Questions tagged [freedom-of-speech]

The right to communicate without fear of government sanction or censorship. While this right is implied in some countries, it may not be explicit in all of them. For the U.S. see also "first-amendment" tag.

The freedom of speech is the right to communicate without fear of government sanction or censorship. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises this right, and many countries have enacted legislation to do so.

Not all countries have an explicit or inscribed freedom of speech.

Canonical answers:

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Is it illegal to run away from a police officer in a way that provokes them, in the US?

So I know this is very silly and obviously hypothetical, but I've wondered about it for a while. Let's say you aren't doing anything (else) illegal, you don't have anything illegal on you, and you don't have any warrants for your arrest or anything.…
CuriousDawg
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Does Elon Musk have any grounds for legal action against people who track his plane?

Most airplanes, including Elon Musk's private jet, are required by law to broadcast their location throughout a flight in a well-documented, unencrypted digital format called ADS-B. This system is a critical part of aviation safety infrastructure.…
Someone
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What is the legal status of "warrant canaries"?

A warrant canary is a repeated claim by an individual or organization that they have not been served any warrants with an attached gag order. The idea is that you can say whatever you like if you have not been served such a warrant, but if you are…
Michael Burge
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What is the legal distinction between Twitter banning Trump and Trump blocking individuals?

For reference, this recent NPR article contains all of the information that inspired this question. The lawsuits referenced in the above article center on then-President Trump blocking individual users on Twitter from interacting with or seeing his…
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Does a private citizen in the US have the right to make a "Contact the Police" poster?

Imagine the following hypothetical situation. Assume the location is in the United States. Mary had a credit card stolen by a suspect. The suspect used the credit card at a store. The manager of the store, Adam, saved video surveillance of the…
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Can I put up a joke sign on my private land that reads "Active Minefield"?

I own a few acres (in the USA) and want to put up a joke sign that says "Active Minefield". A friend mentioned that is illegal. I am not so sure, ergo looking for opinion or references. I understand classic free speech examples like you can not…
Marc
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If a moderator of an online forum edits my post to say something illegal, how could I prove I didn't write the incriminating message?

Hypothetical situation. Several years ago, Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman caused some controversy by editing comments that criticized him. On most social media platforms, staff cannot edit users' messages without direct access to the…
Danny
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Can people criticize the Imperial Family in Japan?

Can people criticize the Imperial Family in Japan? I can't find a case or article about law, people in prison, or deportation of a foreigner for criticizing the Imperial Family.
Châu
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Would a giant "F*** BIDEN" flag mounted on a truck be first amendment protected?

I recently saw one of those trucks with flags mounted on them. The usual kind: big truck, 4'x6' flags, usually supporting Don't Tread On Me, Donald Trump, MIA, etc. Or the actual American flag. They are legal by the first amendment and don't cause…
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University prohibits professors from testifying

Context: ABC news has published: University of Florida Prohibits Professors from Testifying The University of Florida is a State College (not a private college) and has indicated the University is a "state actor": “UF will deny its employees’…
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In the USA, can treason be protected by the First Amendment?

Mildred Gillars was convicted of treason September 10, 1948. As I understand it, first Amendment protects unpopular speech, but is confined and not unlimited. The classic example is that one can not yell "fire" in a crowded movie theatre and…
gatorback
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Is it really legal to knowingly lie in public as a public figure?

It's recently been revealed (by himself, even) that the famous business man and Shark Tank member Kevin O'Leary actually does own Bitcoin, and that he bought them in 2017. Ever since, until recently, he's been publicly mocking it, calling it a…
Helmold
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When is cursing illegal in the U.S.?

For example, I've heard before that it's actually illegal to swear at a police officer (I've also heard that's true in the U.K. as well, although that's not my question). However, what counts as "swearing" is a very subjective thing, and clearly…
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Do other countries have free speech protections similar to the First Amendment, and if so, how do those work?

A friend claimed the First Amendment was unnecessary, and mentioned that other countries tended to get along well without it. I realized I didn't actually know much about how freedom of speech or expression worked in other countries, and figured I'd…
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Can an "FBI domain seizure" April Fools joke land you in jail?

I found this GitHub repository that contains collection of several different intelligence agency domain seizure pages, including FBI domain seizure. It is meant to be used by said agencies for real seized domains, but I figured out one of my April…
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