A risk when travelling abroad is that you might not be free to read what you wish without Government control. So how can we have the freedom to form opinions if we are not free to read what we wish? When travelling abroad, it is wise to be aware that other countries have different interpretations of freedom.
As we know, in the USA the FBI are spying on which books people read in libraries and buy in bookstores as recounted by Mary Hodder's story on the Freedom to Read Protection Act.
Jeremy Bowers aptly comments on this posting by questioning whether a restricted freedom to read anything in privacy does not automatically restrict free speech? Definition of free speech.
I suggest that you visit his site iRights, that is dedicated to covering the interaction of the law and the Internet.
So, when you travel to America if you want the personal freedom to read what you like in privacy, you will need to take a wad of cash to the bookstore. As the big online bookseller is out of the question, the only way to buy books online is from smaller publishers with a strict privacy policy.
The whole free speech issue is echoed if you look at the insane and frivolous law that was passed in one European country regarding linking.
The weblog world is based around linking to other comments and web sites that are relevant to the topic in question. To give balance we naturally link at times to people with contrary opinions. Is there a hidden danger if our disclaimers are disputable at law?
