Scientology – 1, Slashdot 1000.
I’m really, really impressed by this archival article from Slashdot.com about the removal of an anonymous comment due to the threat of a lawsuit under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act by lawyers for Scientology. Someone quoted a passage from their high-level restricted ‘holy text’, and someone somewhere flipped out, despite its common availability on the intarweb.
I’m not only impressed with the clear and convincing way Cmdr. Taco explained the situation and Slashdot’s limitations on this matter, but I am extremely impressed with the article as a response to the DMCA takedown. It’s mature, it’s civil… and coming from a major news aggregate, it’s the best “You didn’t want to make us do that” that I have ever seen.
One anonymous comment about a topic many Slashdot people are not interested in (Scientology) became a major article about freedom of speech, the DMCA, fair use, and Slashdot itself … which are very important to those who use the site.
This is all water under the bridge, mind you, I just happened to find it through some linking, and found myself deeply admiring the thought that went into this post. The writerly part of me feels sparked by it – it would make a great jumping-off point for coffeehouse talk.
Amazing, isn’t it? And, the saga continues for Keith Henson:
Slashdot.org: Surprise Arrest For Online Scientology Critic
*nod* That’s how I found the archival entry.