re: #43 SixDegrees

I’m not certain if it would be beneficial to take such a route if one is interested in pursuing legal action against the actual perpetrator. “My ISP shut down my site before I even heard there was a problem, nyah nyah nyah!” is one possible response. Lame or not, I’d consult an attorney before taking any such actions. No point in muddying the legal waters.

It doesn’t work that way. The hosting company usually gives the person in violation of their TOS the opportunity to first remove the offending content (unless it’s child porn or something like that.) Typically they’ll suspend the offender’s account until they do so. Usually it takes repeated violations before they’ll lose their account entirely. (I’m only talking about cases involving libel, harassment, and the like.)

As to legal action, I can assure you from personal experience that if you’ve gotten the libelous material removed or deleted, it only further bolsters your legal case that the person did in fact harass you or libel you.