[WikiEN-l] Nazi userboxes

[Jim Schuler]

On 12/5/06, Earle Martin <wikipedia at downlode.org> wrote:
>
> On 05/12/06, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > As far as I am aware, neither Wikipedia nor the Wikimedia Foundation
> > > are the United States.
> >
> > True, Wikipedia can have rules in addition to the law. However, what
> > are discrimination laws like in the US? Could banning Nazis get the
> > Foundation into legal difficulties?
>
> Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, or even an American. That said, it
> appears to me that Wikipedia is a privately-operated members' club,
> and is entitled to specify what is allowed not to be said or done on
> its premises, much as the Britney Spears Fan Club is entitled to kick
> out people who insist that Christina Aguilera is cooler. Neither is a
> violation of US law.
>
>
> --
> Earle Martin
>            http://downlode.org/
> http://purl.org/net/earlemartin/


Might depend on tax law.  If I remember correctly (it's been 15 years since
I dealt with this), 501(c) and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt and private foundations
can run afoul of the IRS if there is a clear indication of active
discrimination.  In this case, I don't see any evidence of an active policy
of discrimination -- the issue at hand focuses around the banning of a
troll.





-- 
Jim
http://iacobomus.blogspot.com/