[tptacek]

I don't know what people you're talking about, but as I recall, the legal arguments against the Muslim ban hinged on Americans harmed by the ban --- families who couldn't see their Muslim family members, schools that couldn't serve their Muslim foreign students.

It seems pretty straightforward to observe that Chinese residents --- not to mention British residents --- do not in fact enjoy the First Amendment rights of Americans. In fact, neither do Americans, when they're in China or the UK. If they did, British libel law would be different, would it not?

[learc83]

It's true that constitutional rights don't generally apply to citizens of other countries, unless they are in the US.

> neither do Americans, when they're in China or the UK

But American citizens in other countries still enjoy the same constitutional protections--protections which only apply to actions taken by the US government.

[tptacek]

I guess? My point is just: people living in China do not in any practical sense have First Amendment rights.

[learc83]

I see what you're getting at, but there are many things that the US government would love to prevent you from saying that the Chinese or UK government couldn't care less about.

For instance, if you're a US citizen and a resident of the UK or China, you might want to call the President of the US a big baby on twitter. The UK or Chinese government probably wouldn't have a problem with that, but the first amendment protections you enjoy, even while abroad, is preventing the President from calling up twitter and trying to have you banned.