The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has posted a comprehensive set of legal guidelines for bloggers. Here's a printable version of all of them! They cover several different topics:
- Blogger Legal Liability Issues - overview, intellectual property, online defamation, privacy
- Bloggers as Journalists - reporter's privileges, media access rights for bloggers
- Other Legal Issues for Bloggers - election law, labor law
The EFF says the documents are not a substitute for legal advice, but merely guidelines. They also added that none of this should stop people from blogging...
The difference between you and the reporter at your local newspaper is that in many cases, you may not have the benefit of training or resources to help you determine whether what you're doing is legal. And on top of that, sometimes knowing the law doesn't help - in many cases it was written for traditional journalists, and the courts haven't yet decided how it applies to bloggers.
But here's the important part: None of this should stop you from blogging. Freedom of speech is the foundation of a functioning democracy, and Internet bullies shouldn't use the law to stifle legitimate free expression. That's why EFF created this guide, compiling a number of FAQs designed to help you understand your rights and, if necessary, defend your freedom.
What a classy, stand-up move for the EFF.
