By Julia Tar Civil society groups and academics have criticised European Commissioner Thierry Breton’s recent letter to Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, arguing that it misinterprets the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and threatens free expression. The Open Letters In one of the letters, dated Wednesday (21 August), signed by The […]
By Jackson Walker The free speech advocates on Wednesday rebuked Breton for appearing to “disregard” free expression in favor of enforcing DSA. “Your letter reflects an alarming disregard for freedom of expression,” the letter reads. “It is inconsistent with the design of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and, indeed, with the very spirit of a […]
By Jordi Calvet-Bademunt Overview: The European Commission issued the first-of-its-kind preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act (DSA). X was accused of employing a deceptive user interface, failing to adhere to advertising transparency requirements, and failing to provide researchers with adequate access to data. X now has the opportunity to respond to these preliminary findings. […]
By Jordi Calvet-Bademunt Last Friday, the European Commission shared with X its preliminary view that it is breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA), Europe’s online safety rulebook. Following the announcement, some media were quick to say that the Commission had charged “Elon Musk’s X for letting disinfo run wild.” In a conspiratorial tone, Elon Musk […]
By Jeff Kosseff Though the opinion is likely not the final word on the Texas and Florida laws, it’s an important statement that the Court will not set different rules for online and offline speech. Although the Supreme Court’s opinion in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton reserved final judgment on state laws that restrict online content moderation, the […]
Nashville, Tenn., July 1, 2024 — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decisions in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton. The Future of Free Speech, a nonpartisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University, has issued the following statement, attributable to Senior Fellow Jeff Kosseff: “A majority of the Supreme Court signed on to the […]
By Jacob Mchangama In the age of ubiquitous social media, the power to shape public discourse lies in the hands of a few digital giants. Yet, recent European regulations intended to curb “torrents of hate” online could be stifling free expression. As policymakers tout these measures as necessary for a safer internet, a critical question […]
By Tim Cushing A lot of laws have been passed in Europe that regulate the content American companies can carry. Most of these laws were passed to tamp down on speech that would be otherwise legal in the United States, but not so much in Europe where free speech rights aren’t given the same sort of […]
By Lukas Leuzinger European countries are passing more and more laws to prevent “hate speech” on the Internet. The Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG), introduced in Germany in 2017, forces social media platforms to delete “obviously illegal” content within 24 hours; violations can result in fines of up to 50 million euros. In 2022, the EU passed the Digital […]
By J.D. Tuccille Among those who think the United States is an unseemly cesspool of unrestrained opinions voiced by those people, Europe is often touted as an alternative for speech regulation. European Union law, following in the footsteps of national legislation, imposes enforceable duties on private platforms to purge “hate speech” and “disinformation”—or else. But free speech […]