By: Jacob Mchangama At this year’s Munich Security Conference, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed Europe’s “long tradition in freedom of speech.” Then she drew a redline. “We are very clear with digital sovereignty . . . that what is forbidden offline is forbidden online,” she added. Von der Leyen’s maxim would have […]
By Jacob Mchangama Irakli Miladze, a food courier in Tbilisi, spent long shifts dodging not only the weather, but also fines for using bus lanes. They were the same bus lanes that government officials sped down in their fancy vehicles with impunity. In late 2022, Miladze did what citizens in a modern democracy are supposed […]
By Angele Latham A free speech legal group in Nashville has pushed back on a recent Federal Communications Commission inquiry into television programming involving “gender identity” issues, calling the move constitutionally concerning. The Future of Free Speech, an international free speech advocacy think tank based in Nashville, filed comments responding to a recent FCC inquiry that debates whether current […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2026 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Future of Free Speech has submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission, warning that a recent FCC inquiry into television programming involving “gender identity themes” and “gender identity issues” raises serious constitutional concerns, including vagueness, viewpoint discrimination, and compelled speech. The filing responds to […]
By Miranda Nazzaro The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced a bill Thursday to ban minors from artificial intelligence companions and prevent AI chatbots from exposing children to sexual or harmful content. The Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue (GUARD) Act, cosponsored by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), would prohibit AI companions […]
By Jacob Mchangama Three days after securing a landslide victory in Hungary’s parliamentary election, incoming prime minister Peter Magyar appeared on the country’s state broadcaster for the first time in 18 months and labeled it a “factory of lies” peddling “propaganda” worthy of North Korea and Goebbels. Magyar’s hostility reflects the well-documented media capture that […]
Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff argue that protecting free expression—rather than restricting it—is essential to democracy’s survival April 7, 2026 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As governments across the world tighten controls on speech in the name of combating disinformation, hate speech, and political extremism, a new book from leading free speech scholars warns that democracies […]
From Socrates to social media, society has always worried about protecting the young. But the latest ruling about Meta and YouTube overlooks the upsides of free speech. By Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff In 399 BCE, Socrates was put on trial before a jury of some 500 of his fellow Athenians. The indictment accused him […]
By Karen Zraick A federal judge in Texas has dismissed Exxon Mobil’s bombshell defamation lawsuit against environmental groups that it had accused of trying to sabotage its recycling business in collusion with an Australian mining magnate. But the judge allowed a parallel case against California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, to proceed. [ . . . […]
By Matt Pearson Recent revelations from news agency Reuters that the US is “developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including hate speech and terrorist propaganda,” as a method to counter what it sees as excessive censorship in other parts of the world […]