Eircom ordered to name anonymous emailer

The High Court has ordered Eircom to disclose the name and address of an anonymous emailer who distributed an allegedly defamatory letter about a waste collection company to public bodies and media organisations.

James Ferry and his company, Ferry’s Refuse Collection Ltd, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, obtained the order for an intended defamation action against a person who, for the moment, is referred to as “John Doe with a username of [e-mail]”.

The order was sought under the 2011 Communications (Retention of Data) Act which allows service providers like Eircom to divulge information on foot of a court order.