2. Free speech in the United States: Expression vs. Hostility Seeking a Balance: Enhancing the First Amendment Challenges

3. New and more public forms of communication arose with the advancement of technology. New communication = greater opportunity for expressing beliefs Examples: Telephone/skype Blogging on the internet Facebook and Myspace With greater access to modes of public communication people tend to express valid beliefs about various topics – whether they be poitical, economic, or social. However, with such technologies, more extreme and dangerous points of view can be expressed. Early history: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789): "The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law."

4. Imposing/Strengthening Laws Governments begin to realize that the rights for free speech have to be curbed as free speech can overwhelm moral degradation and crime. There have been many laws/tests avoiding harmful and inflammatory speech since The Alien and Sedition Act of 1789. Steps can be taken to curb individual forms of free speech Examples: Tapping phone calls Blocking suspicious websites in schools Making websites private Governments are getting involved to assist in protection. Parents are recommended to use filter software to protect children. http://www.kids.us

5. The general public believes in the First Amendment fully in that nothing should prevent them from expressing any sort of opinion to the community. Our responsibility as citizens is to ensure we receive those rights. A challenge arises: What constitutes expression and what constitutes hostility? Who determines this fine line? How can the government handle this situation and how far can they go without impeding the “right of free speech?” An example of ambiguity in free speech: The painting, La Source by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, which depicts a young female in the nude. Is this art or is this child pornography? Should it be removed from the web for indecency/misinterpretation?

6. What can a government do? The Australian government uses ISPs to filter “objectionable material” and block access for users. The Challenge: This plan has faced public criticism and several petitions were created to block this. What is the US government doing? It requests people to report any suspicious or unusual behavior/remarks they see online Positive result: The Government can successfully remove questionable material from websites without deterring free speech rights from the public

7. Free Speech is important in order for a society to gather differing opinions and advance thoughts and ideas for the betterment of a society. However, there are instances in which expressing beliefs can go too far. This occurs in cases of terrorism, child pornography, defamation, etc. Governments or higher authorities should be responsible in curbing potential hostility in free speech. This is not to impede the right, but to ensure the safety and protection of the people.

8. Advancements of technology create new modes of free communication among the general public, and the greater the freedom, the greater the need for regulation. Free Speech in the United States can be regulated through government intervention, or through intervention of a higher authority such as parents, school officials, etc. The objective is to find a balance between censoring inappropriate material on the internet and impeding the rights guaranteed to the people by the First Amendment. However, an existing paradoxical challenge is passing laws to ensure public safety, only to be met by criticism and petitions/strikes guaranteed by free speech.