Internet message boards increasingly are used by investors to trade information about companies and executives running them. Often the messages are highly critical and may even include inflammatory opinions. Some executives claim their stock value has been ruined by such attacks and their personal reputations shattered. Now some are seeking to sue these anonymous message board authors for libel but first must win access to the identity of the critics. The dispute raises questions about freedom of speech on the internet. NPR's Phillip Davis has a report.
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