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.'"

Comments

I'd fire them too

[Anonymous Coward]

Along with anyone else who's enough of a douche to participate in the circle jerk of "liking" things on facebook.

Re:What kind of world...

[PopeRatzo]

"Too" implies that people are still considered people, I'm not sure that is an assumption that can safely be made.

It depends on your bank balance, your gender, the color of your skin and your sexual identity.

So, by my calculations, that leaves a couple of hundred people who are people, and they're getting pretty old, so...