Category Archives: Freedom of expression

Frankenstein’s UKIP?

Posted on April 28, 2013 by

There’s been a little bit of a media storm this last week or so – to everyone’s huge shock and horror, some UKIP local election candidates have turned out to have ‘interesting views’, from Holocaust denial to the idea that … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression, Politics | 4 Comments

Free speech… what’s the point? UPDATED

Posted on April 18, 2013 by

The whole idea of ‘free speech’ has had a few challenges this last week or so. The Paris Brown saga (about which I’ve written here), the decision by the BBC not to play ‘Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead’ though … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression | 57 Comments

Paris Brown, Free Speech and Social Media

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

The sorry tale of Paris Brown, who stood down as Kent’s Youth Police and Crime Commissioner even before she took office, has already been talked and written about a great deal. I don’t want to add much, just to comment a … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression, Leveson, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

Don’t blame Leveson…

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

There’s been a lot of anger around about the new regulatory system for the press, even before the details have really been sorted out. Some in the press are calling it the end of freedom of speech. Many are angry … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression, Leveson, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Snoopers’ Charter: we need a new consultation

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

The Communications Data Bill – more commonly (and fairly accurately) known as the ‘Snoopers’ Charter’ is due to re-emerge at any moment. We have been expecting it for some time – and yet have seen nothing official, and there has … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression, Hacking, Human Rights, Privacy, Snoopers charter, surveillance, Vulnerability | 1 Comment

Leveson: don’t believe the hype….

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

With Monday’s debate and vote looming, the hype over Leveson seems to be ratcheting up a few notches. Nick Cohen’s acerbic piece in the Observer, headlined ‘Leveson’s liberal friends bring shame upon the left’ is just one example. Given that … Continue reading →

Posted in Defamation, Freedom of expression, Hacking, Leveson | 1 Comment

CREATe and the copyright lobby…

Posted on February 1, 2013 by

From the moment Coaliton MP Jo Swinson (she’s a Lib Dem, apparently, though from her talk she was indistinguishable from a Tory) gave the opening speech at the CREATe launch event, the tensions were apparent. CREATe (whose website is here) … Continue reading →

Posted in Copyright, Digital Economy Act, Freedom of expression, Intellectual Property | 5 Comments

Tiny steps… almost real….

Posted on December 19, 2012 by

The Director of Public Prosecutions issued ‘Interim guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media’ today – in response to the plethora of cases that have been gathering attention over the last few years. There have been many: … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression | 1 Comment

They’re taking over the internet!

Posted on December 6, 2012 by

There’s a big story going around at the moment: the UN’s trying to take over the internet, or some variant of that. It’s all based on the current ITU proposals at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) currently taking place … Continue reading →

Posted in Facebook, Freedom of expression, google, government, Internet, Piracy, Privacy, Snoopers charter | 10 Comments

Turning the tables…

Posted on December 5, 2012 by

————————————————————————– Imagine you’ve just been appointed the head of the online secret police for an oppressive dictatorship. Your leader comes to you with a worried expression. The internet bothers him, he tells you. People get to say whatever they want, … Continue reading →

Posted in Freedom of expression, Privacy International, Snoopers charter, surveillance | Leave a comment