Freedom of Speech, the Internet, and the Costs of Control: The French Example
Year: 2010
Type: preprint
Abstract: This Note argues that the current infrastructure of the Internet renders networks so difficult to control that the objectives of restrictive state policies in the area of Internet speech cannot be achieved without the use of measures inconsistent with the tenets of democracy. First, this Note explores the perceived importance and necessity of content control of speech in the French legal and cultural orders, and examines the French government’s experience with controlling the Minitel. Then, the author argues that the Internet renders content control much more difficult to implement, and analyzes recent case law and legal developments in France. The Note concludes that, as exemplified in the French experience, the costs of content control weigh against state implementation of traditional regulatory schemes on the Internet.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Julien Mailland
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1834272519