Freedom of speech is being able to speak freely without censorship. Economic freedom is freedom to produce trade and consume any goods and services acquired without the use of force fraud or theft Freedom, or the idea of being free is a broad concept that Political freedom is the absence of interference with the sovereignty of an individual by the use of coercion or aggression Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the Freedom of association, is the Individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively Freedom of association is the Individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively express promote pursue and defend common interests thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. Freedom of movement, mobility rights or the right to travel is a Human rights concept which is respected in the Constitutions of numerous Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press Freedom of religion is the freedom of an individual or community in public or private to manifest religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience and freedom of ideas) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact viewpoint The right of self-defense (also called alter ego defense, defense of others, defense of a third person) is the right for civilians acting on their Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor Coercion (co-er-shion is the practice of compelling a person or manipulating them to behave in an involuntary way (whether through action or inaction by use of threats Children's rights are the Human rights of Children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young including their Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled There are several Non-governmental organizations that publish and maintain assessments of the state of freedom in the world according to their own various definitions of Media Transparency is the concept of determining how and why Information is conveyed through various means The concept of negative liberty refers to freedom from interference by other people ||-||} Positive liberty refers to the opportunity and ability to act to fulfill one's own potential as opposed to Negative liberty, which refers to freedom from Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor The right to freedom of speech is guaranteed under international law through numerous human-rights instruments, notably under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, although implementation remains lacking in many countries. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly ( 10 December 1948 at Palais The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (also called the "European Convention on Human Rights" and "ECHR" was adopted under the The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes preferred, since the right is not confined to verbal speech but is understood to protect any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used.

In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country, although the degree of freedom varies greatly. Industrialized countries also have varying approaches to balance freedom with order. For instance, the United States First Amendment theoretically grants absolute freedom, placing the burden upon the state to demonstrate when (if) a limitation of this freedom is necessary. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress In almost all liberal democracies, it is generally recognized that restrictions should be the exception and free expression the rule; nevertheless, compliance with this principle is often lacking. The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of

Theories of speech

One justification for free speech is a general liberal or libertarian presumption against coercing individuals from living how they please and doing what they want. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the However, a number of more specific justifications are commonly proposed.

For example, Justice McLachlin of the Canadian Supreme Court identified the following in R. v. Keegstra, a 1990 case on hate speech:

1. Free speech promotes "The free flow of ideas essential to political democracy and democratic institutions" and limits the ability of the state to subvert other rights and freedoms
2. It promotes a marketplace of ideas, which includes, but is not limited to, the search for truth
3. It is intrinsically valuable as part of the self-actualization of speakers and listeners
4. It is justified by the dangers for good government of allowing its suppression. Beverley McLachlin PC (born September 7, 1943) is the Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to hold that position The Supreme Court of Canada ( French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian R v Keegstra, 3 SCR 697 is a landmark Freedom of expression decision of the Supreme Court of Canada where the Court upheld the Criminal Code Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in Psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, which

Such reasons perhaps overlap. Together, they provide a widely accepted rationale for the recognition of freedom of speech as a basic civil liberty.

Each of these justifications can be elaborated in a variety of ways and some may need to be qualified. The first and fourth can be bracketed together as democratic justifications, or a justification relating to self-governance. They relate to aspects of free speech's political role in a democratic society. The second is related to the discovery of truth. The third relates most closely to general libertarian values but stresses the particular importance of language, symbolism and representation for our lives and autonomy. Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of Organization.

This analysis suggests a number of conclusions. First, there are powerful overlapping arguments for free speech as a basic political principle in any liberal democracy. Second, however, free speech is not a simple and absolute concept but a liberty that is justified by even deeper values. Third, the values implicit in the various justifications for free speech may not apply equally strongly to all kinds of speech in all circumstances.

Noam Chomsky states that:

• "If you believe in freedom of speech, you believe in freedom of speech for views you don't like. Avram Noam Chomsky (noʊm ˈtʃɑmski born December 7 1928 is an American linguist, Philosopher, cognitive scientist, Political Goebbels was in favor of freedom of speech for views he liked. Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation ˈɡœbəls English generally ˈɡɝbəlz (29 October 1897 1 May 1945 was a German politician and Reich Minister of Public So was Stalin. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party If you're in favor of freedom of speech, that means you're in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise. "
  • Source: In Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, 1992
• "If we don't believe in free expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. "
  • Source: Interview by John Pilger on BBC's The Late Show, November 25, 1992

Self-governance

Freedom of speech is crucial in any participatory democracy, because open discussions of candidates are essential for voters to make informed decisions during elections. Participatory democracy is a process emphasizing the broad Participation (decision making of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems It is through speech that people can influence their government's choice of policies. Also, public officials are held accountable through criticisms that can pave the way for their replacement. The US Supreme Court has spoken of the ability to criticize government and government officials as "the central meaning of the First Amendment. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the " New York Times v. Sullivan. New York Times Co v Sullivan, 376 US 254 ( 1964) was a United States Supreme Court case which established the Actual malice standard But "guarantees for speech and press are not the preserve of political expression or comment upon public affairs, essential as those are to healthy government. " Time, Inc. v. Hill.

Some suggest that when citizens refrain from voicing their discontent because they fear retribution, the government can no longer be responsive to them, thus it is less accountable for its actions. Defenders of free speech often allege that this is the main reason why governments suppress free speech – to avoid accountability.

However, it may be argued that some restrictions on freedom of speech may be compatible with democracy or even necessary to protect it. For example, such arguments are used to justify restrictions on the support of Nazi ideas in post-war Germany. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German They have also been used to justify restrictions on obscenity, which was long thought to be outside the protection of the First Amendment.

Research conducted over the last decade, like the Worldwide Governance Indicators project at the World Bank, recognizes that freedom of speech, and the process of accountability that follows it, have a significant impact in the quality of governance of a country. Based on a long-standing research program of the World Bank, the Kaufmann -Kraay-Mastruzzi Worldwide Governance Indicators capture six key dimensions Governance relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. Voice and Accountability within a country, defined as "the extent to which a country's citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association, and free media"^[1] is one of the six dimensions of governance that the Worldwide Governance Indicators measure for more than 200 countries.

Discovering truth

A classic argument for protecting freedom of speech as a fundamental right is that it is essential for the discovery of truth. The meaning of the word truth extends from Honesty, Good faith, and Sincerity in general to agreement with Fact or Reality This argument is particularly associated with the British philosopher John Stuart Mill. John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 &ndash 8 May 1873 British Philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that "the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr ( March 8, 1841 &ndash March 6, 1935) was an American Jurist who served on the Supreme " In Abrams v. United States Justice Holmes also invoked the powerful metaphor of the "marketplace of ideas. Abrams v United States, 250 US 616 (1919 was a decision of the United States Supreme Court involving the 1918 Amendment to the Espionage Act of The " marketplace of ideas " is a rationale for Freedom of expression based on an Analogy to the economic concept of a Free market "

This marketplace of ideas rationale for freedom of speech has been criticized by scholars on the grounds that it is wrong to assume all ideas will enter the marketplace of ideas, and even if they do, some ideas may drown out others merely because they enjoy dissemination through superior resources.

The marketplace is also criticized for its assumption that truth will necessarily triumph over falsehood. It is visible throughout history that people may be swayed by emotion rather than reason, and even if truth ultimately prevails, enormous harm can occur during the interim. However, even if these weaknesses of the marketplace of ideas are acknowledged, supporters argue that the alternative of government determination of truth and censorship of falsehoods is worse.

Alan Haworth in his book Free Speech (1998), has suggested that the metaphor of a marketplace of ideas is misleading. He argues that Mill's classic defence of free speech, in On Liberty, does not develop the idea of a market (as later suggested by Holmes) but essentially argues for the freedom to develop and discuss ideas in the search for truth or understanding. On Liberty is a philosophical work by 19th century English Philosopher John Stuart Mill, first published in 1859 In developing this argument, Haworth says Mill pictured society not as a marketplace of ideas, but as something more like a large-scale academic seminar. This implies the need for tacit standards of conduct and interaction, including some degree of mutual respect. That may well limit the kinds of speech that are justifiably protected.

Another way of putting this point is to concede Mill's claim that freedom of speech of certain kinds is needed for rational inquiry. This can support the claimed need to protect potentially unpopular ideas. However, it can then be added that this does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that a wide range of speech, including offensive or insulting speech, must be given the same protection.

As put by Mill, the argument can also be seen as somewhat elitist, since it may seem that relatively little speech or expression appeals primarily to the intellect. However, there are senses in which this justification can be extended beyond the speech of individuals who are involved in narrowly intellectual inquiry, such as scientists and academic scholars. In one sense, it merges with justifications based on autonomy, if it is interpreted as relating to the psychological need felt by individuals to pursue truth and understanding. In another sense, it may be extended to the protection of literature and art that has a claim to some kind of social value.

Promoting tolerance

Still another explanation is that freedom of speech is integral to tolerance, which some people feel should be a basic value in society. Professor Lee Bollinger is an advocate of this view and argues that "the free speech principle involves a special act of carving out one area of social interaction for extraordinary self-restraint, the purpose of which is to develop and demonstrate a social capacity to control feelings evoked by a host of social encounters. Lee C Bollinger is an American lawyer and educator who is currently serving as the 19th president of Columbia University. " The free speech principle is left with the concern of nothing less than helping to shape "the intellectual character of the society".

This claim is to say that tolerance is a desirable, if not essential, value, and that protecting unpopular speech is itself an act of tolerance. Such tolerance serves as a model that encourages more tolerance throughout society. Critics argue that society need not be tolerant of the intolerance of others, such as those who advocate great harm, such as genocide. Preventing such harms is claimed to be much more important than being tolerant of those who argue for them.

Restrictions on free speech

Socialists have historically been denied freedom of speech in a number of countries. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution This poster promotes Eugene V. Debs' (left) 1912 bid for President of the United States. Eugene Victor Debs (November 5 1855 &ndash October 20 1926 was an American union leader one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by In 1920 Debs ran again but while incarcerated for speaking out against American involvement in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Ever since the first consideration of the idea of 'free speech' it has been argued that the right to free speech is subject to restrictions and exceptions. A well-known example is typified by the statement that free speech does not allow falsely "shouting fire in a crowded theatre" (Schenck v. United States - a case relating to the distribution of anti-draft fliers during the World War I). "Shouting fire in a crowded theater" is a frequent paraphrasing of a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Schenck v United States,, was a United States Supreme Court decision concerning the question of whether the defendant possessed a First Amendment right World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Other limiting doctrines, including those of libel and obscenity, can also restrict freedom of speech. The case Brandenburg v. Ohio found that the US government could restrict free speech only if it was "likely to incite imminent lawless action". Brandenburg v Ohio,, was a United States Supreme Court case based on the First Amendment to the U To the extent speech may be regulated, it ordinarily must be regulated in a viewpoint-neutral manner. In the United States, when a government proscribes certain speech based on the content, the regulation is presumptively unconstitutional. ^[2]

Various governing, controlling, or otherwise powerful bodies in many places around the world, have attempted to change the opinion of the public or others by taking action that allegedly disadvantages one side of the argument. This attempt to assert some form of control through control of discourse has a long history and has been theorized extensively by philosophers like Michel Foucault. Discourse (L discursus, "running to and from" means either "written or spoken communication or debate" or "a formal discussion Michel Foucault ( (15 October 1926 – 25 June 1984 was a French philosopher, Historian, Intellectual, Critic and Sociologist. Many consider these attempts at controlling debate to be attacks on free speech, even if no direct government censorship of ideas is involved.

Restrictions on speech that are sometimes characterized as assaults on freedom of speech include the following:

• Defamation (slander and libel)
• Product defamation (criticism of commercial products; sometimes called product libel or product disparagement; for example, the Texas False Disparagement of Perishable Food Products Act)
• Obscenity
• Threats
• Lying in court (perjury)
• Talking out of turn during a trial, or talk that causes contempt of court
• Speaking about a trial outside the court room after the judge forbids it (sub judice). Obscenity (in Latin obscenus, meaning "foul repulsive detestable" is a term that is most often used in a legal context to Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under Oath or Affirmation in a Contempt of court is a court ruling which in the context of a court trial or hearing deems an individual as having been disrespectful of the court its process and its invested In Law, sub judice, Latin for "under judgment" means that a particular case or matter is currently under trial or being considered
• Speaking publicly without a permit
• Speaking publicly outside of a free speech zone
• Limits on the size of public demonstrations
• Profanity
• Hate speech that is defamatory or causes incitement to violence
• Noise pollution
• Speech that contains a copyright infringement
• Company secrets (trade secrets), such as how a product is made or company strategy (Example: Eleven herbs and spices of KFC chicken)
• Political secrets: campaign strategies, dirty past/deeds of a politician, etc. Free speech zones (also known as First Amendment Zones, Free speech cages, and Protest zones) are areas set aside in public places for Political The original meaning of the adjective profane (from the Latin for "in front of or outside the Temple " was to refer to items not belonging to the church Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade intimidate or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, Gender Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human- or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life 'Copyright infringement' (or copyright violation) is the unauthorized use of material that is covered by Copyright law in a manner that violates A trade secret is a Formula, practice, Process, Design, instrument, Pattern, or compilation of Information which Kentucky Fried Chicken, usually known as KFC, is a chain of Fast food restaurants based in Louisville Kentucky.
• Classified information: sensitive or secret to protect the national interest. ^[3]

• Lies that cause a crowd to panic or causes Clear and present danger or Imminent lawless action, such as shouting fire in a crowded theater
• Fighting words doctrine:(U. Clear and present danger is a term used by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Imminent lawless action is a term used in the United States Supreme Court case Brandenburg v "Shouting fire in a crowded theater" is a frequent paraphrasing of a quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Fighting words are written or spoken words generally expressed to incite hatred or violence and to place the targets of the words in danger of harm S. 1942) "insulting or 'fighting words', those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace"
• Sedition: speech or organization (vs Freedom of Assembly) that is deemed as tending toward insurrection against the established order. This is about the law term For other uses see Sedition (disambiguation Sedition is a term of Law which refers to covert conduct Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the Freedom of association, is the Individual right to come together with other individuals and collectively Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent (or resistance) to lawful authority. Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws.
• Treason: to talk publicly of the death of all countrymen or the overthrow of the government
• Blasphemy is illegal in several Western and Muslim countries (freedom of religion as well as speech could be given here)
• The first clause of UK's Terrorism Act 2006 punishes "Encouragement of terrorism" with up to seven years in jail. In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more gods. The Terrorism Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament made law on March 30 2006, after being introduced on October 12 2005
• In Sweden a law called "Hets mot folkgrupp" ("Agitation against an ethnic group"), usually translated to hate speech, denies promotion of racism and homophobia. Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade intimidate or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, Gender
• In Finland, a new copyright law was enacted in October 2005, which prohibited "services making possible or facilitating the circumvention of effective technical [copy prevention] measures". Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for (See 2005 amendment to the Finnish Copyright Act and Penal Code)
• Article 301 of the Turkish Penal code, makes it illegal to insult 'Turkish national identity'. The 2005 amendment to the Finnish Copyright Act and Penal Code was an amendment to make the Finnish Copyright legislation and criminal code comply with the EU Article 301 is a controversial article of the Turkish Penal code making it illegal to insult Turkey the Turkish ethnicity or Turkish government institutions Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches

Specific recent examples that may involve freedom of speech include:

• Virginia Law - § 18. 2-416. Punishment for using abusive language to another.

If any person shall, in the presence or hearing of another, curse or abuse such other person, or use any violent abusive language to such person concerning himself or any of his relations, or otherwise use such language, under circumstances reasonably calculated to provoke a breach of the peace, he shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor. (Code 1950, § 18. 1-255; 1960, c. 358; 1975, cc. 14, 15. )

There is often a fine line defining what speech may or may not be censored. Members of Westboro Baptist Church frequently challenge this line and have been specifically banned from entering Canada for hate speech. The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC is a church headed by Fred Phelps and based in Topeka Kansas, United States. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade intimidate or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, Gender

• Gunns Limited, a Timber and woodchip product company in Australia (Gunns Website) is suing 17 individual activists, including Federal Greens Senator Bob Brown, as well as three non-profit environmental groups, for over 7. Gunns Limited ( is a major Forestry enterprise located in Tasmania, Australia. The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. Robert James Brown (born December 27, 1944) is an Australian Senator the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and the A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage 8 million dollars. Gunns claims that the defendants have sullied their reputation and caused them to lose profits, the defendants claim that they are simply protecting the environment. The defendants have become collectively known as the Gunns 20 (Friends of the Gunns 20). Gunns Limited ( is a major Forestry enterprise located in Tasmania, Australia. Although this example involves a private law suit, not government censorship, some claim that it is an abuse of defamation law, since it ties up the environmental activists in court proceedings, during which time Gunns may build a pulp mill in northern Tasmania. A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber source into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a Paper mill for further Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass According to this view, the plaintiffs are not genuinely seeking to vindicate their reputations and they are seeking to scare off other activists with the prospect of ruinous legal expense. Such cases raise interesting questions about the extent to which powerful corporate interests should have access to defamation law.
• In the UK Parliament passed the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act in 2005 banning protest without permit within 1km of Parliament. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 ( SOCPA) (2005 c The first conviction under the Act was in December 2005, when Maya Evans was convicted for reading the names of British soldiers and Iraqi civilians killed in the Iraq War, under the Cenotaph in October, without police permission. Maya (Anne Evans (born December 18, 1979) is a British peace campaigner who was arrested alongside fellow activist Milan Rai in October 2005 The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign A cenotaph is a tomb or a Monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere ^[4]

• In Italy, media Tycoon Silvio Berlusconi censored the satirical Raiot series by Sabina Guzzanti after the first broadcast on RAI (the state TV), arguing that it was plain vulgarity and disrespectful to the government. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in (born 29 September 1936 is an Italian politician, Entrepreneur, Real estate and Insurance Tycoon, Bank and Media proprietor Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Sabina Guzzanti (born July 25, 1963) is an Italian actress devoted to comedy and satire Rai - Radiotelevisione Italiana, known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian public service broadcaster, and is considered As his company Mediaset threatened a lawsuit for €21,000,000, the RAI board of directors, appointed by Berlusconi's political majority, closed the series effective immediately, claiming that such a lawsuit was an economic liability for the company. Mediaset is the main Italian commercial Television network with headquarters in Milan, Lombardy. Ms. Guzzanti went to court and won the case, but the Italian government and RAI refused to follow the court order and the show never went on air again. Berlusconi had previously had two highly esteemed journalists (Michele Santoro and Enzo Biagi) and a comedy actor (Daniele Luttazzi) removed from RAI by saying explicitly, in a press conference in Bulgaria, that the new board of directors, which his majority had just appointed, should not allow their "criminal usage" of television. Michele Santoro (born July 2, 1951) is an Italian journalist broadcaster and anchorman Enzo Biagi ( August 9, 1920 &ndash November 6, 2007) was an Italian journalist and writer Daniele Luttazzi (born January 26 1961 real name Daniele Fabbri, is an Italian comedian writer Satirist, illustrator and singer/songwriter The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian ^[5]

• In some European countries, Holocaust denial is a criminal offence. Holocaust denial is the claim that the Genocide of Jews during World War II —usually referred to as The Holocaust —did not occur in the A prominent proponent of this view, David Irving, was sentenced for 3 years in Austria for denying the Holocaust in February, 2006. David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938 is a British writer specializing in the Military history of World War II. The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as
• In many countries, public school teachers have limited freedom of speech, both on and off the job, regarding certain issues (e. The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and g. , homosexuality). Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Canadian Chris Kempling was suspended without pay for writing letters, on his own time, to a local newspaper to object to LGBT-related material being introduced into public schools. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Christopher Stephen Myles Kempling (born October 15, 1955) is a Canadian educator and counsellor who was suspended by the British Columbia College LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual Kempling pursued the freedom of speech issue all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada without success. The Supreme Court of Canada ( French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian
• Some consider the deportation of a foreign peace activist Scott Parkin from Australia in September 2005 to have been an attack on free speech, claimed by the federal government to be a risk to national security. A peace activist is a Political activist who advocates for a peaceful resolution of political disputes Scott Parkin (b 1969 Garland Texas is a Peace environmental and global justice organizer, community college History instructor and a founding member
• Prominent South African journalist and media personality, Jani Allan, has criticized freedom of speech in South Africa. Jani Allan (born 11 September, 1953) is a former South African journalist and radio commentator best known for an alleged affair with right-wing AWB In October 2000, when her contract with Cape Talk Radio was terminated, she claimed that the owners had found her show too controversial and "politically incorrect". 567 CapeTalk is a commercial AM Radio station based in Cape Town, South Africa, broadcasting on AM/MW 567 to Cape Town. [6]
• In 2008 the Electoral Finance Act was voted into law by the New Zealand Government. The Electoral Finance Act 2007 is a controversial enactment regarding electoral finance law in New Zealand. This Act severely limits political expression during election year. [7]
• On January 27th, 2008, The Hong Kong Police Force arrested suspects who were accused of uploading pornographic images after a multi-billion entertainment company filed a complaint about these photos available on the internet having been fabricated and might charge the offender for defamation. [8] [9] [10]
• In the United States, there is no protection from employer recrimination in the exercise of free speech in the workplace. For example, per the terms of at-will employment, an employee can be fired for stating an opinion that the employer disagrees with. At-will employment is a doctrine of American law that defines an Employment relationship in which either party can break the relationship with no liability provided The US Constitution protects the right from being infringed by the laws of congress, or by state and local laws (through the doctrine of incorporation), but does not extend to workplace rules set by employers. Incorporation (of the Bill of Rights is the American legal doctrine by which portions of the Bill of Rights are applied to the states through the
• On March 6, 2008 Associated Press published article called 9/11 attacks harm First Amendment^[1] in which its President and CEO Tom Curley states that The shadow of the Sept. 11 terror attacks is eclipsing press freedom and other constitutional safeguards in the United States.

The Internet

The development of the Internet opened new possibilities for achieving freedom of speech using methods that do not depend on legal measures. The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks Pseudonymity and data havens (such as Freenet) allow free speech, as the technology guarantees that material cannot be removed (censored). Pseudonymity is a word derived from Pseudonym, meaning 'false name' and describes a state of disguised identity resulting from the use of a pseudonym (also called nym A data haven is a Computer or a network that holds Data protected from government action by both technical means ( Encryption) and location in Freenet is a decentralized Censorship -resistant Distributed data store originally designed by Ian Clarke. A gripe site is one of the latest forms of exercising free speech on the Internet. A gripe site is a type of Website devoted to the Critique and or mockery of a Person, Place, Politician, Corporation or

Web sites which fall foul of government censors in other countries are often re-hosted on a server in a country with no such restrictions. Given that the United States has in many respects the least restrictive governmental policies in the world on freedom of speech, many of these websites re-host their content on an American server and thus escape censorship while remaining available to their target audience. This is especially the case with neo-nazi and other sites promoting racial hatred, since these are prohibited in a number of European countries. The term neo-Nazism refers to post- World War II Political movements Social movements and ideologies seeking to revive Nazism, It should be mentioned, however, that the US Government has attempted to regulate certain acts and speech on the Internet (US v. Baker). United States v Baker was a case brought against University of Michigan undergraduate Jake Baker related to several incidents regarding snuff stories

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an organization dedicated to protecting freedom of speech on the Internet. The Electronic Frontier Foundation ( EFF) is an international non-profit advocacy and legal organization based in the United States with the stated purpose of being dedicated The Open Net Initiative (ONI) is a collaboration between the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, the Advanced Network Research Group at the Cambridge Security Programme, University of Cambridge, and the Oxford Internet Institute, at Oxford University which aims to investigate, expose, and analyze Internet filtering and surveillance practices in a credible and non-partisan fashion. The OpenNet Initiative is a joint project whose goal is to monitor and report on internet filtering and surveillance practices by nations The Citizen Lab (founded 2001) is an interdisciplinary research and development lab located at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto The Munk Centre for International Studies at Trinity College in the University of Toronto is a recognized leader in interdisciplinary academic research on global This article is about the University of Toronto's St George Campus The Berkman Center for Internet and Society is a research center founded at Harvard Law School that focuses on the legal study of Cyberspace. Harvard Law School (also known as Harvard Law or HLS) is one of the professional Graduate schools of Harvard University. The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the The Oxford Internet Institute ( OII) is a multi-disciplinary institute based at the University of Oxford, England, and housed in Balliol College Oxford The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the

Many countries utilize filtering software sold by US companies. ^[11]

The Chinese government has developed some of the most sophisticated forms of internet censorship in order to control or eliminate access to information on sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, Falun Gong, Tibet, Taiwan, pornography or democracy. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 culminating in the Tiananmen Square Massacre (referred to in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident, to avoid confusion with two Falun Gong ( or Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice founded in China by Li Hongzhi （李洪志） in 1992 Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Pornography or porn is the explicit depiction of Sexual subject matter with the sole intention of sexually exciting the viewer Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system They have also enlisted the help of some American companies like Microsoft, who have subsequently been criticized by proponents of freedom of speech. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer ^[12]

Main article: Internet censorship in mainland China

See also

• Censorship
• Clear and present danger
• Copyleft
• Copyright
• Fighting words
• Fleeting expletive
• Free content
• Freedom of information
• Freedom of the press
• Gripe site
• Heckler's veto
• Imminent lawless action
• Media transparency
• OAS Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression
• Parrhesia
• Worldwide Governance Indicators

Research Resources

• First Amendment Library
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange

References

1. ^ A Decade of Measuring the Quality of Governance
2. ^  R.A.V v. City of St. Paul, 505 U.S. 377, 382-84 (1992)
3. ^  Slate Explainer
4. ^  BBC
5. ^  Repubblica
6. ^  NYT
7. ^  Congressional Testimony: “The Internet in China: A Tool for Freedom or Suppression?”. Censorship is the suppression of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable harmful or sensitive as determined by a censor Clear and present danger is a term used by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Copyleft is a play on the word Copyright and describes the practice of using copyright law to remove restrictions on distributing copies and modified versions Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for Fighting words are written or spoken words generally expressed to incite hatred or violence and to place the targets of the words in danger of harm A fleeting expletive is a verbal Profanity or visual Indecency or Obscenity (i _____ __ / ___/ / /_ ____ ____ \__ \ / __/ / __ \ / __ \ ___/ / / /_ Freedom of information (or information freedom) may refer to the accessibility of government-held information ( Freedom of information legislation Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press A gripe site is a type of Website devoted to the Critique and or mockery of a Person, Place, Politician, Corporation or A heckler's veto occurs when an acting party's right to Freedom of speech is curtailed or restricted by the government in order to prevent a reacting party's Imminent lawless action is a term used in the United States Supreme Court case Brandenburg v Media Transparency is the concept of determining how and why Information is conveyed through various means The office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States (OAS was established by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights In the classic discipline of Rhetoric, parrhesia is a figure of speech described as to speak candidly or to ask forgiveness for so speaking. Based on a long-standing research program of the World Bank, the Kaufmann -Kraay-Mastruzzi Worldwide Governance Indicators capture six key dimensions The International Freedom of Expression Exchange ( IFEX) founded in 1992 is a global network of 81 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right Microsoft. com. Retrieved on 2007-08-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica.

External links

• Timeline: a history of free speech
• UN-Resolution 217 A III - (Meinungsfreiheit. org)
• ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression
• The journalist fired for calling Bush a coward after 9/11
• Banned Magazine, the journal of censorship and secrecy.
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange
• irrepressible.info - Amnesty International's campaign against internet repression
• Organization of American States - Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression
• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - Representative on Freedom of the Media
• African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights - Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression in Africa
• UNESCO - Programme on Freedom of Expression
• FREEMUSE - Freedom of Musical Expression
• Ringmar, Erik A Blogger's Manifesto: Free Speech and Censorship in the Age of the Internet (London: Anthem Press, 2007)
• The BOBs - weblog award promoting freedom of speech
• UN undermines freedom of expression, rapporteur to nail anti-Islamic speech
• The Expressionist: India's track record
• Worldwide Governance Indicators Worldwide ratings of country performances on Voice and Accountability and other governance dimensions from 1996 to present.