Wikipedia and freedom of speech
Freedom of speech, injunctions, rights to privacy… all of these are “hot topics” at the moment. It’s not only twitter, facebook and the social media sites that are being looked at. We may all agree that Wikipedia is a fantastic and valuable resource, bit even Wikipedia is being looked at regarding internet freedom of speech. This week Louis Bacon, a billionaire US hedge fund manager, was given permission by the High Court in London to force three sites, including the online encyclopaedia, to disclose the identities of online commentators alleged to have defamed him. There are jurisdictional issues with this case, as if they are abroad, they may not be subject to the High Court Order. This issue needs to be looked at urgently, as it is creating a huge amount of confusion and uncertainty, let alone copy !