The Offensive Internet: Speech, Privacy, and Reputation

by Saul Levmore (Editor), Martha C. Nussbaum (Editor)

The Internet has been romanticized as a zone of freedom. The alluring combination of sophisticated technology with low barriers to entry and instantaneous outreach to millions of users has mesmerized libertarians and communitarians alike. Lawmakers have joined the celebration, passing the Communications Decency Act, which enables Internet Service Providers to allow unregulated discourse without danger of liability, all in the name of enhancing freedom of speech. But an unregulated Internet is a breeding ground for offensive conduct.

At last we have a book that begins to focus on abuses made possible by anonymity, freedom from liability, and lack of oversight. The distinguished scholars assembled in this volume, drawn from law and philosophy, connect the absence of legal oversight with harassment and discrimination. Questioning the simplistic notion that abusive speech and mobocracy are the inevitable outcomes of new technology, they argue that current misuse is the outgrowth of social, technological, and legal choices. Seeing this clearly will help us to be better informed about our options.

In a field still dominated by a frontier perspective, this book has the potential to be a real game changer. Armed with example after example of harassment in Internet chat rooms and forums, the authors detail some of the vile and hateful speech that the current combination of law and technology has bred. The facts are then treated to analysis and policy prescriptions. Read this book and you will never again see the Internet through rose-colored glasses.

Genres: Technology, Politics, Law, Nonfiction, Internet, Science, Cultural Studies

312 pages, Hardcover

First published December 21, 2010

About the author

Saul Levmore is the William B. Graham Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Reviews

[Mysteryfan]

A very accessible collection of essays about Internet privacy, libel, and defamation. The discussion of the "cyber-cesspools" and high- and low-value speech are particularly interesting. The essays are primarily from the legal point of view but legal jargon is kept to a minimum.

[Tara Brabazon]

Effective book investigating the problems and challenges of online anonymity. How do we balance privacy and dignity? Great analysis of the borders and boundaries of online behaviour.

[Simon Kidd]

I haven't read this book yet, having just heard about it. But I did write a blog post on a similar topic last year:

https://simonkidd.wordpress.com/2017/...