Scott Cavanaugh, CS408-01

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Assignment 5: Hate and the Internet

  1. I define hate speech as, any language that discriminates against, or hurts others that falls outside the law.
  2. I believe there should be some limits on freedom of expression. For example in schools you can't just say anything you want. I believe, that rules change on location, like the law states. However, I feel like this is already the law, which I believe to be a good standard.
  3. I do not believe we should come to an international consensus concerning hate speech. What we have makes sense, and it would be very challenging to reach a consensus. People need to police themselves, and think what is morally right.
  4. I think hate speech filled websites should be monitored. The website itself should refrain from anything illegal. Also it is up to parents and people themselves to educate each other, and stay away from dangerous websites.
  5. Website creators should not be held responsible if someone commits a crime on their website. It relatable to a business, when and employee steals or does something illegal in a business, the employee is fired, not the boss. The creator should therefore monitor the website, to check for criminals, and then take action against said criminals
  6. One thing I would advocate it that children can't reach every website. Not to say they won't try, but they must be discouraged. The same way and adult website says, "Must be 18 to Enter", risky websites should at least have similar warnings on their homepage. This is just a starting point, or a bare minimum for websites.
  7. I believe everything online should follow the same laws and restrictions as the real world. The hardest part is interpreting the difference and policing the internet. I think that people will adapt and come up with solutions as the digital age moves on.
  8. I think hate material is a general term. Therefore, hate material is also objective for every individual, just like pornography. It depends on the person, so I think digression should be advised, but if it falls within the law you can't do anything about it.