Following the massacre of 30 muslims in New Zealand last week there have been many debates about internet social media sites and in particular twitter, you tube or facebook which allowed people to upload images of the massacre. Why does the internet have different rules to other publishers of content (newspapers, tv channels) ? Is the internet a publisher or is it a infrastructure provider. My first reaction was to think that the internet should be considered a publisher and should have responsibility for the content, however I have since changed my mind. Internet providers are more like billboard companies. If a poster advertised on a billlboard is deemed offensive its not the billboard company that is liable its the advertising company. Social media providers are like paper companies or tv sets they do not create or even choose any of their content so why should they be held responsible? I find censorship always difficult to justify. Where and who draws the line ? Do we trust people or not ? Censorship implies that certain people know better than others what is good or bad for everyone ? Its on that principle that authoritarian governments get built!
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