Court Tells Google to Unmask Harassers

A court has ordered Google to tell a New York business consultant who posted disparaging online comments and unauthorized videos she sees as defamatory.

Carla Franklin said Wednesday she's relieved to be closing in on the cyber cipher and hopes her case will help others deal with online harassment. Google Inc. declined to comment Wednesday.
     
A Manhattan court order allows the Mountain View, Calif.-based online giant until Oct. 29 to give Franklin the information.

Franklin and her lawyer have said the postings were humiliating, creepy and potentially hurtful to her professional prospects.

The videos were posted on Google-owned YouTube. They were clips from an independent movie Franklin had appeared in. The comments featured a sexual slur.

The order was filed Tuesday.