Cyber ​​Law FAQ: Does Freedom of Expression Apply to the Internet?

While in the real world most laws are clear to most people, it is often a very different case in the cyber (virtual) world, as websites can often be viewed as personal pages when, in fact, they are legally considered public websites. in some cases.

This means that anything that might offend in the real world could also offend if posted anywhere on the Internet.

A prime example of this is a growing number of prosecutions related to posts on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, most of these related to content that has been deemed offensive or threatening to others.

If you are in doubt about what is acceptable to post on such a site, a good way is to consider whether a post might offend if said through a megaphone in a crowded place, and not post it in the first place if the response is likely to be offending. be be yes

However, this does not mean that people are not entitled to their own opinions on such sites, just that they should be careful what they write online, instead of just writing the first thing that comes to mind.

This is vital to know in today’s world, as a large number of people are under the mistaken impression that just because they are using the internet, they can do and say whatever they want.

Sometimes this does not take into account the laws in force in your country, because even though the Internet is an international system, the people who use it are still subject to the laws of their own countries while using it, and this is a point that some people don’t seem to consider or even know at times.

A particular example of this is short cases, which means that if something is the subject of a confidentiality order, that topic should not be posted on a social media site any more than it should be shared in the real world.

This is especially due to the fact that posts on social media sites can often spread much faster than any post in a national newspaper, and can therefore cause problems if people post information that is considered confidential or legally binding. sensitive to an ongoing court case or investigation.

In general, I would say that freedom of expression is the same in the real world as it is in the online world, common sense seems to be the key element in both worlds.

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