Some Internet antics are so outrageous, it seems that "there oughtta be a law." But upon reflection, maybe it's better that there isn't a law. Consider these examples from the wilds of cyberspace:

One man, from Arizona, is described as "a loose cannon" who "has been known to ... hit girls" and "sells marijuana from his house." Another, a Baltimore resident, is accused of cheating on his wife, failing to pay child support and being a gang member. Both are identified by name.

They are two of the thousands of postings on DontDateHimGirl.com, an online site where women can sound off about the horrible men they've encountered. In a similar vein - albeit with a very different purpose - is DoNotRentTo.com, where, as The Sun's Liz Kay wrote recently, landlords can warn other landlords against devious and destructive tenants.

But what if the person delivering the online critique - often anonymously - is lying?

Matt Zimmerman, senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, points out that the benefits of a free flow of information online are immeasurable. To preserve those benefits, society may have to put up with aspects of cyberlife that are less desirable - including finding your name on DontDateHimGirl.com, or having the world know what your students really think of you on RateMyTeachers.com.

Things were simpler when only newspapers had the ability to disseminate information quickly to large numbers of people. Now, anyone with access to a computer can be a "publisher."

But some of the restrictions on print media don't apply to Web sites. The Communications Decency Act of 1996 protects online publishers from the kinds of libel and defamation lawsuits traditionally faced by newspapers. As Mr. Zimmerman notes, although sites such as DontDateHimGirl may be immune, someone who posts libelous information there can be sued - if she or he can be identified.

Most Web sites don't have the resources to police their sites for questionable content, and forcing them to do so would effectively shut down much of the Internet. The risk of a trashed reputation appears to be the price we pay for an online world.