By Jacob Sullum [ . . . ] The FTC’s authority under Section 5 “does not, and constitutionally cannot, extend to penalizing social media platforms for how they choose to moderate user content,” Ashkhen Kazaryan, a senior legal fellow at the Future of Free Speech, argues in a comment that the organization submitted on Tuesday. “Platforms’ content […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NASHVILLE, Tenn. — May 20, 2025 — In a public comment submitted today to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), The Future of Free Speech cautioned against efforts to regulate content moderation practices on technology platforms. The public comment comes amid an FTC inquiry into “tech censorship.” The nonpartisan think tank located at […]
By Glen Weyl, Audrey Tang and Jacob Mchangama [ . . . ] We believe, therefore, that it’s time to relearn some of the commission’s lessons and adapt them to our pluralistic, digital age. With a deeply polarizing U.S. election fresh in our minds, the need to redesign platforms that bridge divides has never been more urgent. In a paper this […]
By Prithvi Iyer Social media platforms have redefined communication by shifting the role of content curation from traditional editorial gatekeepers to largely algorithmic systems that reward content based on engagement metrics. Scholars have argued that algorithms optimized for engagement inadvertently reward content that elicits strong emotions, exacerbating polarization and, in some instances, amplifying disinformation. Platforms […]
By Irene Castro and Carlos del Castillo The spread of fake news and disinformation was one of the major issues facing the European Union during the last legislative period, when new legislation was introduced to regulate online life. The intention of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DSA) is to make […]
Misguided decisions and the superiority of crowdsourcing mean Zuckerberg was right to change direction. But he must also keep Trump at arm’s length. By Jacob Mchangama The Great American Vibe Shift, rapidly reshaping U.S. culture and politics, has landed at 1 Hacker Way—the gleaming Palo Alto headquarters of Meta. In a video this week, Meta founder and […]
By Joan Barata As part of their research on the topic, CELE has characterized a threat of regulation as “any kind of public or private utterance or action by public officials who hold regulatory power over others in which they express, suggest, or imply, clearly or veiledly, their desire to see their subject’s conduct move […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NASHVILLE, Tenn. October 31, 2024 — Today, The Future of Free Speech is excited to announce its membership in the Global Network Initiative (GNI), joining an influential community of organizations dedicated to advancing free expression and privacy in the digital space. The Global Network Initiative sets a global standard for responsible company […]
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 Gillian Brassil California’s new law that allows people to sue over election deepfakes was temporarily blocked by a federal judge. The judge, in granting a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, wrote that the law likely violates the First Amendment given its broad scope, even if digitally-altered media such as by artificial intelligence poses “significant” risks. […]