A POLITICO piece about a high-stakes child-safety trial brought by red and blue states against Meta cites Ashkhen Kazaryan, who argues the judge’s decision could have far-reaching consequences for online speech. From the article “…Ashkhen Kazaryan, a senior legal fellow at the Future of Free Speech think tank at Vanderbilt University, cautioned against what she […]
By Caitlin Babcock On Monday night, the House of Representatives passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act on a bipartisan basis, 267-117. The sweeping children’s safety package combines text from over a dozen other bills. Its provisions, among others, include blocking platforms from using children’s personal data for targeted ads and requiring AI […]
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 Natalie Alkiviadou Hate speech is a real problem. But takedowns and deplatforming are ineffective and carry damaging side effects. A better and more liberal response is to confront hateful speech directly. Hate speech emerges in concrete moments that reveal how language can hurt, marginalize and affect public participation. One such moment occurred in Brazil […]
By Arunita Das and Cole Hennig | Global Network on Extremism & Technology How can we incentivise social media companies to implement AI tools for content moderation? With routine auditing and updating, we can continue to build precise AI-led tools to complement content moderation that targets extremism. The next challenge, however, is to encourage social […]
By Deltan Dallagnol You probably didn’t realize it, but this Tuesday (10) the right had a gigantic victory against the Lula government and the pro-censorship class, which does not tire of trying to muzzle the Brazilians. It passed beaten by many people, but those who were connected on social networks saw a frantic movement on […]
By Ashkhen Kazaryan Rand Paul is furious. That’s because someone posted a video falsely accusing the Kentucky senator of taking money from Venezuela’s Maduro regime. Paul should know that the First Amendment sets a deliberately high bar for defamation of public officials like him. Under New York Times v. Sullivan, he must show not just […]
By Stephany Matat Age verification, artificial intelligence, and academic freedom dominated First Amendment debates in 2025. As the calendar turns to 2026, constitutional scholars say those disputes are poised to intensify – and to produce consequential legal outcomes. [ . . . ] The Supreme Court is expected to continue to draw lines between the […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW REPORT: AI LAWS AND CHATBOTS FACE A GLOBAL FREE SPEECH TEST Study ranks countries’ AI policies and leading chatbots by how they handle lawful but controversial speech NASHVILLE, Tenn. — October 17, 2025 — Does your chatbot respond to prompts about controversial topics — or dodge them? That’s one of the […]