Juniper Sues

What do you do when anonymous users on the internet bad mouth you? Well, if you're a company like Juniper, you do the very, very stupid thing of suing. Yes, in the old world, defamation meant you sue. You could get away with silencing your critics because critical thought and their publication did not exist in a democracy. Forget it, there was no fair and unbiased media. Oh, but how the world change. Of all the companies in the world, you'd think Juniper would have this figured out. They, after all, help move the internet traffic around the world. You'd think they'd know all about the new world we now find ourselves in. In this new world, gagging your critics is the response of the guilty -- regardless of what the truth is. Trying to silence critics on a democratic medium like the internet just means handing more ammunition to your critics. Even if you win, you lose. Before you know it, there will be a groundswell of supporters for your critics. No matter what you do, the underdog will be championed. The little guy in this case will win the moral victory. If you think your critics are wrong, challenge them with words -- haul out the propaganda machine -- just don't try to hit them over the head.

Shame on you Juniper. I now believe your critics, and you've already lost the moral battle.