WWW: Beyond the Basics

5. Freedom of Speech

5.4. General Opinions about Free Speech on the Internet

Parker Barss Donham at a symposium on free speech in the information age defined his own edict entitled "Donham's First Law of Censorship." This semi-serious precept states: "Most citizens are implacably opposed to censorship in any form -- except censorship of whatever they personally happen to find offensive." (Donham, 1994).

Nothing could more accurately describe the free speech debate than that quote. Everyone is fundamentally for the right to free speech; the issue resides in the limits to free speech, what the boundaries are, and how we should enforce them.

On one side of the argument are governments protective of their role in society, parents concerned about exposure to their children, and federal agencies attempting to deal with illegal actions like terrorism. On the other side are citizen action groups desiring to protect every ounce of their freedom to speak, individuals concerned about their right to information on the Net, and organizations seeking to empower the citizens of the earth.

All groups want nothing except what is best for them and their associates. The disagreements deal with the exact methods selected to achieve this goal, and can become very heated indeed when these methods are attempted to be enacted in law.

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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