Is the Gate Half Open or Half Closed?

John Perry Barlow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation once famously noted that on the Internet the First Amendment is merely a local ordinance. That is to say, not every society places as high a priority on freedom of expression as do the western democracies. And furthermore, even among those nations there is not agreement on what expression is so objectionable that it is not given free speech protection.

"The Innocence of Muslims" probably would not have reached a mass audience in the pre-YouTube era. But today, pretty much any video has an opportunity to be seen by an international audience. The violence resulting from the video in Libya and elsewhere has caused YouTube to examine how much it should bow to local standards. NPR reports.

Questions...

As discussed here, what is "The Heckler's Veto"?

Does the relative lack of gatekeepers on the Internet have something to do with this controversy? If so, how?

Different cultures have different ideas about free speech. Whose values should win out? Why?

What types of videos should be taken down from YouTube? What are the consequences of taking down controversial videos? What are the consequences of not taking them down?