June 15, 2005
A Legal Guide for Bloggers
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF, for short) has published an online Legal Guide for Bloggers.
Like many bloggers, I was unaware that there were specific laws applicable to bloggers that dictate what is legal and what is not. As quoted on the EFF site, however, "None of this should stop you from blogging. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom."
I have not yet read the guide, so I cannot comment as to its content or readability (whether it's written in plain English or legalese). But at the very least, the mere title of the guide lends me to believe that it is a must-read for bloggers who use their blogs to write about current news-worthy stories, other people, public events, etc.
Hat tip and thanks go out to the Southern California Law Blog for bringing this guide to my attention.
Posted by Kasey on June 15, 2005 01:33 PM | Filed Under: MiscellaneousThanks for the link Kasey. I didn't know there was guide.
Posted by: Bruce on June 16, 2005 05:26 PMI don't know if this will be your cuppa, as it's slightly leftist, I only read it infrequently, but I checked out your link (although, I didn't scour it with the [figurative] Karen Silkwood treatment), but you might want to check out http://committeetoprotectbloggers.blogspot.com . I, personally, don't forsee any American Bloggers being in danger of these laws. But, certainly, other bloggers are in danger of arrest under their local laws.
Posted by: Courtney on June 16, 2005 11:36 PMCourtney, thanks for the link. It doesn't matter to me that the site is "slightly leftist" as long as their information about First Amendment rights, especially as those rights pertain to blogging, is factual and based on actual codified law. I will have to visit their site and see what kind of information they offer.
Posted by: Kasey on June 17, 2005 01:28 PM