Communication Research

Legal Challenges of Blocking Social Networks in the Light of Media Freedom

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Hasan Garousi

Ph.D in Public Law, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22082/cr.2022.555600.2364
Abstract
In the world of communication, virtual networks and internet media have broken the media monopoly of old activists - governments and media owners, and every person with a digital device and a social network can own a media and, in this way, he can expose his thoughts, ideas, beliefs and lifestyle to the public and even advertise. In fact, the public sphere has moved from the philosophical cafes of the 18th and 19th centuries to social networks and internet media. In this so-called cyberspace, conflicting interests, including individual and public interests, or national and ethnic interests, etc., are raised, along with the unmatched media freedom that has been created, the desire to remove and block certain ideas and thoughts is also expanding. Therefore, the main question of this research is the investigation of the justified bases of the blocking of social networks and internet media in opposition to the freedom of speech and the media, which is tried to be explored in this field with a documentary method and a descriptive-analytical approach, and the dimensions Let the matter be known. In the meantime, it should be carefully considered that the blocking of social networks does not turn from an exception to the rule, and freedom of speech and media does not become a victim of the interests of a particular group. Also, the blocking mechanism and the possibility of protest and fair and transparent proceedings should be foreseen. In this article, the challenges of blocking social networks in the light of international conventions related to media freedom and the free flow of information and its limitations, such as the 1936 international treaty under the banner of the United Nations, as well as some internal laws related to this the matter will be treated as Section 230 of the United States Communications Decency Act.

Keywords

Media Freedom
Freedom of Expression
Blocking of Social Networks
Internet Media
Communication Era
Subjects
The Holy Quran
Nahj al-Balagheh
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  • Receive Date 11 June 2022
  • Revise Date 12 August 2022
  • Accept Date 06 September 2022

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