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Elonis case decided by U.S. Supreme Court leaves lingering questions for online speech

12 Jun, 2015   | by:

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Facebook is the modern-day microphone. The social media platform, in contrast to traditional ways of conveying messages, provides the opportunity for opinions to be amplified immediately to millions of others with the click of a mouse.

But unlike an orator physically standing before you where speech patterns can be scrutinized, emotions can be evaluated, and body language can be deciphered, words from a Facebook user become one-dimensional in transit to readers. Often, those construing messages miles away add their own color and depth to the communication composed behind an emotionless keyboard, creating a discrepancy between the intent of the original speaker and the how the expression is perceived by other parties.

This results in dissonance in the interpretation of messages between the speaker and listener in the digital world not as prevalent through in-person communications. The divergence in the discernment of words created through online speech can add complications to speech laws where intent is a key inquiry and can determine innocence or guilt. More…

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Are you Google famous? A look into the search engine’s algorithm in a post-right to be forgotten world

2 Nov, 2014   | by:

Am I Famous

Fame is often a subjective inquiry. A famous person to one person can be a stranger to another. Someone considered famous in one country can be an average citizen in another. But Google, while implementing the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) ruling in Google, Inc. v. Mario Costeja González regarding the right to be forgotten, has attempted to make an objective determination of who the public considers famous. More…

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Obama stumps for net neutrality as FCC considers regulations that could alter Internet speeds

13 Oct, 2014   | by:

Not all of U.S. President Barack Obama’s campaign promises have come to fruition. Remember Obama’s 2007 pledge to lead the most transparent administration in history? Seven years later, excessive prosecutions and threats under the Espionage Act, pressures on reporter James Risen to reveal his confidential sources, and resistance to Freedom of Information Act requests, among other measures, have proven that Obama has not lived up to his campaign rhetoric concerning transparency and press freedoms. More…

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