Article Abstract:
Internet access providers and online services are not defending privacy and the First Amendment as zealously as the press traditionally has, and news agencies should not ignore encroachments on privacy in cyberspace. America Online and CompuServe have not stood up to police requests for files and restrictions on speech by German authorities. As journalists use the Internet more for research and communications, they should be aware of the burdens on free expression and confidentiality that will be imposed by the European Union data protection directive.
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Article Abstract:
A survey of activity in the 105th Congress reveals that many bills have been proposed that will be of interest to the news media. Tobacco advertising and campaign finance restrictions will implicate First Amendment rights. Bills addressing violence on television and pornography on the Internet will affect the rights and obligations of broadcasters. Increased disclosure of juvenile records and government information will aid in news gathering. Privacy laws will protect information about individuals that is increasingly being held in electronic form.
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Article Abstract:
The US Supreme Court held that the Communications Decency Act violated the free speech rights of adults and was too broad to just meet governmental interests. The law attempts to protect minors from exposure to indecency material on the Internet by requiring credit card verification of age. The Court agreed that there were less broad ways to protect children, such as software that blocks sites, that does not unconstitutionally restrict adults who may or may not have access to credit cards.
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