As you may have heard, a number of websites and bloggers are being sued by a gentleman by the name of Wayne Crookes. I don't know all the details, but in light of the Human Rights complaint against Free Dominion, this may be pertinent (it's called an event, but it's just a way to publicize the show):Event Info Name: CBC The National - Threat to the 'Net and Political Free Speech in Canada
Tagline: Don't Miss this CBC Story on Threats to Blogs, Wikis, and Your Right to Know
Host: Defendants of Crookes
Type: Causes - Rally
Time and Place Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Time: 10:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: CBC
Street: The National
City/Town: Ottawa, ON
View Map
Contact Info Phone: 416.532.5459
Email: libelchillinfo@gmail.com
Description:
The National covers political Internet freedoms of speech that you probably hold dear, but that are currently in peril.
A handful of Canadian lawsuits currently pose an enormous threat to the Internet and politics in Canada, namely:
a) the enormous social and global potential of collaborative computing, social networking, and open source dialogue;
b) open and frank political speech in Canada, currently being "chilled" as truth disappears;
c) silencing, real and potential, of Internet whistleblowers, satirists, political humourists, anonymous sources and political dissidents;
d) the potential liability to anyone writing or hosting a blog or a wiki, for fear of legal and financial liability
Political correspondent Leslie Mackinnon interviews Professor of Internet Law Micheal Geist, seasoned blogger Mark Francis, and former Green Party-turned Liberal Party activist Kate Holloway about lawsuits currently opened against them from Wayne Crookes of BC.
Crookes is also currently suing Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo, Myspace, and P2PNet and many more.
PLEASE watch this show to understand the issues better. PLEASE invite all you know on Facebook to this event. PLEASE go to cbc.ca/national and/or to libelchill.ca afterwards to comment and to share your thoughts and read the thoughts of others.
PLEASE take this issue seriously, and finally,
After you see the story, PLEASE go to libelchill.ca and donate to the Defense Fund, a legal fund for the Defendants, to make sure that the Champions of Online Truth can keep fighting for your right to Know, Share and Create online.
I think this is slightly different than Free Dominion's case, in that at least a court of law has rules of evidence and the charges would be based on laws passed by parliament. However, this could be a politically motivated lawsuit, so I will reserve judgment.
_________________________
Visit Opinions Canada
a political blogs aggregator
_________________________
