Articles
Facebook and the closing of the digital mind
While Governments can use the force of law to stifle expression on the Internet, they are far from the only threat to free speech. Tim Berners-Lee, one of the original creators of the World Wide Web, highlights the increasing use of closed Internet architecture, spearheaded by companies like Facebook and […]
Deadly silencing
The tragic deaths in recent weeks of Gareth Williams and Kristian Digby show the tremendous human costs that are associated with the culture of shame surrounding alternative sexual practices. According to some reports, Williams had a fetishistic interest in claustrophilia (an erotic response to enclosed spaces) while Digby engaged in […]
‘Extreme porn’ found on phone
A Sunderland man has admitted possession of a short video clip of male genital mutilation on his mobile phone. He was warned that he could have faced a jail sentence had he forwarded the image along to anyone else. The clip was sent to him by a friend. This is […]
Scottish Parliament passes “extreme porn” law
This week the Scottish Parliament passed its own version of the ban on “extreme porn” as part of the wide ranging Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill. “Extreme pornography” in Scotland includes a potentially much wider range of images, prohibiting possession of depictions of non-consensual sex besides the categories already present […]
Extreme porn charges against pensioner dropped
Jane Fae reports that a man facing charges of possessing extreme pornography has had the case against him dropped. The prosecution were unable to make the case that he intended to possess the images. Although Fae believes this spells greater ambiguity as to how the law can be prosecuted, I […]
John Stagliano faces jail in the US
A surprisingly informative show on Fox (presented by the excellent John Stossel) interviews pornographer John Stagliano on charges of obscenity that he faces in court. Few places in the world have truly durable rights to sexual expression, including the US which has otherwise remarkable judicial protections on free speech.
Backlash Press Release: Tiger Porn defendant miscarriage of justice averted
BACKLASH PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 28 May 2010 “Tiger Porn defendant miscarriage of justice averted” The sexual civil liberties organisation Backlash have assisted in averting a miscarriage of justice. Andrew Holland was charged with one count of possessing extreme pornography under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 […]
Gender crossing in academia
Via the Oxford Libertarian Society, here is an interesting personal account by Deirdre McCloskey. She is the most prominent economist to undergo a gender transition during her academic career.
The LibCon’s Great Repeal Bill
The new LibCon Coalition presents the best opportunity to repeal the prohibiton on so-called ‘extreme pornography’ that is likely to emerge for some time to come. Both parties had shown interest in removing some of the more dangerous civil liberty threatening legislation introduced by the Labour Government in recent years. […]
Man criminalised for offensive tweet
Via Charlotte Gore, Jack of Kent reports that Paul Chambers has been found guilty under the Communications Act 2003 for messaging a somewhat bad taste joke about blowing up an airport from his twitter account. He has received a large fine, a criminal record and lost his job. The case […]