| Sumario: | A former subscriber to America Online (AOL) has filed a federal lawsuit asserting that AOL disregarded his civil rights by failing to censor hate speech in a chat room. The lawsuit highlights the fact that distinctions between virtual and real worlds are eroding, in that it is easy to understand how an AOL chat room might be deemed the equivalent of an actual place. Having unwisely imposed restrictions on “offensive“ speech in its terms-of-service contract, AOL may be liable for failing to try to enforce them. The former AOL subscriber may succeed in establishing his right not to be offended in a chat room, but at the expense of his own right to offend or merely embarrass, anyone else, even unintentionally. It is difficult to conceive of this as a victory for civil rights.
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