Rabbi Chaim Halpern struck back against his accusers today by obtaining a High Court order for Google to identify the names of bloggers who have attacked him.
The Golders Green rabbi denies claims of inappropriate conduct towards women which are currently being investigated by a special Beth Din set up at the behest of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations.
Mrs Justice Gloster granted an application this morning ordering Google to disclose the names of the blogger If You Tickle US and a number of people who have posted comments under pseudonyms.
Chloe Strong, representing Rabbi Halpern, said that the comments contained “serious defamatory slurs”.
Mrs Gloster, noting that as the rabbi denied the allegations, said that those making comments about him “should not… be entitled to hide behind the shield of anonymity”.
A spokesperson for Google said that, before complying with such a request, “we make sure it follows the law and Google’s policies. The privacy and security of the data that users store with Google is central to our approach. We notify users about legal demands when appropriate, unless prohibited by law or court order.”
