'Public' online spaces don't carry speech rights (AP)

Submitted by dixietraveller on 7 July, 2008 - 04:32.

Posted on Sun, Jul. 06, 2008 - By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer NEW YORK -- Rant all you want in a public park. A police officer generally won't eject you for your remarks alone, however unpopular or provocative.

Say it on the Internet, and you'll find that free speech and other constitutional rights are anything but guaranteed.

Companies in charge of seemingly public spaces online wipe out content that's controversial but otherwise legal. Service providers write their own rules for users worldwide and set foreign policy when they cooperate with regimes like China. They serve as prosecutor, judge and jury in handling disputes behind closed doors.

The governmental role that companies play online is taking on greater importance as their services - from online hangouts to virtual repositories of photos and video - become more central to public discourse around the world. It's a fallout of the Internet's market-driven growth, but possible remedies, including government regulation, can be worse than the symptoms.

For the complete article and reader comments, go to: http://www.miamiherald.com/business/technology/story/595463.html

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2 interesting aspects

Submitted by Che Guevara on 7 July, 2008 - 06:40.

1. you can't shout fire in a crowded theater, you can't libel or slander someone, and you can't threaten someone. those are not free speech issues. if fyl owns this site, he can do what he wants with it. he is not gov't, therefore there is no free speech issue. free speech prohibits gov't from abridging your free speech, not a private individual. you would still have internet and could start your own site.

2. liberals used to say i may not agree with what you are saying, but i'll defend your right to say it. now i find liberals are saying things like you must have provoked his death threat. unhinged i tell you.

when government grows, liberty yields, thomas jefferson