Quote:
Originally Posted by jnz
freedom of expression
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You appear unaware of what that phrase actually means, so allow me to expand a little on what Influence also touched on. Freedom of speech is defined as the right to express your opinions without interference by the
government, or its agents. No more, no less. It emphatically does
not cover or allow forcing individuals, corporations or governments to facilitate publication of everything anyone might ever want to excrete from their mouth hole, or indeed their fingertips. You were not been arrested, nor were your tools of publication confiscated or destroyed, nor were you kidnapped or beaten up by brownshirts. The government has not obstructed your actions in any way, shape or form, and indeed, is blissfully unaware of them. Your freedom of speech is fully intact.
In addition, even if you had been reprimanded by a local, regional, national or international government, many countries do (legally) limit the range of free expression. You attempted to call upon Dutch history to lend your post credibility, and since I am somewhat familiar with the Dutch constitution (on account of being a citizen), let me use that as an example.
The first article of the Dutch constitution does not, as is commonly believed, enshrine freedom of speech; it protects against discrimination. It is also not the second (the next most common belief). It is the seventh article that covers freedom of expression. While the articles are not ranked by importance, technically speaking, some comfort can be had from their order. In any case, neither right is described as absolute (unlike some others), so a balance must always be struck between them, and both may be (and are!) limited by law. Blasphemy, specifically, was illegal until exactly 1 year ago in 9 days, and was punishable by up to 3 months in jail, though no one had been convicted of blasphemy in over half a century.
Jagex Games Studio (the owners of PA) and Ranul Tech LTD (who exploit it under license) are both based in the UK. I am not intimately familiar with UK law, but look up the concept of superinjunctions sometime and you may get some feel for the limits the UK places on freedom of expression.
Finally, a tip: consider whether a text-based asteroid stealing game with about 700 players is the best platform for your little crusade. Why not post on your Facebook wall?