Screen names on the web

[sweettreat]

It is a violation of privacy to post someone's screen name and statements that one obtains from chat or im conversations on something like a blog? I would think people have no expectation of privacy in situations like that since they are saying things in a public forum to abject strangers, but I'm not entirely sure. I would think it would be just like gossip in any other way, you cant sue someone for repeating your private conversations.

[patndoris]

It's a violation of trust perhaps. But when one is conversing on the internet, there really is no such thing as privacy. Even if you don't save conversations, you should always be aware the others you chat/IM with might be. It's wise to assume anything you say or do online could end up somewhere on the web without your consent.

Unless someone were to publicly slander you, there is really no legal recourse I'm aware of. And even then, getting websites to remove slanderous content can be virtually impossible.