Questions tagged [freedom-of-speech]
The right to communicate without fear of government sanction or censorship. While this right is implied in some countries, it may not be explicit in all of them. For the U.S. see also "first-amendment" tag.
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Does the context of one’s displays of Nazi emblems matter to its legality?
In Germany, I understand that openly displaying Nazi symbols is illegal but that is heavily dependent on the context indicating that they are being displayed as a promotion or celebration of Nazism. ...
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Are the any limits on what historical terrorist acts can result in criminal charges if glorified?
Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has acknowledged that historical events such as apartheid actions of Nelson Mandela and the revolutionary battles of ...
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Blocked on social media by publicly funded non profit [closed]
In Nevada there is an entity called Home Means Nevada that has blocked me on X.
One of their mediators made a false certification to the court that he delivered their findings to me, however he did ...
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Cartoons vs Publicity Rights
I've learned that it's legal to write about famous people without their permission as long as the use is "expressive" rather than advertising. However, I believe it's illegal to use pictures ...
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What features of speech make it incitement?
It is in the news that the UK home secretary Suella Braverman and the Home Office Minister Robert Jenrick consider chanting "Jihad" to be inciting terrorist violence.
Assuming this came to ...
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Is it legal for me to ask people who are applying to work for me if they were in a sorority in college and not hire them if they were? [closed]
Long story short, I have issues with sorority girls dating back to when I was younger that I don't really want to elaborate on here. I have little to no problem with fraternity brothers, and so I ...
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What is the legality of France specifically banning all pro-Palestinian protests?
French Prime Minister Gérald Darmanin has recently instructed the prefects (regional state representatives) to ban all pro-Palestinian protests as they are "likely to cause a public disturbance&...
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Can harassment alarm or distress that arises simply by virtue of the content of the views expressed being found objectionable by another be offensive?
If:
a person expresses some of their views in the most unobjectionable way that they see possible,
that expression causes harassment, alarm, or distress in another, and
Some other person finds the ...
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Can one rightfully sue stack exchange for religious discrimination?
In the disciplined arena of Stack Overflow, a case has come to light where a user faced a 180-day ban for incorporating the term "B”H" at the beginning of their posts.
This term, deeply ...
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Is police discretion subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)?
Polly the police officer is charged with monitoring and policing a large demonstration which is evenly split between pro-X and anti-X factions. Or alternatively lets say it is dominated by ...
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Would or could it be a public order offence (racially/religiously aggravated or otherwise) to burn or mutilate a national flag or a holy scripture?
In the UK, Alice burns a Quran on a public pavement.
Bob tears up an Irish flag.
Do either of these commit public order offences?
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Can one hold a video playback device in public that shows pornography in the U.S.?
Alice stands in a public square holding a television that shows pornographic video content. Is she protected by the first amendment?
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Are there any limitations on a congressperson's freedom of speech in Congress?
The Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution protects senators' and representatives' right to freedom of speech when debating in Congress, separately from the First Amendment freedom of speech ...
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Was the recent ruling against Jordan Peterson an infringement of his free speech?
From what I've gathered, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson was taken to court by the College of Psychologists of Ontario on complaints of professional misconduct. This was based on him making public statements (...
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Opinion vs Defamation [duplicate]
Alex Jones was fined over $1 billion for defaming Sandy Hook parents. I don't know the details, but I believe the essence of the case is that he claimed certain individuals were involved in a ...
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I was banned from an online forum. Which law would enable me to force admins to restore my account and issue an apology? (and pin my post to homepage) [closed]
For example - Twitter is very pro freedom of speech.
Some online forum - their home - their rules - their Terms & Conditions.
I do not like the fact that I was banned, without breaching any rules. ...
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What legal framework entitles Alex Stein to speak for 3 minutes and what are the parameters of this entitlement?
See this video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwDnEVAIE6z/
Comedian Alex stein uses public government meetings in his typical style to express controversial viewpoints through absurdist comedic quips....
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Is there a bright line for witness, prosecutor & judge intimidation?
ABC News reports:
Trump on Friday afternoon had posted a message to his social media
platform, Truth Social, saying, "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER
YOU!"
I am curious as to how the ...
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Do messages exchanged between students during a virtual class count as "Off-Campus Speech"?
I am the IT manager of a high school. I setup an online conference system during the height of the pandemic so that classes could be conducted virtually. We still sometimes switch to virtual classes ...
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Does the First Amendment shield the previous president from the August 2023 D.C. Indictments?
The former president is charged with:
Count 1: 18 U.S.C. § 371 (Conspiracy to Defraud the United States)
Count 2: 18 U.S.C. § 1512(k) (Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding)
Count 3: 18 U.S.C. ...
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Is it legal to place difficult-to-remove deliberately-annoying alarms in a building without permission to do so?
In the UK, a group of unaffiliated people went to a banquet by Just Stop Oil, a climate change activist group, and released electronic alarms tied to balloons. The banquet took place in a building ...
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Why aren't the laws banning Nazi symbols in Australia unconstitutional?
Recently, in Australia, a number of state governments have passed laws banning the display of Nazi symbols, and in the last few weeks, the federal government has been talking about passing a law about ...
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What law makes intending to cause harassment alarm and distress an offence in the UK?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-62793135
I know that s5 makes conduct “likely to cause” … harassment alarm or distress a crime on a strict liability basis. But what provision makes ...
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Are street preachers worthy of being sectioned?
Some of them are really ridiculous, like they stand on street corners where they are likely to harass the most people and often they don’t even speak the best (by which I mean the most intelligible) ...
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In California, simply spectating a "sideshow" is illegal (jailtime/fine). Is this constitutional?
In the Bay Area, there is a problem called "sideshows", where youths do dangerous stunts with cars (like donuts) on public streets, usually at an intersection (example video). California, ...
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Are sites that give unfiltered ADS-B data legal?
Are plane tracking services based on Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) transmissions that do not honor the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Limited Aircraft Data Display (LADD) ...
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Would a political poster implying that a politician will be killed by angry citizens constitute a legally-actionable threat under U.S. law?
In the U.S., freedom of speech does not extend to serious threats to cause harm to another.
Don and Ron are two reactionary politicians. One election season, John, who hates reactionaries with a ...
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How are suits filed against federal officials under the First Amendment if there is no implied or express right of action?
I construe a right of action to be the ability to sue somebody for injunctive and monetary relief. If there isn't a right of action for the First Amendment like how Bivens provided a right of action ...
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How can anti-hate-speech laws be inconsistent with the First Amendment when (for instance) libel laws are consistent with it? [closed]
Although the first article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States states that
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech
this proscription is far from absolute, as ...
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Does the First Amendment apply to amateur radio?
Is speech over amateur radio constitutionally protected?
Could I theoretically sue the FCC for the right to broadcast music on 20 meters, and have a chance of winning on free speech grounds?
If the ...
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At what point can the government limit your 1st amendment right to free speech?
Bill is a retired U.S. naval intelligence officer. He is very knowledgeable on the history of U.S. government oppression and state sponsored terrorism. He likes to spend his free time walking around ...
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If you taunt someone, then are you disqualified from "self-defense" when they become violent with you?
Dave is angry and intoxicated. Terry the Troll goes up to Dave and starts insulting him and his mother (etc.), and Dave lashes out and starts trying to beat up Terry.
My question is if Terry "...
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Legality of legacy Delta advertisement [closed]
Would the following advert be illegal currently?
What specific laws would it disobey and why?
Or would it be totally legal?
It's hardly controversial compared to i.e. Tinder adverts, or Sex in the ...
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Effect of Kennedy v Bremerton on political speech
Most media coverage of Kennedy v. Bremerton revolves around religious exercise and whether the school was hostile to it. However, the majority opinion holds that Kennedy's prayer was protected by both ...
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Is it legal to read or distribute the DeCSS Haiku?
TL;DR: Is it legal to download and read the DeCSS Haiku in the US? Is it legal to share it?
I now ask about
The DeCSS haiku
A poem written
As an exercise
Of the First Amendment right
To speak of one's ...
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Is it illegal to warn employees about workplace harassers if the company doesn't want you to?
I was sexually harassed at my previous job. I filed a complaint to the company, but they downplayed and dismissed it. I've heard that workplace harassment cases are hard to win, and I didn't think I ...
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Does Elon Musk have any grounds for legal action against people who track his plane?
Most airplanes, including Elon Musk's private jet, are required by law to broadcast their location throughout a flight in a well-documented, unencrypted digital format called ADS-B. This system is a ...
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Is banning crusade costumes in Qatar denying freedom of expression?
Crusaders banned in qatar
English fans with crusader costumes were banned in Qatar.
Is this a violation of freedom of speech/expression and, consequently, a violation of basic human rights of Article ...
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Is a US Government order to a private media company to suppress an article/story a violation of the First Amendment?
I'm trying to better understand this comment (and its implications):
In a pure hypothetical (so as to avoid any speculation on whether or not it happened), if the US Government were to be found to ...
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Is there an example of someone trying to incite violence being found innocent because the speech was too ineffectual to pass the Brandenburg test?
As I understand it the Brandenburg test for deciding if speech is protected has two parts:
The speech is “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action,” AND
The speech is “likely to ...
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What is the legal case for someone getting arrested publicizing information about nuclear weapons deduced from public knowledge
I have a vague memory of a court case involving a man being prosecuted for publicizing information about nuclear weapons. He obtained that information by logic deduction and probably calculations from ...
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Legality of busking a song with copyrighted melody but using different lyrics to deliver a message
Are there any legal impediments to busking a song with melody and lyrics copyrighted in the United States---with the same melody but with different lyrics---on U.S. streets?
Does it matter if the song ...
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What is the remedy in First Ammendment cases involving city councils?
City councils in the United States routinely try to ban or censure criticism of other individuals ("personal attacks") during their deliberations. For example, in some cases chairs have ...
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Is it considered harrassment in the US to call a black man the N-word?
I recently saw a Youtube Short featuring a man interviewing Jordan Peterson and they were discussing the legality of calling someone by racial slurs, specifically the N-word. Seemingly having actually ...
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Giving information to patients about schedule 2 drug stocks at a retail pharmacy in Florida (US)
Context: There is currently a nationwide shortage of Adderall, a schedule 2 drug. One of the pieces of advice for patients is to see about getting the drug in a different formulation, as not all ...
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Is it legal to remove chalk drawings on public property?
Politically neutral version
Political group A chalked messages on public property. (Assume this is legal.) Group B, who disagree with A, deface A's message by rinsing it with water (making it ...
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Definition of the term "reasonable" in Colorado House Bill 21-1310, or how it will be decided if not defined
Colorado house bill 21-1310 was signed on 2021-07-01 and became law. It limits the rights of HOAs to regulate flags and signs. Specifically it says:
THE ASSOCIATION MAY ESTABLISH REASONABLE , CONTENT ...
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Did the Manchester consulate Hong Kong independence protestors commit a public order offence?
Protestors recently gathered outside the PRC consulate in Manchester raising a photoshopped portrait of President xi in a noose.
Would this have been tolerated had it been king Charles outside of ...
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Judges barring defendants from using social media
A New York Times article recently mentioned that a US immigration judge has prohibited a non-US-citizen from speaking on social media, apparently as a condition of release from detention.
But the ...
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Can an individual be held responsible if their code is used maliciously?
For a while now, I have been interested in viruses, backdoors, etc. As a result, I've started to tinker around with techniques on how to go undetectable for educational/personal purposes. I'd like to ...
Eccentrici