Who Cyber-Attacked Ken Zeran, and Why?

Abstract

In 1995, Ken Zeran was the victim of a vicious and anonymous online impersonation attack on America Online (AOL). The Fourth Circuit held that 47 USC 230 precluded Zeran's lawsuit against AOL -- a ruling that has emerged as one of the most important Internet Law rulings of all time. By mining Ken Zeran's deposition transcription, this essay explores one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in Internet law: who attacked Ken Zeran, and why?

Keywords: kenneth zeran, zeran v america online, section 230, 47 usc 230, cda, communications decency act, cyber-harassment, online impersonation, e-personation, cyber-attack

JEL Classification: K13, K42