First Amendment
Informal Government Coercion and The Problem of "Jawboning"
Genevieve Lakier Mon, Jul 26, 2021, 3:52 PM
At what point does informal coercion raise Constitutional questions?
Latest in Free Speech
India
Time To End India’s War on Sedition
Jacob Mchangama, Raghav Mendiratta Fri, Jun 25, 2021, 1:19 PM
The offense of sedition, introduced by the colonial British government to criminalize dissent, continues to be on India’s statute books 70 years after independence. It’s time for India’s Supreme Court to hold the draconian law unconstitutional.
Disinformation
Why a Canadian Law Prohibiting False Statements in the Run-Up to an Election Was Found Unconstitutional
Eve Gaumond Tue, Mar 16, 2021, 8:01 AM
The legal challenge hinged on whether or not the dissemination of accidental and unknown falsehood was prohibited.
Disinformation
Is Canadian Law Better Equipped to Handle Disinformation?
Eve Gaumond Fri, Dec 11, 2020, 8:01 AM
Canada does seem to be better off than the U.S. in shielding its electoral system from floods of disinformation. But whether that’s the result of Canada’s different free speech tradition, or, its lower-stakes political environment and more easygoing political culture, is not at all clear.
Social Media
Turkey’s Government Wants Silicon Valley to Do Its Dirty Work
Deniz Yuksel Wed, Dec 9, 2020, 12:01 PM
The Turkish government is trying to outsource censorship to social media companies. Silicon Valley should not play along.
Social Media
How Facebook Can Use International Law in Content Moderation
Hilary Hurd Wed, Oct 30, 2019, 8:00 AM
Speaking at Georgetown University on Oct. 17, Mark Zuckerberg said what many did not want to hear: Facebook would not be doing more to restrict “bad” speech.
SinoTech
U.S. and China Reach Verbal Trade Agreement; Tensions Flare Over NBA GM’s Tweet on Hong Kong
Richard Altieri, Benjamin Della Rocca Fri, Oct 25, 2019, 9:06 AM
U.S. and China Reach Verbal Agreement on “Phase One” of Trade Deal, but Uncertainty Remains
China
China and the Hypocrisy of American Speech Imperialism
Andrew Keane Woods Fri, Oct 18, 2019, 2:19 PM
Should American companies—the National Basketball Association (NBA), Apple, Facebook—be doing business in China? Many people appear to have strong feelings about this question, particularly after a series of controversies have erupted in the past two weeks.
China
Doing Business in China: What the NBA Can Learn from Big Tech
Matt Perault Tue, Oct 15, 2019, 12:56 PM
Last week, a controversy in the National Basketball Association (NBA) ignited widespread public conversation about the perils of doing business in China. In a now-deleted post, Daryl Morey, who is the general manager of the Houston Rockets, tweeted a picture of an image that said “fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” The Rockets’s owner pushed back, tweeting that Morey “does not speak for” Houston’s team.
Omphalos
Permission to Speak: Crackdowns on Free Speech in Sisi’s Egypt
Amira Mikhail Fri, May 6, 2016, 2:30 PM
Last night, Egyptian authorities arrested and detained Malek Adly, a prominent human rights lawyer who, as this piece was written, was being investigated by police. He is accused of inciting the protests that took place on April 25.