TOPIC 1 SUMMARY

International Bill of Human Rights:

1. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) 1966

2. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966
3. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948

Article 19 of UDHR

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this incudes freedom
to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 19 of ICCPR

The exercise of these rights carries special duties and responsibilities and may
therefore be subject to certain restrictions when necessary for respect of rights or
reputation of others, or for the protection of national security or of public order, or of public
health or moral.

Common Limitations to Freedom of Speech:

1. Libel printed false statements that harm the reputation of a person (natural or
juridical)
2. Slander - spoken false statements that harm the reputation of a person (natural or
juridical)
3. Obscenity - any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the
time
4. Pornography - the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexual
arousal
5. Sedition - overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends
toward insurrection against the established order
6. Incitement - encouragement of another person to commit a crime
7. Fighting words - written or spoken words intended to
incite hatred or violence from their target
8. Classified Information - material that a government body claims is sensitive
information that requires protection of confidentiality, integrity, or availability
9. Copyright Violation - the use of works protected by copyright law without
permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such
as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to
make derivative work
10. Trade Secrets - a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern,
commercial method, or compilation of information not generally known or
reasonably ascertainable by others by which a business can obtain an economic
advantage over competitors or customers
11. Food Labeling - subject to regulation in most regions/jurisdictions, both to
prevent false advertising and to promote food safety
12. Non-disclosure Agreements - a legal contract between at least two parties that
outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to
share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to or by
third parties
13. Right to Privacy - an element of various legal traditions to restrain government and
private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals
14. Right to be Forgotten - allowing individuals to have information, videos or
photographs about themselves deleted from certain internet records so that they
cannot be found by search engines
 15. Public Security - he function of governments which ensures the protection of
citizens, organizations, and institutions against threats to their well-being and to
the prosperity of their communities
16. Perjury - the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to
tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an
official proceeding

Censorship

Censorship is the suppression by the Government or private organization, or by the

individual himself, of speech, public communication, or other information, on the basis that
such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or simply
inconvenient.

Affected media:
a. Speech
b. Books
c. Music
d. Films
e. Press
f. Radio
g. Television
h. Internet
i. Etc.

Censorship by the type of information:

a. Moral Censorship preventing materials that are obscene or otherwise considered

morally questionable
b. Military Censorship keeping military intelligence and tactics confidential to counter
espionage
c. Political Censorship government attempts to conceal, fake, distort,
or falsify information that its citizens receive by suppressing or crowding out
political news that the public might receive through news outlets
d. Religious Censorship - a form of censorship where freedom of expression is
controlled or limited using religious authority or on the basis of the teachings of
the religion
e. Corporate Censorship - censorship by corporations, the sanctioning of speech by
spokespersons, employees, and business associates by threat of monetary loss, loss
of employment, or loss of access to the marketplace