Question

Early in 2013, a French court found that pseudonymous Twitter postings violated French law against racist speech. The court ordered Twitter to identify the people who had posted the antI-Semitic and racist remarks. Twitter refused, explaining that it protects the identities of users except when a U.S. court orders disclosure. (a)Why do you suppose that French laws would outlaw such speech when u.s. laws do not? Should it? (b) Research: Find out what happened this controversy.

Discusses the research(Privacy and Technology) you have done and answers the question(s) posed in the assignment. (at least 300 words)

Answer 1

Laws of the country are made based on many factors like history, culture, ethics, religion, principle of natural justice, prevailing political conditions. Thus, The laws for regulating the speech whether online or in other modes are strict in France than in US. France being a sovereign state has all right to do so based on their reasoning and that mean they can have strict laws regarding some issue even if US has strict laws on such subject or not. The law on GDPR that is general data protection regulation of European nations protects any individual of their data online or internet with any website or company. However these are subjects to many restrictions as in when the state needs the data of any individual or agencies for legal purpose they can do so under various legal ways.

Technology holds good as long as one can use it with ease and security that it does not harm or takes away certain right to privacy of an individual. If the organizations and government provide for the trust and legal backings that the privacy will never be compromised than the people can rely on technological with sense of security. Technology cannot be used or can become a means to unauthorized use of personal Data of any one without their consent. That is the reason we have seen EU making GDPR in interest of its people right to privacy. However we need also to understand that certain exceptions have to be provided as well that is when a miscreant wishes to take advantage of this privacy law than law must not protect him of his privacy. One should be punished if takes law into his hand or defame any one or goes against their country law.

Twitter cannot say that only when US court orders it will disclose the detail of the pseudonymous twitter user. It can be brought before French legal system if there help is required to find the person who has posted such thing which is against the law of France.