[ih] Free Speech and ARPAnet?

[Belin, Daniel]

Hello, all!

Today, the Washington Post published an editorial by Ellen Pao
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-cannot-let-the-internet-trolls-win/2015/07/16/91b1a2d2-2b17-11e5-bd33-395c05608059_story.html>,
in which she asserted, "The Internet started as a bastion for free
expression."

This piqued my interest, as I felt it was an inaccurate characterization.
My understanding was always that the early research focused on improving
network facilities for research collaboration, and that these issues of
free speech really didn't start to come to the forefront until the 1990s
when the Internet began to take root in society. However, I wasn't there,
so I respectfully pose these questions to you all:

What were the attitudes towards speech/appropriate conduct early in the
ARPAnet project? Was an environment of collegiality and respect generally
expected?

Were there any incidents that led to either a written or *de facto* content
policy on ARPAnet? Were there individual policies enacted by the
institutions that were connected to ARPAnet?

When *did* the Internet emerge as a "bastion for free expression"? Was this
area of the Internet's societal impact explored before the Internet became
broadly publicly available?

I'd be really honored to hear your perspectives on this, and would
appreciate any you could provide.

With cordial thanks,

Dan Belin

*_______________________________________*
+1(703) 209-9608 | @dfbelin <https://twitter.com/dfbelin> | danielbel.in
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