Slashdot Mirror
EU Bans Sock-Puppet Blogs
PhilipMarlowe9000 writes in with news of a new EU directive that will take effect in the UK at the end of this year to ban "sock-puppet" reviews or websites, part of an EU-wide overhaul of consumer laws. From the article: "Businesses that write fake blog entries or create whole wesbites purporting to be created by customers will fall foul of a European directive banning them from 'falsely representing oneself as a consumer.' From December 31, when the change becomes law in the UK, they can be named and shamed by trading standards or taken to court. The Times has learnt that the new regulations also will apply to authors who praise their own books under a fake identity on websites such as Amazon."
Better question: why only US politics? Oh, that's right, because Slashdot is run by americans and they think they're arrogant enough to think they are the only country that matters.
How we know is more important than what we know.
Commercial speech is already censored.
Hmmm, I thought that's what this statement, First, commercial speech is censored., meant.
I don't care where it is. The original post still stands. Free speech is unconditional, or it isn't free. Claiming to have free speech when you don't is fraudulent. There is no "a little pregnant".
What?
...but don't you dare restrict my right to say it!
You're right. I won't. I don't have any right to do so. Say it as loud and as often as you want. I don't care. If anybody believes you, that's their problem. If they try to make it my problem, I will go after them, not you. They are the offenders for what ever actions they take against me, not you. I don't care what motivates them. So feel free and put into a journal on the front page if you like, and I'll deal with anybody who tries anything stupid. Your free speech rights are secure with me.
What?
Uh, are YOU this stupid? He's saying that anyone has the right to knowingly make whatever false statements they want to. Which is what the constitution says.
I also wonder why so many people are convinced that specific limits on free speech are a new thing (they aren't), and that such limits make it impossible to protect speech which needs to be free (it hasn't).
Because if you had more than the most tenous of grasps on history and reality in general, you wouldn't be a libertarian.