Preventing “Torrents of Hate” or Stifling Free Expression Online?

An Assessment of Social Media Content Removal in France, Germany, and Sweden The over-removal of legal content on social media platforms raises concerns about the chilling effect on free expression and the potential suppression of legitimate discourse online. This report found that a substantial majority (87.5% to 99.7%) of deleted comments on Facebook and YouTube […]

Case Law Collection: Internet shutdowns in international law

By Joan Barata and Andrei Richter This paper contributes to the discussions surrounding the internet and the challenges of its regulation. It is divided into two parts. Part one documents the international standards that have emerged pertaining to internet shutdowns, and part two explores the relevant case law at the national and international levels. The […]

Article: The Internet, Internet Intermediaries and Hate Speech – Freedom of Expression in Decline?

By Natalie Alkiviadou Abstract This paper looks at the developments of hate speech regulation online, specifically its horizontalization, with private companies increasingly ruling on the permissibility levels of speech, placing the right to free speech at peril. To elucidate issues at stake, the paper will look at the meaning of hate speech, the online landscape […]

Thoughts on the DSA: Challenges, Ideas and the Way Forward through International Human Rights Law

Thoughts on the DSA: Challenges, Ideas and the Way Forward through International Human Rights Law Abstract National and regional legislative measures/proposals that dramatically enhance platform liability for content developed by users such as the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) and the EU’s proposed Digital Services Act (DSA) place free speech at risk and potentially shrink […]

Report: The Wild West? Illegal comments on Facebook

Read the report (Sorry, only in Danish) Summary of the report This report investigates the extent of illegal comments on selected Danish Facebook pages. On the basis of a representative sample, the report estimates that one out of 15,000 comments on Danish Facebook pages constitutes a hate crime. In particular, a representative segment of 63 […]

A Framework of First Reference – Decoding a Human Rights Approach to content moderation on social media

A Framework of First Reference – Decoding a Human Rights Approach to content moderation on social media SUMMARY 4.66 billion people have Internet access, and 4.20 billion are active social media users. Despite the unprecedented scale and ease with which information and opinions are shared globally, Internet freedom is seen more and more as both […]

Rushing to Judgment: Are Short Mandatory Takedown Limits for Online Hate Speech Compatible with The Freedom of Expression?

Rushing to Judgment: Are Short Mandatory Takedown Limits for Online Hate Speech Compatible with The Freedom of Expression? For the first time in human history, ordinary people have been given the ability to publicly share and access information instantly and globally through social media without the mediation of traditional gatekeepers such as newspaper editors or […]