Is it illegal to ban someone from social media?

Short answer: No. Public officials can block comments that are not protected by the First Amendment, including comments that make a true and immediate threat to another person, incite others to imminently violate the law, or contain obscene language as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Can the government close a public forum?

Closing a Public Forum: As a general rule, a public forum created by the government can be closed for expression so long the action does not result from a desire to censor particular speech or speakers.

Can you block someone from a public Facebook page?

Click your Page photo at the top right of Facebook, click Settings & Privacy, then click Settings. In the left menu, click Privacy, then click Blocking. Select the profiles, apps and Pages you want to block: Block users: Type the name of the profile you want to block, then click Block.

Can a public Facebook page block you?

You can ban someone from your page’s admin panel, from a post the person created on the page Timeline or from a comment the person made on a status you posted on your page. No matter what method you use, the person will be permanently blocked from accessing your business page.

What is a private forum?

A private forum is one which is only available to registered members, or to only a certain class of users (or ‘members’). A private-side web site is when a section of a web site is only accessible to a certain class of users.

What is limited public forum?

A limited forum is a type of a designated public forum. Here, the government limits access to a designated public forum to certain classes or types of speech. For example, the government may limit access to public school meeting rooms by only allowing speakers conducting school-related activities.

Is blocking someone’s access to information infringing on their rights?

The court specifically recognized blocking as infringing on that right, noting that blocking someone in order to silence criticism of government work is itself evidence of government action. The Fourth Circuit is the first appellate court to opine on this issue, and its order controls public officials and agencies in Virginia and nearby states.

Can public officials block people from their Facebook pages?

According to a federal appeals court, the answer is a resounding no. On Monday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the interactive portion of a public official’s Facebook page is a “public forum,” so an official cannot block people from it because of the opinions they hold.

Can the government use private Twitter accounts for official purposes?

Just as the Second Circuit found in Knight First Amendment Institute v. Trump, the Eighth Circuit concluded that even government officials’ nominally private accounts can in fact be used for official purposes—in which case it would violate the First Amendment for these accounts to block followers based on their viewpoints.

Does the public have a right to access official communications?

EFF filed an amicus brief in support of Campbell, as did the Knight First Amendment Institute. The Eighth Circuit joined other federal appeals courts that have addressed similar cases in acknowledging that the public has a right to access official communications on social media.

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