Digital Smarts - Censorship, Facebook and National Laws

A French teacher whose Facebook account was blocked after he posted a link to a famous 19th-century painting by Courbet of a nude woman has been given permission to sue the social network in a French court. The painting is world-renowned and hangs in the Musee d’Orsay. What is interesting about the case is that, according to Facebook’s terms of service, the teacher cannot sue in a French court, but yet the court has agreed to hear the case. The ruling may force Facebook to abide by French laws and prevailing morals in moderating posts, which may open Facebook up to lawsuits all over the world. Although already sparking controversy, it will probably take a year for the case to be litigated.