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Facebook threats...Freedom of Speech or Threat to public safety

FLORIDA  --  Facebook threats.
Freedom of speech or a threat to public safety?
Last week, Channel Three News brought you the story of a former Navarre High School student who posted a threat on Facebook.
   
The threat read, "You all deserve to burn and will because I will make you."
Santa Rosa County sheriff's deputies investigated and found that no one was in danger.
   
Florida appeals court has decided that may not matter.
The court now says, when it comes to a written threat --  "posting" is the same as "sending".
   
Here's what lead up to this.
A Florida man posted a threat about a relative on his personal Facebook page.
   
He claimed, he couldn't be prosecuted because he didn't *send that threat to anyone.

A three-judge appeals panel said, no.
So now, anyone who posts a threat on social media sites like Facebook and twitter, whether to a person, a GROUP OR AN ORGANIZATION CAN BE Arrested under Florida's "sending written threats to kill or do bodily harm" law.
   
So what does this mean for you?
It means if you see a threat or feel you're bring threatened, you now have a legal decision on your side if you want to press charges.

Now, here are some questions brought up by your fellow viewers on our Facebook page.
A lot of our Facebook fans are asking questions about this decision...
  
Alexis asked "What about freedom of speech?"
The U.S. Supreme Court has given three reasons why threats of violence are outside the First Amendment.

   1. Protecting individuals from the fear of violence..
   2. From the disruption that fear engenders, and
   3. From the possibility that the threatened violence will occur.

Robin asked "What if your account gets hacked?"
We invite you to join the conversation just log on to facebook.com/weartv