Cybercrime and Society by Majid Yar & Kevin F. Steinmetz

Author:Majid Yar & Kevin F. Steinmetz
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Published: 2019-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

7.7 Summary

This chapter explored a range of issues relating to illegal, harmful, hateful and offensive content online. Debates in this area generate particular controversy, as attempts to control online expression inevitably come into conflict with the freedom of speech. The issues considered here are complicated, since what may be deemed ‘hateful’, ‘harmful’ or ‘offensive’ may or may not be illegal, depending upon the kind of expression (political, sexual) and the legal provisions in different national territories. A particular difference is notable between the USA and Western European nations. While the former places a premium on the preservation of individual freedom of expression, the latter tend to place a greater emphasis upon social harmony, cultural inclusion and the dignity of minority groups. Consequently, we can see a gap between American understandings of prohibitable representations, be they hateful or obscene, and those prevalent in Europe. This ‘legal pluralism’ is also apparent within Europe itself, with significant differences on the prohibition of hate speech and the definition of obscenity. If we extend our view to the global scene, even greater divergences become clear. While hate speech, obscenity and pornography are not phenomena in any way unique to the internet, their appearance online intensifies regulatory problems, as the internet allows the circulation of such representations to span territorial boundaries and cultural contexts, with their different moralities about acceptable and unacceptable speech. We can anticipate that issues relating to obscene, offensive and indecent material will continue to be among the most intensively debated and contested issues related to internet crime.

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