September 17, 2012
In the Media
On Web, a Fine Line on Free Speech Across the Globe
By Somini Sengupta
The New York Times
September 16, 2012
Excerpt:
Free speech absolutists say all
expression, no matter how despicable, should be allowed online.
Others say Internet companies, like governments, should be flexible
enough to exercise restraint under exceptional circumstances,
especially when lives are at stake.
At any rate, as Mark L. Movsesian, a law
professor at St. John’s University, pointed out, any effort to ban
hateful or offensive speech worldwide would be virtually
impossible, if not counterproductive.
“The regimes are so different, it’s very,
very difficult to come up with one answer — unless you ban
everything,” he said.