[ibebrett]

There is a difference between a forum for the free exchange of ideas, and a decentralized system that can be used to plan and share murders/(horrible other things). It is totally legal (in the usa) for you to get together with your friends and talk about whatever you want, but it is not legal for you to get together and plan an overthrow of the government, or a murder. It's not good that a dangerous group has a new tool.

[logfromblammo]

You actually can get together with your friends and plan an overthrow of the government. That's exactly what the Free State Project is. It just so happens that their plot does not include violence or other criminal behaviors.

And you can plan a murder. The conversation itself is not a crime. But it is very damning evidence if the prospective victim that was discussed actually turns up dead, showing that the crime was, in fact, premeditated murder and not a less severely punished type of homicide, and that accomplices were involved. The speech is not the crime. It is evidence of malicious intent if a crime subsequently occurs. It may also be useful intelligence that could allow someone to interfere with a crime in progress.

If you overhear the murder conversation, you might be able to prevent a murder. But those guys could have been talking about their clan strategy for a MMORPG raid, and you simply misunderstood the intent. You don't know for certain until someone acts.

Censorship cannot stop crimes. It can only conceal evidence.

[ibebrett]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_(criminal)#United_St...

[logfromblammo]

It seems the drug war subverts sensible legal principle again. I find the reasoning behind US v. Shabani to be completely abhorrent. And as a 9-0 decision, it's absolutely shameful. You can't reasonably prove that a conspiracy to commit a crime existed if the criminal act never actually happened. You would think that at least one justice would have thought that through a bit more, and dissented.

[xtrumanx]

Your comment can apply to any technology; from computers and radios to simple things like hammers and knives. Yes, dangerous groups could use those tools for evil but that problem shouldn't be attributed to the tool or their creators. Especially when the tool was not designed for evil and is not primarily used for evil.

[ibebrett]

I completely agree. That doesn't mean its a good thing that a dangerous group has a new tool