Name Suppression and the Internet

I’m quoted several times on a front-page story in today’s Dominion Post. Basically I agree with Justice Wild who commented in ruling on the Berryman case, that it was stupid and futile to keep information suppressed once it is on the Internet.

I said as much back in March.

The article covers the issues pretty well. I did make the point that name suppression orders are still very effective in cases which are not high profile (most family court cases), but that if there is strong media or public interest in a case, then it will inevitably become widely known.

Also that while the Internet certainly speeds up the rate at which people find out details of a suppressed case, this has been happening for some years. Almost everyone in Wellington in the mid 90s know who the famous NZer was who was convicted (and discharged) of taxi chit fraud, and this was before widespread Internet use.