Editing Prior restraint (section)

{{Short description|Suppressing certain types of information before the fact}}
{{Globalize|article|USA|2name=the United States|date=November 2018}}
'''Prior restraint''' (also referred to as '''prior censorship'''<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Playing-card|url=http://www.i-p-c-s.org/journal/33-3.pdf|volume=32|issue=3|date=January 2005|journal=Journal of the International Playing-Card Society|issn=0305-2133|editor=Michael Cooper|last=Bonello|first=Giovanni|author-link=Giovanni Bonello|pages=191–197|archive-date=29 April 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050429042146/http://i-p-c-s.org/journal/33-3.pdf}}</ref> or '''pre-publication censorship''') is [[censorship]] imposed, usually by a government or institution, on expression, that prohibits particular instances of expression.  It is in contrast to censorship that establishes general subject matter restrictions and reviews a particular instance of expression only after the expression has taken place.

In some countries (e.g., [[Law of the United States|United States]],<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Cornell University Law School|title=Prior Restraint|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/prior_restraint|access-date=8 April 2014|date=October 2009}}</ref> [[Constitution of Argentina|Argentina]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 14 – Constitución de la Nación Argentina|url=http://www.infojus.gov.ar/legislacion/constitucion-nacional-1853.htm|language=es|access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref>) prior restraint by the government is forbidden, subject to exceptions (such as classifying certain matters of national security), by their respective [[constitution]]s.

Prior restraint can be effected in a number of ways. For example, the exhibition of works of art or a movie may require a license from a government authority (sometimes referred to as a classification board or censorship board) before it can be published, and the failure or refusal to grant a license is a form of censorship as is the revoking of a license. It can take the form of a legal [[injunction]] or government order prohibiting the publication of a specific document. Sometimes, a government or other party becomes aware of a forthcoming publication on a particular subject and seeks to prevent it: to halt ongoing publication and prevent its resumption. These injunctions are considered prior restraint because potential future publications are stopped in advance. It can also take the form of a (usually secret) policy imposed by a commercial corporation upon its employees, requiring them to obtain written permission to publish a given written work, even one authored outside of work hours produced using their own computing resources.