The Coming Crackdown on Blogging

Here's another example of free speech being curtailed. The McCain-Feingold law on campaign finance limitations, which has turned out to be a disaster, and was criticized at the onset by many as an infringement on free speech, is rearing its ugly head into the blogosphere.

By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Bradley Smith says that the freewheeling days of political blogging and online punditry are over.

In just a few months, he warns, bloggers and news organizations could risk the wrath of the federal government if they improperly link to a campaign's Web site. Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines.

Smith should know. He's one of the six commissioners at the Federal Election Commission, which is beginning the perilous process of extending a controversial 2002 campaign finance law to the Internet.

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