The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a Facebook "like" falls under the protection of the constitutional right of free speech. The ruling came up after six employees lost their jobs at a sheriff's office in Virginia after communicating their support for the current sheriff's opponent in an upcoming election via liking and writing on the opponent's Facebook page.
These types of issues will continue to arise as social media continues to be used a platform for users to communicate their views on personal, political, ideological, etc. matters. As information is exchanged in these virtual communities and networks, amendments will need to be made to a constitution and laws developed before a digital age was ever imagined. With social media opening up a portal for different ways for pretty much anything to be done and/or communicated, courts will need to figure out how interactions in a social media context apply and coincide with current laws, as well as likely create new ones specific to a digital age.
No comments:
Post a Comment