Imagine this scenario. You get up one morning, make your coffee and check the news. You find that an online feature article in a big, urban newspaper in your state is nothing but a one-sided, ignorant attack on your right to bear arms. In this case the article is focused on attacking a local firearms manufacturer, but it also impugns your Second Amendment rights.
Okay, that’s not so unusual, but this time you’ve either worked at that company or know someone who does, so you decide to respond with the facts. You go into the comment section below the article and soberly show the journalist where they went wrong.
Now you feel good about yourself. You’ve spoken up for your freedom and kept your head about it. You used a screen name, so it was an anonymous debate, as is your right. You only hope that your factual response makes the journalist think. But later you hear the Department of Justice (DOJ) is pressuring the newspaper to give them your IP address, because they want to talk to you. Can they do this?
Yes, said a court.