Free Speech on the Internet :: Web Laws Politics Rights Essays

Free Speech on the InternetFreedom of manner of speaking has been a big issue on the Internet lately. But Id like to suggest that, properly viewed, policy markets argon a a lot bigger free speech issue than the recent ban on indecent internet posts.First, lets start with the puzzle why free speech?. What is the fundamental difference between a legislature forbidding some people from making indecent speech at the request of another(prenominal)s who fear being offended by such speech, and a legislature taxing some people to pay for other peoples education or recreation? In each case interests are opposed, there are policy-making winners and losers, and a majority may trample on some rights of a minority. Why should one case be forbidden and the other allowed? The strongest widely-accepted tune for having courts strike down laws which limit free speech is to protect communications intended to influence the policy-making process. You see, even if a large majority preferent to ban indecent speech, or to fund education with taxes, they skill never find out that they all preferred this outcome if they were prevented from publicly discussing the issue. Instead, a organization might lock in its current advantage and preferences by forbidding any questioning of its current laws. Without free political speech, a minority might much more easily trample on a majority (a worse fate than a majority trampling a minority). Thus political speech deserves extra protection.Note, however, that this argument for political speech applies to any action whose main consequence is to communicate information to influence the political process (and whose other consequences are not overly burdensome to others). So not only should it apply to newspapers, TV, the internet, T-shirts, bumper-stickers, and window signs, but it should also apply to political demonstrations and other pricey political signals.You see, the main information communicated by a political demonstration is not t he words chanted or held high on posters, but that incident that these people care enough to spend their time demonstrating for this cause. (Thus it is important to demonstrate in clear public view, and to not look like youre having too much fun.) Expensive signals like demonstrations can communicate what mere words cannot - strength of feeling and opinion. (Sure you can say you really care, but everyone says that.)Unfortunately, many expensive political signals, such as campaign contributions and political advertizing, are widely limited by law. Perhaps such limits can be justified by leaning that these actions can also do much harm, in addition to communicating information to politicians and voters.