| gen. |
chilling effect (A chilling effect describes a situation in which rights, such as free speech, are threatened by the possible negative results of exercising these rights. The effect is to silence criticism and freedom of expression, even in cases where criticism is perfectly valid. An example of a chilling effect can be seen in the libel law of England, in which the threat of a libel suit–a very costly process to defend against–discourages people from writing what they otherwise consider to be accurate and morally defensible work. VLZ_58) |
