On Trolls

(fm the BC thread "Disruption")

Sarah Palin's email was hacked by the son of a State Senator. They exist.
There are two sides to the solution.
1. Protect the forum through social and technical robustness.
2. Pursue the trolls into their lair under the bridge, lift the rocks.

The First Amendment is a restraint on government, not on private actors. You do not have a Right to Privacy to speak about me or to damage my interests. The government has a monopoly on the use of violence to settle disputes, except in very narrow circumstances. There are laws against secondary boycotts, usually violated by the Left, and civil court systems for recovering damages but no expectation that the identity, employment or place in society of an offender will be protected. The only exception to that that I am aware of would be to protect a minor. In the case of harm done by a minor those responsible as parents should face exposure and retribution.