--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Internet may fairly be regarded as a…" description: "\"The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government may not, through the , interrupt that conversation... As t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/stewart-dalzell-55034_amendments_the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a_359429.jpg" --- # The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending… ![“The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government may not, through the , interrupt that conversation... As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion... The…” quote by Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/stewart-dalzell-55034_amendments_the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a_359429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/stewart-dalzell-55034_amendments_the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a_359429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/stewart-dalzell-55034_amendments_the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a_359429.jpg) > “The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government may not, through the , interrupt that conversation... As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion... The government, therefore, implicitly asks this court to limit both the amount of speech on the Internet and the availability of that speech. This argument is profoundly repugnant to First Amendment principles.” [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that the Internet is a continuous public forum that should be protected from government restriction, as limiting it contradicts free speech rights. **In simple terms:** The Internet is a public conversation that deserves strong free‑speech protection. Key Takeaway Defend online speech from excessive regulation. Themes free speech digital rights government overreach public forum first amendment Mood defensive assertive Type legal political When to use this quote - policy debates - court cases - online activism - media regulation Key Concepts constitutional law media theory civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - How should courts balance security and free expression online? - What limits, if any, are justified on the Internet? A Different Perspective Balancing security concerns with free speech can be complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amendments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amendments/) [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [First amendment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-amendment/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Intrusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intrusion/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government may not, through the C.D.A., interrupt that conversation. As the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a-never-ending-worldwide-3/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from government intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-most-participatory-form-of-mass-speech-yet-developed-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/as-the-most-participatory-form-of-mass-speech-yet-developed-the-2/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [Cutting through the acronyms and argot that littered the hearing testimony, the Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/cutting-through-the-acronyms-and-argot-that-littered-the-hearing/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [ The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The Government may not, through the \[Communications Decency Act\], interrupt that conversation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a-never-ending-worldwide-2/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [Imageboards are the most important medium for free speech on the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-brennan/imageboards-are-the-most-important-medium-for-free-speech-on-the/) [Fredrick Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrick-brennan/) > [Now is the time to draw a clean, clear, bright line and say if you are engaging in speech over the Internet you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doolittle/now-is-the-time-to-draw-a-clean-clear-bright-line-and-say-if-you-are/) [John Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doolittle/) > [It is no exaggeration to conclude that the Internet has achieved, and continues to achieve, the most participatory marketplace of mass speech that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/it-is-no-exaggeration-to-conclude-that-the-internet-has-achieved-and/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [If 'ecstasy' meant the sudden intrusion of the sacred into the ordinary, then it had just happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/if-ecstasy-meant-the-sudden-intrusion-of-the-sacred-into-the-ordinary/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Anonymity would be a fantastic umbrella. I don't like intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anonymity-would-be-a-fantastic-umbrella-i-don-t-like-intrusion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Take death for example. A great deal of our effort goes into avoiding it. We make extraordinary efforts to delay it, and often consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/take-death-for-example-a-great-deal-of-our-effort-goes-into-avoiding/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The whole history of pop music had rested on the first person singular, with occasional intrusions of the second person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-whole-history-of-pop-music-had-rested-on-the-first-person/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [All the baggage that comes with fame, being an actress. The down side to it is the intrusion into your life and this expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/all-the-baggage-that-comes-with-fame-being-an-actress-the-down-side/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) ## More by Stewart Dalzell > [The Internet is a far more speech-enhancing medium than print, the village green, or the mails. Because it would necessarily affect the Internet itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/the-internet-is-a-far-more-speech-enhancing-medium-than-print-the/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [As the most participatory form of mass speech yet developed, the Internet deserves the highest protection from governmental intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/as-the-most-participatory-form-of-mass-speech-yet-developed-the-2/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [ The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The Government may not, through the \[Communications Decency Act\], interrupt that conversation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a-never-ending-worldwide-2/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [The Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. The government may not, through the C.D.A., interrupt that conversation. As the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-dalzell/the-internet-may-fairly-be-regarded-as-a-never-ending-worldwide-3/) [Stewart Dalzell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-dalzell/) > [Cutting through the acronyms and argot that littered the hearing testimony, the Internet may fairly be regarded as a never-ending worldwide conversation. 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