The ‘Brandenburg test’ for incitement to violence
In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court made history by ruling that, to merit conviction, the violence advocated must be intended, likely and imminent. By Jeff Howard.
Brigitte Bardot’s repeated convictions for inciting racial hatred
Should a world famous actress be allowed to denounce an ‘overpopulation’ by foreigners? By Michèle Finck.
Is the European Court of Human Rights merely defending the uncontroversial?
A famous case of state censorship in Austria highlights the tendency of governments to pander to the majority, leaving controversial views unprotected. By Michele Finck.
Does the Strasbourg court allow too much for local taboos?
En 2005, l’arrêt I.A. contre Turque constituait un précédent controversé concernant l’interprétation restrictive de l’article 10 de la Convention européenne des droits de l’homme au nom de la religion explique Michèle Finck
“If you rattle a snake…” The Kenyan government bites its media
In 2006 the Kenyan police violently raided the offices and printing press of the Standard Group media organisation. What was the government afraid of seeing reported? Dominic Burbidge explores a revealing case.
Cyber-bullying that led to suicide
On 10 October 2012 the Canadian teenager Amanda Todd committed suicide after years of cyber-bullying and harassment. Judith Bruhn describes a shocking case.
A right to lie about government?
In the landmark case of New York Times v Sullivan, in 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that criticism of public officials must be protected, even if some of the claims were inaccurate. Jeff Howard explains.
Does a murderer have the right to be forgotten?
In 2008 two convicted murderers asked for their names to be removed from Wikipedia and other online media outlets, in accordance with German law. Does the individual’s right to be forgotten take priority over the public’s right to know?
Facebook’s over-zealous face tagging
Should Facebook automatically suggest who is in a photo? Sebastian Huempfer asks whether Facebook’s photo tagging software infringes the privacy of its users.
Can Google’s algorithm slander a politician’s wife?
Type 'Bettina Wulff', the name of a former German president’s wife, into Google and the autocomplete function will add 'escort'. Is this algorithmic addition a form of defamation? Sebastian Huempfer explores the case.
A university of less-than-liberal arts?
Should Yale University refuse to operate in Singapore where human rights and free expression face significant restrictions? Katie Engelhart weighs the arguments for and against.
What’s your beef with my freedom to eat it?
Bans on eating beef and pork are contested in India. Manav Bhuhshan discusses why this is an issue of caste discrimination and can be seen as a restriction on freedom of expression.
Satire or sedition? Political cartoons in India
Indian Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was recently arrested on sedition charges. Manav Bhushan discusses how an archaic section of India's penal code has been used to silence government critics.
Yahoo, free speech and anonymity in China
In 2002 Wang Xiaoning was sent to prison for 10 years after Yahoo passed on personal information Chinese authorities used to identify him. Judith Bruhn explores a case of conflicting laws and moral expectations.
The topless duchess
Judith Bruhn explores the theory and practice of privacy in Europe and whether a court injunction was enough to salvage the Duchess of Cambridge's privacy.
Orlando Figes and the anonymous poison pen
What exactly was wrong with a historian publishing caustic anonymous reviews of his competitors' books on Amazon? Katie Engelhart explores the issues raised by a tragic-comic case.
