New Assignment for October 31 Class on Freedom of Speech

The previously anonymous internet troll, Violentacrez, was recently outed by Gawker, which outing  has prompted a raging online debate within the Reddit community specifically and the online community in general about freedom of speech and the role of anonymous speech. 

For the October 31st class, in addition to the reading assignments listed on the syllabus, go to the following link http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/10/19/violentacrez-reddit-troll-behind-creepshots-tells-cnn-he-did-it-for-those-meaningless-internet-points/?utm_source=alertsnewcomment&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20121019 and read the article and comments, view the embedded CNN video and come to class prepared to discuss the following:

If you were King For A Day and had the power to dictate the rules of the internet regarding anonymity on the web and mete out punishment for anyone who violated those rules, would you 

          (1) allow anonymous speech in all circumstances and on all subjects and let the web community itself police any abuses?

          (2) allow anonymous speech, but only in certain circumstances and for certain subjects? (If so, identify the circumstances or subjects)  

          (3) ban anonymous speech entirely? and 

          (4) punish Michael Brutsch further or has he been punished enough?  If further punishment is warranted what would that punishment be?

          

We will break into groups of five students each to discuss these questions and then each group will report its conclusions to the entire class.  Come to class with your personal answers to these questions and advocate your position within your assigned five student group.  Each student group will be required to come to a group consensus on each question.  

This exercise will be in lieu of the "Mafia hit-man book" exercise listed in the syllabus.