When General Motors officials decided to temporarily shut down the company's comments section on its new "interactive" Web site, GMnext, it drew harsh criticism that it wasn't being, well, interactive. The company claimed its decision was driven by the onslaught of environmental activists who "hijacked" the comments to "spew diatribes loaded with propaganda."
One group, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), encouraged its supporters to post comments and photos of recent protests at the Detroit auto show. When GM pulled the ...