{"id":338,"date":"2024-06-13T12:12:42","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T11:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/?post_type=publication&p=338"},"modified":"2024-06-25T16:15:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:15:53","slug":"the-borderless-enjoyment-of-internet-freedom","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/publications\/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online\/module-2-introduction-to-digital-rights\/the-borderless-enjoyment-of-internet-freedom\/","title":{"rendered":"The Borderless Enjoyment of Internet Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The particular opportunity that freedom of expression online presents is that the right can be enjoyed regardless of physical borders. People can speak, share ideas, coordinate and mobilise across the globe on a significant and unprecedented scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The internet as a tool for change: the case of #EndSARS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In October 2020, young Nigerians<\/strong> took to the streets to protest against the notorious brutality of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a special unit of the Nigerian police renowned for harassing, kidnapping, extorting, and brutalising particularly young Nigerians. Within days, the protest\u2019s hashtag, #EndSARS, had spread like wildfire on social media and messages of solidarity had been reshared by celebrities, politicians, activists, and concerned citizens around the world.[footnote]BBC, \u2018End Sars protests: Growing list of celebrities pledge support for demonstrators\u2019 (2020) (accessible at https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-africa-54629449).[\/footnote]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The #EndSARS protests can be compared with the incitement of destructive and violent protests that took place in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa<\/strong> in 2021, which was sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. Online platforms were used to co-ordinate looting and violent attacks, leading to much destruction around the country. In 2023, one of the instigators- who incited violence via WhatsApp- was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for his role in instigating the unlawful protests.[footnote]South African Government News Agency \u2018July unrest instigator Mdumiseni Zuma slapped with 12 year jail sentence\u2019 (2023) (accessible at https:\/\/www.sanews.gov.za\/south-africa\/july-unrest-instigator-mdumiseni-zuma-slapped-12-year-jail-sentence).[\/footnote] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the internet, both protests would have been next to impossible. The borderless nature of the internet can lead to international pressure being put on states for rights violations, the development of and support for global campaigns, the fostering of a rigorous marketplace of ideas, as well as increased incitement of violence.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

However, the internet also gives rise to particular challenges that need to be addressed. Through the internet, the ability to publish immediately and reach an expansive audience can create difficulties from a legal perspective, such as establishing the true identity of an online speaker, establishing founding jurisdiction for a multi-national claim, or achieving accountability for wrongdoing that has spread rapidly online, such as the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, once content has been published online, it can sometimes be difficult to remove. In the 2019 case of Manuel v Economic Freedom Fighters<\/em><\/a>,[footnote]Manuel v Economic Freedom Fighters and Others<\/em> (2019) (accessible at http:\/\/www.saflii.org\/za\/cases\/ZAGPJHC\/2019\/157.pdf).[\/footnote] a South African<\/strong> High Court ordered the defendants to delete statements that were deemed defamatory from their social media accounts within 24 hours. However, the deletion of a tweet on Twitter does not necessarily remove it from all platforms, as there are other ways in which the content may have been distributed that are not addressed by the deletion (such as retweets in which persons added a comment of their own).[footnote]ALT Advisory, Avani Singh, \u2018Social media and defamation online: Guidance from Manuel v EFF\u2019, (2019) (accessible at : https:\/altadvisory.africa\/2019\/05\/31\/social-media-and-defamation-online-guidance-from-manuel-v-eff\/).[\/footnote] This is a particular challenge for finding effective remedies to claims of defamation, hate speech, or the right to be forgotten.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The particular opportunity that freedom of expression online presents is that the right can be enjoyed regardless of physical borders. People can speak, share ideas, coordinate and mobilise across the globe on a significant and unprecedented scale. The internet as a tool for change: the case of #EndSARS In October 2020, young Nigerians took to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":329,"menu_order":206,"template":"page-templates\/chapter.php","publication-category":[],"class_list":["post-338","publication","type-publication","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Borderless Enjoyment of Internet Freedom | eReader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The particular opportunity that freedom of expression online presents is that the right can be enjoyed regardless of physical borders.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mediadefence.org\/ereader\/publications\/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online\/module-2-introduction-to-digital-rights\/the-borderless-enjoyment-of-internet-freedom\/\" \/>\n<meta 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