit user..although I think they confirmed it was an adult and not a 15 year old.

Sonofason

ale5 said:

I think that coupled with his other hate and anti semetic comments, he may deserve his name disclosed.  I agree though with @Max_Air29 that this particular post was meant as a joke.

So then, you believe that a person speaking anonymously about love, benevolence and kindness have a greater right to privacy than a person who speaks with hatred or malice?

Can you explain how in your opinion we ought not have equal rights to privacy?

Sonofason

There is little that I hate more, and little I have less tolerance for than hypocrisy.  
It is my personal opinion that no one has a God given right to a secret.  If you are stupid enough to confide in a person, an organization or an institution something that you would prefer to be kept secret, then you deserve to be found out.  

joecavalry

No, this could be considered a violation of piracy due to his status as a private citizen in the country he lives in.

ale5

Sonofason said:

ale5 said:

I think that coupled with his other hate and anti semetic comments, he may deserve his name disclosed.  I agree though with @Max_Air29 that this particular post was meant as a joke.

So then, you believe that a person speaking anonymously about love, benevolence and kindness have a greater right to privacy than a person who speaks with hatred or malice?

Can you explain how in your opinion we ought not have equal rights to privacy?

Sure, I can explain.  First of all, we shouldn't assume complete privacy, unless privacy is specifically guaranteed by terms of service.
if he used hate language and was stupid enough  to do it, he is not warranted privacy protection.

SilverishGoldNova

Really, he should have his identity revealed because of a joke? 

ale5

@SilverishGoldNova, I am just saying that privacy shouldn't be assumed. People post on FB and are surprised that their perspective employees find out. I understand that reddit is supposed to be anonymous, but then he should have been more careful not to tie that user name to his un-anonymous accounts. Trump thing wasn't a joke, but a political statement, but I am more concerned about his other posts that reflect hate speech. Nothing funny about that.

Sonofason

ale5 said:

@SilverishGoldNova, I am just saying that privacy shouldn't be assumed. People post on FB and are surprised that their perspective employees find out. I understand that reddit is supposed to be anonymous, but then he should have been more careful not to tie that user name to his un-anonymous accounts. Trump thing wasn't a joke, but a political statement, but I am more concerned about his other posts that reflect hate speech. Nothing funny about that.

We have a right to free speech.  I have a right to hate anything or anyone I choose to hate.  Not that I am a hater, but it is my right.  If hate speech is indeed a violation of the rules for a particular social media site in question, then that media site has every right to terminate the users privileges of users using hate speech, but they certainly do not have the right to expose anonymity if anonymity was guaranteed in the user's agreement with the site in question.  But I agree with you in this.  If the user is using a social media site, and is stupid enough to attach their identity in the open forums of that website, and some organization not affiliated with that website were to discover what that person wrote, and who they are, I do believe they have every legal right to expose that person, but I could be wrong.  Is it legal, or should it be legal to expose the identity of a person who is under a contract of anonymity?  I am suggesting that it perhaps should be illegal for even the person under a contract of anonymity to not be legally permitted to reveal his own identity with regard to what he has posted on a forum under a contract of anonymity.  It's probably an important ethical debate to be had.

CuriousGeorge

@Sonofason, reddit never exposed the identity.  The cnn reporter figured it out based on user using similar information on other non-anonymous sites, and he just cross referenced the sources

islander507

@Sonofason, I am not sure if we have a right of free speech if it involves hate speech.  If you walk by police officers and start publically making hate speech comments, would you be arrested?

what about if you walk by on a street a CNN reporter and start making hate comments, would it be reasonable that your picture gets on a news? If it does, would someone be able to figure out your identity from your picture?

Sonofason

CuriousGeorge said:

@Sonofason, reddit never exposed the identity.  The cnn reporter figured it out based on user using similar information on other non-anonymous sites, and he just cross referenced the sources

I don't know the law, but it sounds like he's fair game.

Sonofason

islander507 said:

@Sonofason, I am not sure if we have a right of free speech if it involves hate speech.  If you walk by police officers and start publically making hate speech comments, would you be arrested?

what about if you walk by on a street a CNN reporter and start making hate comments, would it be reasonable that your picture gets on a news? If it does, would someone be able to figure out your identity from your picture?

I don't know the law, but the constitution states that we do indeed have the right to say what ever we want.

First Amendment: "The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments;...
If a person is arrested for speaking, the government is corrupt, and breaching our constitutional rights.

SilverishGoldNova

@ale5 No matter what he said its not a reason to publish his identity. What CNN is doing is basically blackmail.