hate speech

Indian police arrest student for a political Facebook post

Shaheen Dhada wasn't sure what to expect when police called her house Sunday night. The 21-year-old medical student who lives in Mumbai, India, had just posted a political statement on Facebook and her friend Renu Srinivasan "liked" the post.

Within hours, the two young women were arrested and charged with using speech that was offensive and hateful, according to the New York Times.

Now, just days later, Dhada and Srinivasan have come to symbolize India's intolerance of free speech. Tens of thousands of people have taken to social networks criticizing the government's arrests of the … Read more

Politician fired for Nazi-esque tweets against Muslims

It's hard to keep quiet these days.

One suspects that even in the most silent religious orders, the monks and nuns have heard about Twitter and Facebook and wonder how it might change their lives.

Sometimes, though, Facebook and Twitter are the digital parchment for huge amounts of vile bile.

The latest example is that of Swiss right-wing politician, Alexander Mueller. Clearly feeling the need to make his feelings heard, he took to Twitter and declared that there should be a "Kristallnacht...this time for mosques."

Kristallnacht -- often referred to as "The Night of Broken … Read more

Economy takes down much-maligned JuicyCampus

I'm almost always saddened by news of businesses being forced to close because of the economy, but I'm glad to see the apparent demise of JuicyCampus.com. The site, according to a blog post from its founder Matt Ivester, is shutting down because "in these historically difficult economic times, online ad revenue has plummeted and venture capital funding has dissolved."

I'm not shedding any tears for Mr. Ivester. What he refers to as "lighthearted gossip of college life" was, in many situations, vicious innuendos, hateful messages, and downright lies. In covering the site Read more