Freedom of Speech rights - I will prob tick off someone with this post.

I was reading through the SL site and found this page.
http://blog.secondlife.com/guidelines-for-blog-comments/

Since it is an american company that owns SL aren't they violating our rights to freedom of speech by refusing us that right to post and say whatever the frak we want to no matter if it is offensive, vulgar, demeaning, angry, ect.

No amount of rules and regulations can counter act our given right to freedom of speech not online or offline. Yet by posting the rules and regulations for posting on blog I believe they are refusing us those rights. Seems to me they only enforce the rules, laws, rights, ect thats suits them for their purposes. Yet from what I thought LL is all about conforming to the american government's laws and citizen rights no matter what state or country you are from. LL is still an american company that has to obey america's laws.
So why deny us the right to speak our mind opening on the site instead of having to search for a place in forums that isn't closed down to post or voice our concerns or mind.

No.

Goodness, what an original question, though, nobody has ever said this before in the entire time I've been here.

All of SL - the grid, these forums, the blog, the whole entire thing - is private property. The only rights you have here are the ones they allow you and they can change their mind at any time.

Welcome to the internet.

Freedom of speech only deals with the government restricting your right to speak. A private company can censor you any way they like within their own private world.

In the United States, Freedom of Speech derives from the First Amendment to the United States Consitution. That Amendment provides a prohibition against a government placing a restriction on your speech. It is inapplicable to a private company that may selectively publish, or not publish, what you wish to say. It's a restriction on government action against your speech; it does not force any citizen or corporate entity to publish your speech.

Freedom of speech : Good

Responsibility in the use of said freedom : Better

Private company's private blog (even if accessed publicly) =/= Freedom of speech.

Don't cry about blog censorship if there's still children dying of starvation less than 100 miles from your house.

Kudos to Amity, Vespa, Meade, and Ordinal for having more restraint than I.

A

Welcome to the forum Tal

Hope you feel better getting that off your chest.

if you ever have any problems or questions residents may be able to answer, by all means post them here and we'll do our best to assist

You can post whatever you want here now. It's just the moderators will take it down. Also, you could calmy enter your RL bosses office and tell them what a jerk they are. However, you will probably be fired.

Freedom of speech protects you from criminal charges but not necessarily from other, non-legal consequences of your actions.

Though I don't think many Americans really value their freedom of speech much.

The First Admendment rights given to US citizens is Freedom of Expression (it's more than just speech) and is a basic tenet of the civil liberties in our democracy. It gives us the right to express our views without fear of censorship, or worse, from the GOVERNMENT.


But that doesn't mean you have the right to come in my yard and say anything you want, or to print lies about an individual in the newspaper (or in a blog, or in.....say....the residents' forum). Or to post off-topic comments about chocolate cake in a forum about cherry pie. The owners can say what is appropriate for the blog or forum that they own.
They aren't the government.

oh and others who beat me to the posting..well said. Tal - good question and welcome.

Freedom of speech grants you the write to write and print or say virtually whatever you want publicly. It does not require a private company to allow you the access to do so.

Remember, they don't even have to provide access to a blog for you to post comments.

Oooh, freedom of speech means I can walk around and say all manner of things to people? How funny, where do criminal offences such as libel, slander and such come from then?

Doesn't look like you've necessarily tick'd anyone off with this question.

Many others have all said it quite well - private company, not government agency.


And Ordinal? That is one very impressive feat of oral dexterity, fitting one's ENTIRE tongue into one's cheek..

Two things working against your thoughts on "rights". First, Second Life is owned and operated by Linden Lab which is private company that happens to be located in the United States of American. And since they are an American company they have the very legal right to set rules to their liking as long as they do not violate the Constitution of the United States........any rule the desire. If Linden Lab was a part of the US government then some of your thoughts might apply.......but that is not the case. Secondly, you do not have unfettered rights to act or do as you please even if you are a citizen of the United States. You cannot yell "fire" in a theater, you cannot incite a riot at a legal demonstration, you cannot use "hate speech" in a public forum. Those are not rights that anyone enjoys in this country.

When you signed up for Second Life, you agreed to a set of rules and laws (the famous Terms of Service). You agreed to abide by those rules (which, by the way, are well within the Constitution of the United States). You violate those rules you face possible consequences..........just like you would in the real world in your very own state within the United States. And since you put Texas as your location, I will assume that's where you are located..........try it in that in Texas, and if you are caught you will most likely be held accountable for your "rights" as you see them. You'll most definitely loose that "noble" fight.

You also forget that the US constitution only applies to a small percentage of the players of Second Life, as it is a world wide game.

The fact that its owning company is in the US is really quite irrelevant.

Unfortunately, the 'other part' of freedom of speech is the requirement to use that responsibly. Many people seem to fail to grasp that part.

Broccoli

I do believe that the most excellent Freedom of Speech has to do with preventing a government from suppressing speech that opposes that government.

I sincerely doubt that the makers of the US Constitution envisaged that freedom to be the "right to post and say whatever the frak we want to no matter if it is offensive, vulgar, demeaning, angry, ect."

This has parallels with those who parrot the letter of the TOS to defend their spiritually-impoverished behaviour.
Like spammers and their "right to frea commercial speach" (sic), people who think free speech gives them a right to be hateful and gratuitously offensive are contemptible.
It's unfortunate that US courts sometimes lose sight of the actual meaning and spirit of the Constitution.

Peggy, at least in America, this part of your statement is untrue. Yes, various groups are trying to impose speech codes on us, but for now we are still free.

Yes. As Will Rogers put it, "Your freedom to swing your fist ends where my nose begins."

That "small percentage" is over 30%. This has actually grown - it was 26% or so the last time I looked...

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pxbDc4B2FH94Dsi3na_riHw&gid=7

Oh, is that what this for? Thanks for reminding me Sal

Welcome to the forum Tal. Any SL questions you have .....

Freedom of speech is all well and good, but respect for others is more important.

If 30% is from the US, 70% is not.

That's still a minority

Broccoli

No, not really.

That said, both are good. But were I forced to choose, I definitely wouldn't choose politeness.

But as a ton of others have said, there is no free speech on private forums. Suck it up.

You're right.

Can I have a small percentage of your paycheck?

Sorry, but if I were to stand in a public forum (say a public park or public university) and deliver a speech about hatred of a group or individual with the intent of causing harm (physical or mental) you can bet there are legal avenues against me........and I would loose in a court of law. I can say it in my living room or even my front yard......but I cannot say it in a public forum.

I came to SL from UK where but I believe that the original post is nonsense because freedom of speech before the law is a very different thing to being allowed to say what you like on a forum board.

LL run this thing and if they don't like what you say they can rub it out and it's just tough. You might have committed no crime by speaking freely but you have no universal right to compel publication of your utterences unless you start your own website!

Newspapers don't have to print every letter sent to them, publishers don't have to print every book manuscript submitted to them. If freedom of speech is absolute, how come there are laws of libel and slander in USA just as in UK?