As an American I have the right to free speech guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution. Most countries around the world have similar guarantees for their citizens. But as this world increasingly becomes more interconnected via the internet what we do well within our rights in our own countries is not always sitting well with others and their governments. In a ongoing controversy cartoons published by a Danish newspaper are causing headaches for the Danish government and angering Muslims around the world. Many Muslim groups and governments are calling for a boycott of Danish goods. Some countries have recalled their ambassadors and are closing their embassies. Danish citizens are being warned about traveling to Muslim countries. The question I ask is what right does any country have to demand that their laws/beliefs must be followed in another sovereign country?

In relation to all of this is Yahoo versus France. France says that Yahoo must put a filtering system in place to block French users from accessing Nazi-related goods on its U.S. auction site. What jurisdiction do they have to impose this restriction on Yahoo? Also related to this is the recent controversy concerning Google’s decision to follow the demands of China in regards to it’s Chinese version of the search engine. I understand that for Google to do business in China they need to follow their laws but those laws end at the Chinese border. The same goes for France. The Muslims who are upset about what someone does in Denmark that is legally within their rights as a Danish citizen also need to realize this. Just because you can access something from a foreign country does not mean you get the right to demand they follow your laws or customs as borders are meaningless in an online world. Long live free speech!

[tags]google,yahoo,freedom of speech[/tags]