It's not a question of rights, it's a question of wrongs.

[andrewducker]

Over here Lilian, in her legal capacity, talks about the Mosley case, where a court decided that printing details of what Max Mosley got up to with bondage prostitutes was his own affair, and that the newspaper had no right to print pictures of it.

Which is interesting, and I have no particular argument with it. Except, as she points out, it doesn't half make you wonder where this particular slippery slope ends. If one of the prostitutes involved writes their autobiography, should that be banned? How about if they were updating their blog? How much expectation of privacy do we have when people are constantly updating the world about the state of their lives?

Certainly, spreading lies about people is wrong, but does that mean we shouldn't be allowed to say things that are true? If I were to write a blog post about having sex with Gordon Brown this morning, thus outing him to the world, would that be actionable? How about if I updated my facebook status? If I wrote a friend a letter? If I told someone down the pub? If I wrote it in my diary? At what point do we draw the line?

I'm not advocating any particular solution (although, as ever, I fall on the side of The Transparent Society), it's just one of the tensions in society that fascinates me.
[Poll #1231162]

Comments

[likeneontubing.livejournal.com]

i just don't know where i stand. i would have to think about each case on its own merits i think.

what a difficult question!

where do you stand? freedom i'm guessing?

[andrewducker]

I go more for freedom when it comes to law. But I'd generally urge people to be polite and considerate.

So I don't think there should be a law against outing people, but I do think that people should think about the effects of their actions and I wouldn't do it myself without a damn good reason.

[likeneontubing.livejournal.com]

I do think that people should think about the effects of their actions

that's precisely why we need laws though - i don't trust *most* people with anything. let alone thinking carefully about the effects their actions might have!

[andrewducker]

I agree. But I generally think that the effects of banning speech are worse for society than of having people being carelessly or callously embarassed.

[likeneontubing.livejournal.com]

good point.

i used to be very much against free speech when i first moved to edinburgh.

simply living in sunderland and seeing racist fucktards rally people in the pubs and make loud racist comments around the place kind of informed my opinions.

it's all too easy living away from that kind of thing to forget the freedom of silence/privacy too, but these days i generally sway towards the freedom of speech end.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

Politeness is a good thing to mention: we need less laws and a more considerate world, in this area as in many others.