Reflections on Free Expression in the Digital Age – By Rupert Dreyfus

Originally posted on The Change Seekers:

As we wait for the Tories to undermine human rights laws by introducing a British Bill of Work Hard and Get Along, it’s perhaps a good time to reflect on human rights legislation. More specifically I would like to provide some thoughts on the article concerning free expression as presently enshrined in law. The reason for this is that I’d like to explore a lesser discussed problem it raises and how we can perhaps overcome this problem in the Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.”

So far so good. However, there’s a qualifying subsection that such a right to free expression comes with “duties” and “responsibilities”, and then there’s an ambiguous indication of potential legal consequences where “public authority” deem it necessary. Apparently this is in the…

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