You have a valid concern. It strikes me that there are two points
worth considering:
* How likely is it that someone will stumble across this information?
I was there for every day of the Bell trial (except the first afternoon,
when I was sequestered and prevented from covering the trial -- a nice
way to shut up journalists). And I don't remember your name coming up.
* Not all errors or false information give rise to legal
recourse. Once, when I accurately quoted a CEO saying something
controversial, he then denied he said it and accused me of making a
false statement -- but of course my employer never changed the
article. Legal proceedings are a different story, and presumably rely
on the fairmindedness of the attorneys to keep things accurate. Hah.
-Declan
On Tue, May 29, 2001 at 04:26:54PM -0700, Ray Dillinger wrote:
> My name came up several times during the Bell trial,
> with the connection being that it was "in a message to Ray
> Dillinger" that Bell hatched an idea for using PCB's to
> destroy the value of seized automobiles, and that this letter
> "to Ray Dillinger" was found on the seized computer.
>
> The fact is, that message was not written to me. It
> was written to the cypherpunks list. The message was not in
> response to anything I wrote, either. The only thing that
> connects me to that message is that I responded to it, suggesting
> putrescene instead and pointing out that it, unlike PCB's, is
> perfectly legal to apply to your own property prior to seizure.
>
> I have not been accused of anything, nor yet charged,
> subpeona'd, or detained. But this error in the record worries
> me. And in the future it could worry potential employers, etc.
> I believe that there is a substantial risk that this erroneous
> information in the public record will do me harm.
>
> Is there any procedure for correcting the record?
>
> Are there any consequences to the prosecution for making
> such an error in their case? I don't believe the identity of
> the presumed "person the message was written to" is germane to
> the case, so on the one hand I don't think the error affects
> their case at all and on the other, I don't know why a name had
> to be trotted out in court in the first place. The fact that it
> was my own name (false information) and that there is a risk
> that it will do me harm is upsetting.
>
> Bear
