Adeo Ressi

Associated Press

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland’s highest court has ruled in favor of Internet anonymity, saying Web sites involved in defamation suits don’t have to reveal the identity of readers who post comments on their site.

The ruling Friday by the Maryland Court of Appeals reversed a lower-court decision and said NewsZap.com, an online forum run by Independent Newspapers Inc., doesn’t have to disclose the identities of participants in a 2006 online exchange about the cleanliness of a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Centreville, Md.

The company’s attorney argued that disclosing the names would have a “chilling effect” on the First Amendment right to speak anonymously. Businessman Zebulon Brodie argued that freedom of speech doesn’t extend to defamation.

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