Speaking of Apples, Be Careful What You Blog. Judge Rules Against Bloggers In Apple Trade Secrets Case.

Well bloggers, the time has come for you to pony up. Apparently, if you post any kind of trade secrets or insider information, you could be compelled by the law to have to reveal your source. A California judge ruled against five bloggers today who had posted trade secrets regarding an Apple project codenamed "Asteroid" in December of 2004. The bloggers were trying to get a protective order against having to name their sources because, according to the story, "identifying sources would create a "chilling effect" that could erode the media's ability to report in the public's interest." However, the trade secrets were deemed as stolen information, not meant for public awareness, and were therefore not protected under California's shield law.

This type of ruling could mark the beginning of the end for people who are not professional journalists who may, for whatever reason and by whatever connection, be "in the know". Inevitably, it draws a line in the sand for people who blog and will begin making people think twice about providing detailed information regarding information which is not public knowledege. Scary times, folks. Scary, scary times.