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Facebook 'Likes' Aren't Protected Speech

An anonymous reader writes "In what may win awards for the silliest-sounding lawsuit of the year, a case about whether Facebook 'likes' qualify for free speech protection under the First Amendment has ended in a decisive 'no.' In the run-up to an election for Sheriff, some of the incumbent's employees made their support for the challenger known by 'liking' his page on Facebook. After the incumbent won re-election, the employees were terminated, supposedly because of budget concerns. The employees had taken a few other actions as well — bumper stickers and cookouts — but they couldn't prove the Sheriff was aware of them. The judge thus ruled that 'merely "liking" a Facebook page is insufficient speech to merit constitutional protection. In cases where courts have found that constitutional speech protections extended to Facebook posts, actual statements existed within the record.'"

2 of 214 comments (clear)

  1. Re:What kind of world... by mykos · · Score: 5, Funny
    Planet AMURICA.

    Corporations are people too, so suck it, you godless socialist atheist communist fascist Islamist!

  2. Re:What kind of world... by arth1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    That would be Jamaica.

    "I Liked the sheriff
    but I did not Like his deputy..."