On the Net anyone has the freedom to say anything they want, within the very broad confines of libel laws, self-censorship, and liberal community norms. The only insurmountable restriction on freedom of speech in cyberspace is that conversation must remain within the prescribed topic of any given online conference. Anyone can say anything they want but they must say it in the designated forum for the subject. These mitigating forces do not lessen the significance of the Internet as the first forum for uncensored mass communication and its role as the final preserve of freedom of speech. Throughout history, mass communication has always been tightly controlled by members of the ruling elite.
Mass communication is one of the most powerful forces yet invented.
This is why its control has always been the privilege of the elite classes. We see this relationship develop with the invention of the Gutenberg Press. As soon as the Tudor kings recognized the latent power of the press, they immediately began to institutionalize censorship and control over early mass printing. Whether it is the Terrorist Handbook , information subject to court-ordered publication bans, censored articles, or details on growing or making illegal drugs, one will find it on the Net. No one can stop anyone from accessing, retrieving, and reading it.