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Introduction to Technology Law Notes on Cyber-speech and Social Networking
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Introduction to Technology Law Notes on Cyber-speech and Social Networking (first year, LLB at the University of Groningen).
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WEEK 3 TECHNOLOGY LAW NOTES - CYBER-SPEECH AND SOCIAL NETWORKINGCyber-speech
Challenges that digitalization has created to freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and
freedom of information.
Setting the scene (with regard to speech and cyber-speech)
BC (Before cyber era: hear to hear communication. It would be limited communication.
Monopoly ride for sharing information on official channels with a large amount of people in it (the
official broadcasting, the official media, the radio, etc) They were the only ones capable of
sharing information with many people at the same time. Nevertheless, you needed to have
access to these official channels but also for the individual it was difficult to share information
with thousands of individuals at the same time) => Cyber Era => Web 1.0 => Web 2.0
Web 1.0
Once the internet was created (possibility to connect among each other through internet). A new
way in how to distribute and share ideas was created:
- Internet Forums: Page where people having a certain interest would gather together and
discuss about that specific interest that they had. Places that did not have a time
(independent time), spaces without a place.
+ Consequence: Finally, you were feeling empowered and having the possibility to
share ideas, and there was a possibility for people to get together independent t
of where they were located, and the possibility to contribute to these forums
independent of the time.
- (Private) Personal web pages: People started to create their own pages where they
would share their own opinion. It differs from the forums in that these personal pages did
not give the possibility for communicating. They were just uni-direction.
Positive effects
- Shrink the distances between people (you could communicate with people from all
around the world).
- Address large audiences
- Positive reinforcement (individuals were no longer alone).
- Develop new business models
- Sharing of personal content
- Find each other again
Negative effects
- Making users insular in their views (people can use filters and just read those news that
think they are of interest to them): Looking only at certain aspects of life in which one is
interested.
- Technologies could be used to service illegal or antisocial activities (engaging in criminal
activities, or establishing new criminal activities that did not exist yet):
+ Facilitate distribution and trading of pornographic images of children.
, + Money laundering.
+ Terrorist activity.
+ Defamation, etc.
This is problematic with the principle of legality: If a law does not exist at the moment that you
committed the activity, then you would not be punished. Criminal law does not work ex post
facto.
Web 2.0
We switched from web 1.0 to web 2.0 which is where we are at the moment Basically, the
creation of social media.
What to use for which purposes?
How did social media change the way we were communicating?
(Further) Positive effects
- Interactive: Interaction => Forums were given the possibility for interaction but not at the
same time. Somebody would post an information, and somebody can respond in one
week, one month, or one year. In social media, interaction is one of the main attractions.
(Further) Negative effects
- Social network stalking
- Identity theft
- Bullying
- Copyright infringements, etc.
Freedom of expression
There are different standards in different countries (the internet is global):
COMPARISON OF EUROPE AND UNITED STATES (both areas follow certain standards
regarding democracy, protecting individuals, transparency, etc):
1st Amendment US Constitution:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”: Freedom
of expression is an absolute right. It is not for the court to limit it. It would be for the individuals
themselves to decide when something is to be considered not good to be followed. This
amendment was extended by the US Supreme Court also to those cases dealing with internet
communications.
US Supreme Court
Reno v ACLU
… First Amendment applies to all internet communications.
Council of Europe (European Court of Human Rights)
Art 10 ECHR – Freedom of Expression
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