A recurring theme on this blog has been the importance of freedom of speech. Regarding this story from LibCon, I do agree that it is unlikely that the proposed legislation was ever intended to attack specific bloggers, it is none the less, disagreeable and wrong.
The main problem is that it would require comment moderation for all blogs, many of which flourish on the basis of near instantaneous response. Bloggers should not be liable for comments made unless they meet the following criteria:
- The comments are slanderous.
- The blogger has been given reasonable notice to remove the comments.
-The blogger has refused to do so.
Going beyond this would be an unreasonable restriction on freedom of speech.
There have historically been few ways for people to communicate their ideas and the great advantage of blogging is that it is a universally distributable media, (whether anyone listens is another matter but down to the writer to sink or swim). Any legislation on blogging is likely to reduce free speech and there are few legitimate reasons to do this. All the proposed legislation, (that I am aware of), on this subject deserves to be fought to a bloody standstill.
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2 comments:
Mandatory user registration would be A Stupid Idea, but I don't understand why it'd compel the use of comment moderation. I'm posting this under a thoroughly official ID (Google: We Run The Web), and you're not pre-moderating it at all.
(which makes me want to say things like Alisher Usmanov is a rapist; Neil Hamilton is a crook; Johanna Kaschke is a madwoman who used to hang out with terrorists; etc...)
Beause one of the proposals was that a blogger should be liable as a publisher for any comments on their blog. Does rather land you in the shit unless you use comment moderation. Merry Chistmas by the way.
Falco
PS: I could never endorse such comments as those above unless they happened to be true, which they clearly are.
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