Freedom of speech not guaranteed online

The internet is like any other type of media. Once the government sees that people are learning too much "valuable" information, they try their hardest to take over public thought. When the internet was first brought into my home in the early nineties, you could find anything you wanted. However, now, with all of these corporate ownrd web enhancers like yahoo and google, you are going to have alot omitted results. People will find it hard to find real information about those things that our government wants to keep hush hush. Plus, with everybody wanting to make easy money, it will cost you to get any of the results that you searched for.

"RELATIVE FREE SPEECH" is what they will probably add into the constitution both here in America and world wide. As the internet becomes bigger and bigger, more government agencies will want to monitor what is being said and by whom. The Patriot Act is an example of the relative free speech. One can get silenced and/or put into jail for blogging or expressing ones opinion. Key words and phrases are targeted within a database that searches the internet just like google or yahoo does and then rates it whether its mild or radical speech. Therefore one becomes a target for the government to monitor and in no time if the government deems it necessary to shut you down then it will. Its a sad reality what the world is coming to but the fight must go on!!!!

Get your lanterns and pitchforks ready 'cause soon we'll have to storm the gates.

Freedom is NEVER guaranteed. If we as a people don't do all that we can to make sure trhat this stays an open forum for the exchange of ideas and information, then we'll have no one to blame for it's loss, but ourselves.

China does this but America feels the right to scold the Chinese government of being "undemocratic" and stirring up anti-Chinese sentiments. How hypocritical..

The 1st amendment says that Congress shall make no law restricting free speech. As longs as the government is not censoring speech then it is legal. Technically it is unconstitutional for the FCC to censor speech on TV and radio.

It starts off with us not having guarantees to write of speech online. Soon after, we won't be able to protest on the streets. If this isn't met with much resistance, we'll end up like the citizens of Iran where blogging, if the government has their way, may be punishable by death.

Lets not forget the beauty of the Internet though. You can still make your own site or place to share your views and decide if you want to give others proxy to it as well. Don't agree with stifling other peoples free speech? Make your own place for them to gather uncensored.

Mass media has it's hands in everything we technologically perceive and our response to their perceptions. The fact is, the more we rely on technology to think for us, the more self-control we lose. Watching the everyday news and absorbing whatever is thrown at us will lead to nothing but mass control. It is our job to be active if we want change and that would not be possible without our American freedoms. Organizations like Current TV are proof that it is the people that control their opinions and their desire to have their voice heard.

we will not let them take away are voice! fight on!

I believe in the rights of the people as well as freedom of liberty, but we still have to be careful of what we say not only in print, but what we post online. One word or comment, someone could take it offensively and the wrong way.

Its times like this i'm glad to be an American

uhm, well the right to free speech isnt uphelp in the private sector, just like the gov. cant "profile" but establishments have the right to refuse service to anyone they wish. if a company owns it, you have no say, their choice. thats free market capitalism woo

Now just think how much money an ISP dedicated to guaranteeing freedom of speech would make...

They aren't actually limiting the rights because the Net never had them.

Just like you can say whatever you want in someone's house but they have the right to make you stop or throw you out of their house if they don't like it.

The same as the people who own the web sites have the right to kick you off of them if they don't like your behaviour.

The free part the Net that should be fought for is the connections between websites that should be neutral of how data is distributed since that's the public part like you have the right to speak out in a public park without harassment since it belongs to no single person because it was paid for by public funds.

this makes me think of a part of this years Best American Non-required reading - the part that talks about "what is your dangerous idea" - one person's dangerous idea is that ideas themselves will be dangerous - we can't have a free society unless all opinions are allowed, whether or not they conflict with the things you feel most strongly about...

i am confilcted over this because some videos should be taken down, like that one of the girl being beat up by the group of friends that invited her over, and the one of the marine throwing puppies off the cliff, again should be taken down

Even the world wide web isn't safe from cancerous censorship. The tools of tyranny have just gotten digital.

It seems like the government has been limiting our various freedoms in a number of ways in the past 7 or 8 years. We need to fight for our rights!

generally speaking, internet users have the freedom to access the lawful content of their choice. imposing unconstitutional limitations on license applications (such as mandatory filters that censor lawful content) violates people's right to free speech...although, the thought of a completely autonomous world wide web spells trouble.

I don't know. I can only speak from my own experience. In all the years I've been on line. And all the various places I've posted comments. I've never had anything erased by the host of the site. Or been barred from a site. Or had my access to a site blocked. But on the other hand, I don't go to sites hosted in China or Iran and try to post anti government slogans...

this is news?!

Fuck them!

It certainly is true that we don't have unlimited free speech on the internet. However, this is based more on the practical infrastructure of the net, than on corroded civil liberties. The ISPs, site owners, and global routing mainframes which constitute the internet itself are all owned by private companies, not the American public, and as such, are not the purview of the First Amendment. Complaining that we don't have the right to free speech in these venues is akin to complaining that we can't go into a Barney's and deride their products for fear of being kicked out.

I'm okay with that. It ensures that small business owners can exercise the right to function autonomously, that we don't have to provide a soapbox for every person in our own, private spaces.

The internet lacks a truly publicly-owned space, akin to the public park you describe. There could be one, owned and maintained by a uniquely federalized site / server / router organization. It's certainly an interesting idea. But, can you imagine what a disaster such a place would be? Part of our unspoken, unwritten, social laws, are based on the condition of accountability. You can stand next to anyone in the park and make your own rants, in real time, meaning everyone can listen to you as well.

The bizarre experience of the internet, on the other hand, is its essential anonymity. Hence flame wars.

As a dues-paying member of the ACLU and EFF, I'm all for free speech. But only when it has a Constitutional basis.

I will do what I deem right within the idea of free speech and not harming others physically.

I already do that. I'm prepared to have my head cut of by the screaming Queen of Hearts at any moment. ha.

It's not a "guarantee" across the Net, it's only on a site by site basis. Some places have heavy restrictions and some are relatively open about it. All have rules of netiquette to keep the site in some sense of order.

yea i was fired for having a blog entry criticizing obvious corruption in the company i worked at. although i never mentioned any names or where i work, it was still deemed by the labor judge that i don't have free speech on the internet. what bullshit!

Freedom!! -- Last words from Sir William Wallace (at least in the movie "Braveheart")

gg

Despite what we are "guaranteed", what we really have is "Relatively Free Speech". Say what you want, unless it infringes someone else's rights, borders on illegal, or any of the other free speech stipulations.
And this is both unfortunate AND fortunate!

I will never be a slave to corporations. Fight for your right to free speech! FIGHT!

Take advantage of it now because when you start paying for your ISP; freedom of speech over the internet will make you a terrorist.