Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:47:35 +0000 (GMT) From: Nelson Rodrigues <[email protected]>
http://naxalrevolution.blogspot.com/2009/03/supreme-court-verdict-on-blogging.html?showComment=1236525360000#c5551979506888676807 ? Supreme Court verdict on Blogging [3/08/2009 09:06:00 AM | 1 comments ] Ahh... the days of the wild wild west are over ... it seems... Bloggers can be nailed for views NEW DELHI: A 19-year-old blogger's case could forever change the ground rules of blogging. Bloggers may no longer express their uninhibited views?on everything under the sun, for the Supreme Court said they may face libel and even prosecution for the blog content. It will no longer be safe to start a blog and invite others to register their raunchy, caustic and even abusive comments on an issue while seeking protection behind the disclaimer ? views expressed on the blog are that of the writers. [end of excerpt: Mario responds: Nelson, Perhaps you are unaware of what the word "libel" means, which is an illegal use of free speech in every democracy including the USA and Britain, two democracies with considerable freedom of speech. Libel is defined as, "a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression b (1): a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt (2): defamation of a person by written or representational means (3): the publication of blasphemous, treasonable, seditious, or obscene writings or pictures (4): the act, tort, or crime of publishing such a libel." In the USA you can even burn the national flag to express your opinion, but you cannot deliberately and maliciously and falsely defame someones name and reputation without being subject to punitive legal action. Freedom of speech cannot be abused to defame someone unjustly simply because it is done on the internet, often anonymously until a forensic investigation may identify the culprit. In fact, on the internet, the defamation is worldwide and therefore far more egregious and serious.
