Supreme Court case tests the limits of free speech on Facebook and other social media - The Boston Globe

http://socialnetworkingnews.org/supreme-court-case-tests-the-limits-of-free-speech-on-facebook-and-other-social-media-the-boston-globe/

WASHINGTON — About a week after Tara Elonis persuaded a judge to issue a protective order against her estranged husband, Anthony, her soon-to-be ex had this to say:

‘‘Fold up your PFA [protection-from-abuse order] and put it in your pocket.

“Is it thick enough to stop a bullet?’’

Anthony Elonis didn’t deliver the message in person, by phone, or in a note. He posted it on his Facebook page, for all to see, in a prose style reminiscent of the violent, misogynistic lyrics of rap artists he admires.

In its first examination of the limits of free speech on social media, the Supreme Court on Monday will consider whether, as a jury concluded, the postings by Elonis constituted a ‘‘true threat’’ to his wife and others.

Source: www.bostonglobe.com

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