Hello all,
Some of you may have read about a new law in California, AB 1687, which
would require websites that offer employment services (like IMDB) to remove
information about an actor's age or birthday upon request.[0] IMDB is now
protesting the law's restriction on free speech, arguing that it limits
their ability to share truthful information.[1]
While this law would not apply to a website like Wikipedia directly—we do
not provide employment services, like IMDBPro—we are still concerned with
the breadth of the law and important free speech principles that underlie
this case. Restricting websites' ability to write truthful facts about
notable people will make it harder for Wikipedians to do research and write
articles.
We've joined the Electronic Frontier Foundation in an amicus brief that
explains these free speech issues.[2] This case is still in a lower court,
so it will likely continue.
Best,
Jan
0.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/california-enacts-law-requiring-imdb-…
1.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/11/imdb-sues-california-to-overtu…
2.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/01/eff-dont-gag-imdb
==
Jan Gerlach
Public Policy Manager
Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street, 6th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
jgerlach(a)wikimedia.org