In 1922, the USSR established the General Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press (known as Glavlit) to weed out “propaganda against the Soviet Union” that “stirred up public opinion through false information”. The mission of Glavlit reflected Lenin’s view that the press was “no less dangerous than bombs and machine-guns” and that its […]
The United Kingdom moved a step closer to regulating social media in December when a parliamentary committee recommended major changes to the country’s Online Safety Bill so as to hold internet service providers responsible for material published on their platforms. “We need to call time on the Wild West online,” said committee chair Damian Collins. “What’s illegal […]
Liberal democracies are passing online speech laws. They’re inspiring autocrats. Nothing more sharply differentiates liberal democracies from authoritarian regimes than the former’s commitment to freedom of expression. Despite controlling vast bureaucracies with near-infinite resources and overwhelming coercive powers, democratic governments generally accept that their actions are scrutinized, criticized, and ridiculed by the media, opposition, and ordinary citizens. […]
A comprehensive history of free speech from ancient to modern times. In this well-researched and highly readable book, Copenhagen-based writer Mchangama, host of the podcast series Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech, traces the history of free speech around the world, examining the views of both its advocates and its suppressors. The author […]
This short piece has been inspired by the case of Sanchez v France which was decided by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) this year and which I argue, hereinafter, is yet another worrying development in the framework of freedom of expression. This case involved the criminal conviction of the applicant for inciting hatred […]
A new report by the Danish think tank Justitia calls for embedding content moderation in an international human rights framework to ensure common international standards. Yet, critics warn that this voluntary approach is too weak to tackle the ‘Infodemic’. In the report, Justitia says the legislative measures taken in Germany, Denmark or Austria to counter hate […]
…A ameaça aos veículos independentes e aos próprios leitores é considerada grave pelo advogado dinamarquês Jacob Mchangama, fundador e diretor do Justitia, centro de estudos de direitos humanos, liberdade de expressão e Estado de Direito. Read the full piece in the Brazilian Folha de Sao Paulo.
At 6 a.m. on September 8, the German Twitter user @pauli_zoo was awoken by six police officers demanding access to his home. They were there to gather evidence for a criminal investigation. What potential crime prompted this? Calling the interior and sports minister for the city of Hamburg “a dick” on Twitter. This is hardly the first […]
How is expertise being redefined in the modern era? a16z posed that question to 20+ experts. The line-up includes those that society might traditionally categorize as such — academics, scientists, researchers — as well as authorities in their own domains: a sci-fi novelist, an award-winning illustrator, gamers, prominent and emerging newsletter writers, and startup builders. Here is our […]
بعد مرور عقد على الربيع العربي، لا يزال العالم العربي يناضل ليتوافق مع أعراف الديمقراطية، وحرياتها. يُظهر استطلاع عالمي جديد، يشمل لبنان ومصر وتونس، مدى التناقضات في المواقف تجاه حرية التعبير، مسلطاً الضوء على تجربة الانتقال إلى الديمقراطية، التي تكون، عادةً، تجربة مؤلمة. وفقًا لاستطلاعٍ بعنوان «من يهتم بحرية التعبير»، الذي أُجري بتكليف من مركز […]