line (Digitalizing Libraries in Mexico to be Published on the Internet; A Copyright Infringement Issue).
In addition to intellectual property issues, vendors and information-providers must be conscious of other legal ramifications of certain content, especially its impact on specific audiences. There are issues of adult material being accessed by minors as well as "hate speech, fighting words, and other forms of malicious contentaavailable and sometimes pushed upon Internet users" (Module 13).
In addition to the hosts of the website, third parties must also be aware of the legal implications of the website's contents. Internet Service Providers ("ISP"), even though they personally do not post the offensive material on the website, would be held liable for violations. In the United States, "Congress granted ISPs near-immunity in the Communications Decency Act" (Schruers (2002)). In contrast, European courts were stricter in holding ISPs liable (Schruers (2002)).
As an ISP, employers must also be aware of the legal content of material its employees come across through the internet. "Recreational surfing [by employees] might also be a source of legal problems, such as disclosure of trade secrets, sexual harassment claims, and copyright infringement" (Email Privacy in the Workplace). While employers have a right to monitor the e-mails and internet activity of the employees, "the case law shows that employers have a stronger case when they can show that they set up an email policy that was communicated to employees" (Email Privacy). Thus, even though employers themselves are not accessing/posting illegal or obscene material, they should implement policies that would protect them from liability as well as address the issue of privacy.
As to content, vendors must also provide information on their website that is in compliance with regulations created for the protection of the consumers. For example, the Organizat...