WWW: Beyond the Basics

5. Freedom of Speech

by Mike McGee

ABSTRACT

The Internet is the latest battleground for the age-old human right of freedom of speech. And is the battle ever raging! The Internet has been discovered to be a nearly ideal medium for mass populations to express opinion without censorship. But that situation may soon change. The national and international governments around the globe are discussing legislation, and implementing censorship of Internet content. Numerous human rights activist groups are countering, waging the war for the free speaker. What started as simply not letting children be subjected to obscene material has blossomed into a classic democratic struggle.

This chapter tries to consolidate some of the information and opinions that exists on freedom speech on the Internet. By presenting as many dimensions of this controversial issue as possible, this document can hopefully serve as a source of clarity and rational thinking. By no means do I expect unqualified success in this matter, but maybe others can gain from the effort.

CHAPTER CONTENT

  1. Introduction
  2. Defining Freedom of Speech
  3. The Internet: The Ultimate Medium for Freedom of Speech
  4. General Opinions about Free Speech on the Internet
  5. Let there be Laws!
  6. Opinions on the Communications Decency Act (CDA) and Other Legal Issues
  7. Internet Freedom of Speech & Censorship Attitudes Around theWorld
  8. Achieving Restrictions on the Net
  9. Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS)
  10. Vision of the Future

References

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Copyright © 1996 Mike McGee, All Rights Reserved

Mike McGee <mmcgee@vt.edu>
Last modified: Thu Nov 27 13:13:33 1996