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Internet Free Speech

The rapid growth of the internet and internet technologies created a powerful opportunity for individuals to be heard on a wide variety of issues, including  government, the corporations that have an increasing role in economic security, and unions that represent their labor interests.

Public Citizen has developed a program of litigation and other forms of advocacy to protect the rights of these individuals against entities that seek to curtail or suppress the exchange of ideas and criticism that is enabled by this online platforms.

View Public Citizen’s Internet Free Speech Cases

Guide for Bloggers and Non-Profit Organizations About Writing with Libel in Mind

This guide discusses the elementary principles of libel law and explains how to prepare for and conduct a pre-publication libel review.

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Statement of Public Citizen’s Paul Levy on Maryland House Bill 263

In testimony to the Maryland legislature on February 10, 2016, Paul Levy discussed a pending anti-SLAPP bill and suggested changes to protect consumers’ speech on matters of public interest.

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Legal Perils and Legal Rights of Internet Speakers

This outline contains legal citations, links to relevant web sites, and other resources.

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Litigating Civil Subpoenas to Identify Anonymous Internet Speakers

This 2011 article by Paul Alan Levy explains how to defend against subpoenas, with citations to relevant cases (published in Litigation, the journal of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association.)

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A Guide to Fair Use in Posting Soccer Video Clips

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Developments in Dendrite

This 2012 article, published in Florida Coastal Law Review, examines developments in the caselaw governing subpoenas to identify anonymous internet speakers.

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Introduction to Section 230

Internet Users Are Liable Only for Their Own Content – An Introduction to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act

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