Free Speech And International Law

As we all know, www equals World Wide Web. So it’s not surprising that conflicts come up where the laws of one nation conflict with the laws of another for Internet users. This article at Ars Technica illustrates just such a legal case.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a friends of the court brief in support of the defendant. This is another case of how those in a position of power just don’t get it. It’s the same as when we see politicians trying to regulate the way we use the Internet in the belief that everything stops at the border, as if there’s a big door controlled by a bouncer.

I believe the EFF gets it right when it states: “Just because your online speech may be read in another country doesn’t mean that country’s law should bind you.” That is the very beauty of the Internet and the thing that scares politicians and lawmakers the world over.

[tags]internet,eff,electronic frontier foundation,world wide web,international law,www[/tags]