By Jacob Mchangama The abuse of “apology for terrorism” laws became particularly evident after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. What if the cure was worse than the disease? Article 11 of the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen – the edifice of the French Revolution – guarantees all […]
From the show A Propos France has marked 10 years since an Islamist attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks to Jacob Mchangama, founder of “The Future of Free Speech” think tank and research professor […]
By Peggy Sastre The excerpt below is a rough English translation. Read the original in French here. Jacob Mchangama, a Danish legal scholar and author of a notable history of freedom of expression from the time of Socrates to the era of social media, is now one of the most insightful analysts of this fundamental […]
By Natalie Alkiviadou Introduction The rise of social media has fundamentally altered the landscape of information dissemination, bypassing traditional editorial and governmental controls. This has allowed for rapid global information sharing but has also raised concerns about the influence of social media platforms, even in democratic societies. Legislative responses, such as Germany’s Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) […]
By Jacob Mchangama A recent spate of neo-Nazi demonstrations in Nashville has heightened tensions in an already polarized political environment. Fortunately, there has been bipartisan condemnation of these vile and obscene efforts to promote hatred in our community. However, some Tennessee public officials want to go beyond condemnation, claiming that “hate speech is not free […]
Featuring Natalie Alkiviadou Senior Research Fellow Natalie Alkiviadou joins The Lembit Öpik Show for TNT Radio to discuss a proposed “fake news” bill in Cyprus. The bill, which Dr. Alkiviadou wrote about at Verfassungsblog, would impose a prison sentence of up to five years for those accused of spreading disinformation. Alkiviadou expresses concern about the […]
By Marc Thibodeau (Rough English Translation) Pressure on social networks in Europe to restrict hateful content online is leading to the unnecessary removal of an alarming number of perfectly legal messages, denounces an American organization defending freedom of expression. In a new study, researchers from The Future of Free Speech point out that more than […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NASHVILLE, Tenn. May 28, 2024 —Digital regulations in France, Germany and Sweden could be stifling free expression on social media platforms, according to a new report by The Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University. The report, titled “Preventing ‘Torrents of Hate’ or Stifling Free Expression Online? An Assessment of Social Media […]
By Natalie Alkiviadou Introduction Article 17 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), commonly referred to as the ‘abuse clause,’ provides that: “Nothing in [the] Convention may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the […]
By Jacob Mchangama Free speech pessimism is on the rise among America’s elites. “Free Speech Is Killing Us,” read a 2019 op-ed in The New York Times. Recently, an article in The New York Times Magazine concluded, “It’s time to ask whether the American way of protecting free speech is actually keeping us free.” George Washington University Law […]