Cyber Rights: Defending Free speech in the Digital Age is a non-fiction book about cyberlaw, written by free speech lawyer Mike Godwin. It was first published in 1998 by Times Books.[1] It was republished in 2003 as a revised edition by The MIT Press.[2] Godwin graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1990 and was the first staff counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Written with a first-person perspective, Cyber Rights gives the reader a background in legal issues and history pertaining to free speech on the Internet. It documents the author's experiences in defending free speech online, and puts forth the thesis that "the remedy for the abuse of free speech is more speech".[3] Godwin emphasizes that decisions made about the expression of ideas on the Internet have an impact on freedom of speech in other mediums of communication as well, as granted by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The book was received favorably by Library Journal, where it was "Recommended for anyone concerned about expression on the Internet and democratic society."[4] Booklist recommended Cyber Rights, for both circulating and professional collections",[3] and School Library Journal recommended it for young readers.[5] Salon called the book "an instructional book with an argument to convey – a sort of cross between a dry, textbookish primer and a lively personal history."[6] The Green Bag commented that the book was "preaching to the choir", and that legal implications of speech on the Internet "must be taken seriously".[7] Publishers Weekly noted Godwin's "unusually broad view of free speech", and criticized the author for viewing issues "filtered through rose-colored screens".[8] Law Library Journal criticized the book for being repetitive, and wrote positively of it for being "a good introduction to the world of cyberspace and the legal issues that affect the Internet."[9] Law Library Journal recommended Cyber Rights for "large academic law libraries".[9] The Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted Cyber Rights among "1998's Best Reading".[10]