Logo

If freedom of speech is absolute, how come it's not applied for private spaces and for the Internet?

09.06.2025 08:34

If freedom of speech is absolute, how come it's not applied for private spaces and for the Internet?

No freedom is absolute.

You have freedom of speech. If I loan you my computer, I can tell you not to use it for certain things, because it’s mine, you have no right to use it, and if I give you permission to use it I can tell you what you can and can’t do with it.

And much, much more.

What kind of lights would you like to use for your home decor?

That’s what it is. You have no right to use other people’s stuff. If people let you use their stuff, they can tell you how you can use it, and they can tell you to stop using it any time they want.

Freedom of speech does not apply to:

Child pornography

What do you think of the 2 female 18 and 19 year-old German tourists, detained in Honolulu, strip-searched, put in green jumpsuits, placed in a holding cell and the next day deported, for the terrible crime of not pre-booking a hotel for their trip?

Fraud

Terroristic threats

You have freedom to travel. If I loan you my car, I can tell you not to take it out of town, because it’s mine, you have no right to use it, and if I give you permission to use it I can tell you what you can and can’t do with it.

Users Are Leaving Google Drive for This 2TB Cloud Plan - PCMag

Perjury

HIPAA violations

Trade secrets

U.S. Home Sellers Are Sitting on Nearly $700 Billion Worth of Listings, an All-Time High - Redfin

If you’re wondering why free speech doesn’t apply to the internet, it’s because you have no right to use other people’s stuff for free.

Insurrection

Threats of violence

Gold Climbs as Rising Geopolitical and Trade Tensions Aid Havens - Bloomberg.com

False advertising

Revenge porn

Insider trading

Aldi vs Oreo: Oreo maker sues Aldi over 'copycat' packaging - BBC

Revealing classified information

Conspiracy