Yue Bai(Bella) CS408

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yse3@wildcats.unh.edu

Assignment 6: Hate and the Internet

  1. How would you define “hate speech?”
  2. Answer: "Hate Speech" is a kind of comunication, and we also call it vilification which means a person or a group based on discrimination against other person or group.

  3. Would you advocate placing limits on free expression (as most European countries do) in order to deal with the problems posed by hate speech? If so, how would you define those limits?
  4. Answer: I would advocate placing limits on free expression in order to deal with the problems posed by hate speech. Those limits are limitions to protect victims who get hurt from the vififictions.

  5. Should we attempt to reach an international consensus on how to define hate speech and on the standards (if any) to be applied in dealing with it?
  6. Answer: In my point of view, I think we should attempt to reach an international consensus on how to define hate speech and on the standards to be dealing with it. It is very important for the whole world countries to protect human rights.

  7. Is censorship or filtering of hate group websites ever appropriate? If so, under what circumstances?
  8. Answer: Yes, censorship or filtering can be very useful action against hate group websites and hate speech, especially for those people like racists who do so to incite conflicts.

  9. Should creators of hate-oriented web sites be held responsible for actions of people (such as the "lone wolves," people who commit crimes of hatred without specific instructions) who view those sites and then commit hate crimes?
  10. Answer: If the websites are created on purpose by its owner to advertise hate speech like racism and terrorism, the creators are supposed to be reponsible for those hate crimes. However, we also need to be aware that some websites are not hate-oriented at the very beginning, but the people visiting the website may post hate speech. In this case, I don't think the creator should be responsible since a website is regarded as a free and open platform that anybody can say anything by default.

  11. Would you advocate special restrictions on making hate-related material available to children via the Internet? (If so, what would you propose?)
  12. Answer: Definitely we need to take special restrictions and make the hate-related material away from children since children are good at mocking and easy to be affected. We may build up cooperation with children's parents and take some actions like limiting the time that children spend on-line and asking the parents accompany when they are surfing on-line.

  13. Should there be any distinction between what is legal online and what is legal offline?
  14. Answer: To admit or not, the world of Internet is more open and tolerant than our reality life. However, I don't think we should have double standard for on-line and offline. If something is illegal offline but legal on-line, some people will definitely make use of the anonymity of Internet to release more hate speech. In this case, it will not help us to better regulate our on-line world.

  15. Should the standards that apply to hate-related material be different from the standards that apply to other objectionable material such as pornography?
  16. Answer: I think this question is too vague to answer. The "hate-related material" is a wider concept regard to pornography. The hate-related material can of course be sexual related as well. So I don't think the standards for hate speech will be very difficult to be applied to pornography since they have very little in common.

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