Cyber Rights

Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age
2003 edition
AuthorMike Godwin
Original titleCyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age
LanguageEnglish
SubjectCyberlaw
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherTimes Books
Publication date
1998
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeHardback
Pages352
ISBN0-8129-2834-2
OCLC37688296
Followed byWhat Every Citizen Should Know About DRM 

Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age is a non-fiction book about cyberlaw, written by free speech lawyer Mike Godwin. It was first published in 1998 by Times Books.[1] It was republished in 2003 as a revised edition by The MIT Press.[2] Godwin graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1990 and was the first staff counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Written with a first-person perspective, Cyber Rights offers a background in the legal issues and history pertaining to free speech on the Internet. It documents the author's experiences in defending free speech online, and puts forth the thesis that "the remedy for the abuse of free speech is more speech".[3] Godwin emphasizes that decisions made about the expression of ideas on the Internet affect freedom of speech in other media as well, as granted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The book was received favorably by Library Journal, where it was "Recommended for anyone concerned about expression on the Internet and democratic society."[4] Publishers Weekly noted Godwin's "unusually broad view of free speech", and criticized the author for viewing issues "filtered through rose-colored screens".[5] The Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted Cyber Rights among "1998's Best Reading".[6]

  1. ^ OCLC 37688296
  2. ^ OCLC 469426514
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference decandido was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference puro was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Smith, Tracy (July 20, 1998). "Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age". Publishers Weekly. 45 (29). Cahners Business Information: 202.
  6. ^ Romano, Carlin; Michael D. Schaffer (December 6, 1998). "Fact or Fiction, Here's 1998's Best Reading". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. Q03; Section: Features Books.