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Reddit Bans Subreddit Dedicated To Finding Navy Yard Shooters

Posted by Unknown on from the saving-us-all-from-armchair-detectives dept.

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Reddit became a gathering place for amateur sleuthing in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this year, fueling what some reports called 'online witch hunts' that resulted in some people being falsely identified as the bomber. Now Andrea Peterson reports at the Washington Post that a section on the popular online community for finding the Navy Yard shooters has been banned. 'We banned it because it violated site rules by encouraging the posting of personal information,' says Erik Martin from reddit. The shooting at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning left at least 12, including a gunman dead. But police say there may be another suspect at large, and they 'have reason to believe' this individual was involved in shootings."

1 of 159 comments (clear)

  1. Re:At least, the justice is not as swift any more by DRJlaw · · Score: 5, Informative

    But you can't ban this â" not without abolishing the First Amendment...

    For values of "you" which equal the Federal government, a State government, a municipality, or some other government actor.

    First amendment: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech..."

    Fourteenth amendment: "nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;"
    Held to bring the States within the umbrella of the first amendment in Gitlow v. New York.

    However, Reddit is not a government actor. More to the point, Reddit has absolute editorial discretion under the Communications Decency Act -- so that even case law concerning speech in company towns and shopping centers cannot be used by analogy to create any obligation for the site to permit it.

    Reddit could ban it, your local paper could ban it, and your ad-supported or paid email service could ban it. They simply don't have the power to throw you in jail or confiscate your money if you violate the ban.