SinoTech
Amid Ukraine War, China Announces “Global Security Initiative”
Raquel Leslie, Brian Liu Mon, May 2, 2022, 10:48 AM
Lawfare’s biweekly roundup of U.S.-China technology policy news.
Latest in Twitter
Social Media
Livestream: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube Policy Officials Testify Before Senate Judiciary
Tia Sewell Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:59 AM
On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law will hold a hearing on how social media platforms' design choices shape our discourse and our minds. The subcommittee will hear testimony from Monika Bickert, the vice president for content policy at Facebook; Lauren Culbertson, the head of U.S.
Content Moderation
Justice Thomas's Misguided Concurrence on Platform Regulation
Berin Szóka, Corbin Barthold Wed, Apr 14, 2021, 10:30 AM
The justice’s speculations on the possibilities for regulating social media platforms are already changing the tone of the debate on the political right—but he makes a weak argument.
Content Moderation
Justice Thomas Gives Congress Advice on Social Media Regulation
Abby Lemert, Klaudia Jaźwińska Mon, Apr 12, 2021, 4:21 PM
The Supreme Court vacates the holding that the replies to Trump’s Twitter account are a public forum, and Justice Thomas shares his thoughts on platform regulation.
Disinformation
Coordinated Behavior in Libya’s Regional Disinformation Conflict
Alexei Abrahams, Joey Shea Fri, Feb 5, 2021, 11:56 AM
An online disinformation campaign targeting Libya was discovered in June 2020. This likely state-backed information operation shows how regional actors try to manipulate dynamic events in support of their interests.
Twitter Puts an End to Trump’s Rhetorical Presidency
Jacob Schulz Mon, Jan 11, 2021, 1:35 PM
The excitement and alarm that greeted President Trump’s ban from Twitter underscores a fundamental truth about his presidency: The power of presidential speech was the only power of the office that ever meant anything to Trump.
Foreign Policy Essay
Outsourcing Disinformation
Shelby Grossman, Khadeja Ramali Sun, Dec 13, 2020, 10:01 AM
Why foreign actors are hiring firms with cheap labor and local knowledge to post inauthentic content to social media.
Disinformation
Trump's Tweets Attacking the Election Echo Russian Trolls
Darren Linvill, Patrick Warren Wed, Nov 25, 2020, 3:09 PM
Tweets from Trump and his inner circle show how close the Trump campaign is in tone and style to Russian disinformation. This type of disinformation poses huge challenges for U.S. democracy, and for the Republican Party.
Social Media
Livestream: Facebook and Twitter CEOs Testify Before Senate Judiciary About 2020 Election
Tia Sewell Tue, Nov 17, 2020, 10:05 AM
On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled, "Breaking the News: Censorship, Suppression, and the 2020 Election."
Social Media
Twitter Brings Down the Banhammer on QAnon
Evelyn Douek Fri, Jul 24, 2020, 2:56 PM
The conspiracy theory posed genuine danger, but Twitter’s action does not signal a new era of accountability for big technology platforms.