Some of the statements may border on defamation, according to Town Administrator Thorn Mead.

01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, August 4, 2005

By MICHAEl P. McKINNEY
Journal Staff Writer

SEEKONK -- Here, where webs of political intrigue and backroom allegations are spun and unspun anonymously on the Internet, a potential battle over the limits of free speech may be gathering steam.

Town Administrator Thorn Mead last night said the town's lawyer believes anonymous statements that have been made against town employees on a Yahoo!-based Web site or Web sites "border on defamation" and that the police and town computer experts will be investigating.

Mead told the Board of Selectmen that if any town employees are found to have violated the governmental computer policy by using municipal computers to access or contribute to the Web site, they would face penalties.

And, he said he has already been in touch with Yahoo!, asking it to shut down the Web site or sites in question.

"I contacted them and said that I believe these groups violate [Yahoo!'s] terms of service," Mead said after the meeting.

Yahoo! has not shut down the site.

"I personally think it's terrible that people contribute to these sites," Mead told the selectmen.

Mead said that if people have criticisms, they should bring them to him rather than using the Web site.

When people go to www.yahoo.com, they can log onto the groups portion of the site. Once they find the one they are looking for, they can read comments but not join, or sign up as a member and write comments. Yahoo! asks that a person fill out a profile, but the person does not have to identify himself or herself.

A Web site that drew concern last night was a Yahoo! Group address with the description "SeekonkTalk-Unmoderated." A look at the site found, among other things, messages that make critical remarks about certain Town Hall employees, include allegations of nepotism and even a disparaging comment about an employee's physical appearance.

Selectmen Chairman John Whelan said after the meeting that anyone who wants to should come before town officials or talk to the town administrator rather than engaging in comments on the site. Whelan said he believes in freedom of speech, but there is a line -- toward defamation of character -- that should not be crossed.

Whelan said the Web site may have started off with good intentions, but that from what he understands, "it has taken off in another direction." He said content tends to be made up of rumor.

"It just keeps piling up," he said.

As for the town government computer policy, Whelan said, "If they're in violation of it, they're going to pay the piper."

Debate in Seekonk aired on the Web is not new, but appears to have flourished this year.

In January, The Journal reported on the Web-based debate over political changes engulfing the community -- a debate without much in the way of rules and with plenty of anonymity. Many of the comments expressed criticism of the selectmen at that time. Resident John Carney created the chat group identified as SeekonkTalk, according to The Journal's article.

However, it could not be determined last night whether the chat group now drawing the ire of officials has any relation to that one. Mead noted that there are apparently both "unmoderated" and "moderated" sites focusing on Seekonk.

Not all of the comments on the Web are critical of town employees. In April, it was revealed that the 18-year-old son of former Selectwoman Doreen Taylor had been defending the selectmen on the Yahoo! Internet chat group under the name Shadowwalker258.

Staff writer Michael P. McKinney can be reached at (401) 277-7447 or at mmckinneATprojo.com