smooth wombat's Journal: What should websites do about threats?

The Slashdot crowd is known for advocating privacy and the protection of rights, both on and offline. However, what about web site operators? At what point, if at all, should web site operators respond to threats posted on their sites?

The recent case of William Freund who donned a mask and cape over the Halloween weekend and then shotgunned to death two of his neighbors before killing himself raises the issue anew. Before his rampage William posted on the website wrongplanet.net that he was lonely and suicidal and would begin a "terror campaign to hurt those that have hurt me." From the article:

Internet law experts generally agree there is no legal onus on site owners or users to notify police. Cyberspace is so intricate and its users often anonymous that to react to every threatening post would be impossibly time-consuming and expensive.