Wall Street Journal accused of concealing writers' Mitt Romney links

Wall Street Journal accused of concealing writers' Mitt Romney links | Media | guardian.co.uk: "The Wall Street Journal has been criticised by senior US journalists for failing to disclose that 10 of its op-ed writers are Mitt Romney advisers. According to an inquiry by Media Matters, 23 pieces in the WSJ's op-ed pages attacked President Obama or praised Romney without the writers acknowledging their political connections to Romney." 'via Blog this'

Different models on free speech as U.N. debates resolution on curbing ethnic, religious hatred

Different models on free speech as U.N. debates resolution on curbing ethnic, religious hatred - The Washington Post: "Amid the firestorm over an American film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad, the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva votes Friday on a resolution by a group of African and Latin American governments urging countries to “to counter the dissemination of ideas based on racial superiority or hatred.”
The developing world nations are essentially telling the West: Curb free speech that inflicts wounds based on race or religion. But the West is far from uniform on how to balance free speech rights it considers sacrosanct with efforts to tackle the spread of racial, ethnic or religious hatred." 'via Blog this'

"Freedom of Expression and the Internet" 14 Nov 2012 18:00-19:30

IALS Events / Institute of Advanced Legal Studies:
Speakers: Professor Lorna Woods, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Law, City University Law School
Venue Details: Institute of Advanced Legal Studies
Charles Clore House
17 Russell Square
London WC1B 5DR " 'via Blog this'

1st meeting of the Committee of Experts on Rights of Internet Users (MSI-DUI)

13–14 September 2012 Council of Europe Strasbourg Agora G02 - agenda at http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/media/MSI-DUI/MSI-DUI(2012)01E_Agenda_13-14%2009%2012.asp#TopOfPage
 'via Blog this'

STatewatch News Online: ECHR pre-paid mobile phones

STatewatch News Online: ECHR pre-paid mobile phones: "The European Commission criticised anonymity bans in 2011 as follows: "No evidence has been provided as to the effectiveness of those national measures. Potential limitations have been highlighted, for example, in cases of identity theft or where a SIM card is purchased by a third party or a user roams with a card purchased in a third country."[1] The Council of Europe warned that such measures "may not only threaten the privacy of subscribers and users in general, they may also inhibit their freedom of communication since they diminish the degree of anonymity which subscribers and users may wish to avail of when using the telephone by obliging them to reveal their identities".[2]
"Two thirds of all EU Member States prosecute crime successfully without a blanket ban on anonymity", comments complainant Jonas Breyer. "As prepaid cards can be passed on or bought anonymously abroad, criminal investigators generally find identification data to be useless. The Court should scrap those ineffective anonymity bans and re-establish our right to anonymous communications and anonymous speech."" 'via Blog this'

Twitter joke trial: Appeal Judgment Sees the Joke

Essex Internet Law LL.M.: "The Divisional Court has given judgment in the appeal of Paul Chambers against his conviction under the Communications Act 2003, s 127. The Court of Appeal gave judgment on 27 July in Chambers v DPP [2012] EWHC 2157 – the much publicised 'Twitter joke' case. The appeal against conviction was allowed on the basis that this 'tweet' did not constitute or include a message of a menacing character.
The full judgment can be downloaded." 'via Blog this'

Britain’s Half-Hearted Bid to Reform Libel Law

Britain’s Half-Hearted Bid to Reform Libel Law - NYTimes.com: "Perhaps the bill’s greatest weakness is its failure to provide a robust “public interest” defense, which has been a key demand of campaigners. In the United States, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964) established an “actual malice” standard that the press has to meet to avoid action for defamation when reporting on public figures. The English bill however requires writers and journalists to demonstrate that they have been “responsible” in order to qualify for a public interest defense.
The bill includes a checklist of what is defined as “responsible publication,” ranging from the tone of the statement to the “importance” of what is being reported. But compliance with the list’s requirements is debatable and expensive. The uncertainty of this defense will continue to chill the efforts of investigative journalists, scientists and human rights groups from exposing corruption and wrongdoing." 'via Blog this'