VIOLENCE
http://www.stedwards.edu/
http://www.stedwards.edu/newc/capstone/sp2000/Privacy/home.html
Consider the recent massacre at Columbine High
School. Teenagers accessed information on how to
build bombs on the Internet. It was discovered
that they regularly engaged in violent computer
games that simulate killing other human beings.
Their appetite for destruction seemed to be
exacerbated by content they were readily able to
access on the Internet.
I picked up a copy of "George"
magazine the other day. One of the feature
stories was about a man known as "Uncle
Fester." The title of the article is,
"The Most Dangerous Man in America."
Uncle Fester is considered to be a genius-type
that publishes books on how to build your own
bombs, make your own vest proof bullets and
manufacture your own drugs. The publishing house
that sold his books came under fire for selling
destructive information. They discontinued the
sales of his books. But, that doesn’t bother
Uncle Fester. He currently sells his books on the
Internet. He stated, "That means more
profits for me!" (George XX).
Another recent development in hate crimes
seems to stem from the Anti-abortionists posting
of personal information on the Internet relating
to the doctors who perform abortions. In January
1997, Neal Horsley created the "Nuremberg
Files" Web site fashioned after the
Nuremberg Files in which nazi war criminals were
put on trial. This information included want- ad
style posters listing the names of these doctors,
their home addresses and automobile license plate
numbers, the names of their family members
including their children. Some of these doctors
were murdered and a strike was placed through
their names on the web site. Planned Parenthood
sued the defendants, who included the American
Coalition of Life Activists, stating that the web
site encouraged a campaign of terror and
intimidation against the doctors named and their
families. These families now share how they wear
bulletproof vests and rarely go anywhere (Rovner
303). The following web site http://www.prochoice.org/violence/98vd.html
lists the violent attacks on abortion clinics and
those who work there. Is posting personal
information on the Internet for the purposes of
exposing hate and violence protected by the First
Amendment?
The judge found for the plaintiffs and awarded
them $100 million. It is interesting to note that
the Judge ruled that the Court did not have the
jurisdiction to close down the site. However, the
ISP housing the site, MindSpring, did refuse
service for the site. Should society reasonable
expect to have government intervention on web
sites containing information that may be harmful
to even one person if not many others? How does
government balance its moral interest in
protecting society without trampling over other
personal rights like freedom of speech?
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