A new survey released by the nonpartisan think tank Future of Free Speech found a 3-percentage-point drop in support for free speech in the U.S., which puts America’s rank at number 9 out of the 33 countries surveyed. The survey tracks global attitudes toward allowing controversial speech, criticism of the government, media freedom, and an […]
By Alejo Schapire In 2022, Danish lawyer Jacob Mchangama (Copenhagen, 1978) published Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media (not yet translated into Spanish), an essay that traces the erratic and bloody struggle for freedom of expression in the East and West, from ancient Greece to social media. In both the book and his podcast , Mchangama […]
By Jacob Mchangama The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil and the threat to go after others prove the hollowness of Trump’s claims to be a champion of free speech. When asked on Wednesday about the arrest and planned deportation of Mahmoud Khalil for his pro-Palestinian protest activities last year, Trump administration border czar Tom Homan resorted […]
A loss for words Popular support for free speech has been eroding, to judge by a forthcoming study from The Future of Free Speech, a think-tank. Since the previous survey, in 2021, America had the third-largest decline in support for free speech among 33 countries, behind only Japan and Israel. America ranks 9th, after some […]
By Natalie Alkiviadou On the 7th January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR/Court) delivered the judgment of Minasyan and Others v. Armenia (2025). It addressed critical issues of hate speech, discrimination and the state’s positive obligations under Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life) in conjunction with Article 14 (the prohibition of […]
UNESCO, in collaboration with the Federal Parliament Secretariat, organized a discussion on the Social Media Bill 2081 with Members of Parliament from the National Assembly and House of Representatives. The workshop, held on February 5–6, convened parliamentarians from various parliamentary committees alongside national and international experts to review key elements of the proposed legislation and […]
We have partnered with TechFreedom and seven other civil society organizations to send two open letters addressing secret UK government orders pressuring Apple to break encryption on users’ cloud storage worldwide. Our letter to the UK Home Office warns that undermining encryption—a vital safeguard for free expression—violates the European Convention on Human Rights. Meanwhile, our […]
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s accusations of censorship have angered Europeans. Many Americans, however, believe he is right—even though the White House itself restricts free speech. By Fabian Fellmann [ . . . ] Trump’s Own Assault on the Press More free speech would benefit Europe, agrees Jacob Mchangama. “Europe sees free expression too much […]
By Jacob Mchangama Last week, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance shocked an A-list group of European political and military leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany with a blunt message: Europe has gone too far in restricting speech. According to Vance, the main threat against European security does not emanate from Russia or China, but […]
By Benjamin von Wyl Hate speech is considered a threat to society and democracy. At a time when Facebook and Instagram allow more statements, the commitment of volunteers who respond to hate – with so-called counterspeech – is becoming more important. [ . . . ] Opponents of content moderation for counterspeech The Institute “The […]