Politics & Government

Should a Facebook 'Like' Be Protected Free Speech?

A court ruling on Wednesday reversed a lower court's decision in Virginia.

A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that “liking” something on Facebook is protected free speech.

The case was in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, which rejected a lower court’s ruling that liking something on Facebook is not “actual speech,” reported the Washington Post.

“[Liking] is the Internet equivalent of displaying a political sign in one’s front yard, which the Supreme Court has held is substantive speech,” the three judge panel wrote in their 81-page opinion on Wednesday, according to the Post.

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The case involved a suit by Hampton, Virg., sheriff’s deputies. One deputy claimed he was fired because he liked the campaign page of his boss’ opponent during an election.

Read the full Washington Post report here.

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What do you think? Should liking something on Facebook be considered protected speech or do you support the lower court’s ruling that a Facebook like isn’t protected speech? Let us know in the comment section below.


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