CELE: Moderating Hate or Moderating Rights? The Paradox of the European Approach to Online Hate Speech and Platform Liability

Posted on by Natalie Alkiviadou in AI, Digital Regulation, disinformation, Global Free Speech, Hate Speech, Journal, Publications

Abstract This paper critically assesses the European approach to regulating online hate speech through platform liability frameworks, focusing on Germany’s Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) and the European Union’s Digital Services Act. It argues that these laws, while aiming to curb online harm, risk infringing on the right to freedom of expression and non-discrimination by delegating […]

The Future of Free Speech’s Public Comment to Missouri AG on Social Media Content Moderation Rule

Posted on by Ashkhen Kazaryan in Consultation responses, Digital Regulation, First Amendment, Online Content Moderation, Publications

By Ashkhen Kazaryan Below is an excerpt from our pubic comment. Click here to read the full submission.  Comments on the Rule 15 CSR 60-19 Proposed by the Attorney General of Missouri The Future of Free Speech is an independent, nonpartisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University. We work to reaffirm freedom of expression as the bedrock […]

The Future of Free Speech Responds to Call for Evidence on the ‘European Democracy Shield’

Posted on by The Future of Free Speech in Consultation responses, Digital Regulation, disinformation, Global Free Speech, Online Content Moderation, Publications

By Alexander Hohlfeld In her speech at the 2024 Copenhagen Democracy Summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen argued that Europe should not “fight the authoritarians or the extremes at their own game,” but instead “fight them by offering a positive vision of the future” that “protects what we hold dear – our democracy and our […]

The Future of Free Speech’s Public Comment to the FTC on “Tech Censorship”

Posted on by Ashkhen Kazaryan in Consultation responses, Digital Regulation, Online Content Moderation, Publications

By Ashkhen Kazaryan Below is an excerpt from our pubic comment. Click here to read the full submission.  In Response to the Federal Trade Commission’s Request for Information: Technology Platform Censorship The Future of Free Speech is an independent, nonpartisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University. We work to reaffirm freedom of expression as the […]

Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media (Paperback Edition)

Posted on by Jacob Mchangama in Blasphemy, Books, Culture, First Amendment, Free Speech History, Global Free Speech, Press Freedom, Publications

Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, the critically acclaimed book by Jacob Mchangama, has returned in a new paperback edition. Originally released in 2022, this celebrated work is hailed as “the best history of free speech ever written” by P.J. O’Rourke and called “smart, insightful, and astute” by the Los Angeles Review of […]

Who In The World Supports Free Speech? Findings from A Global Survey

Posted on by Svend-Erik Skaaning and Suthan Krishnarajan in Culture, Global Free Speech, Hate Speech, Press Freedom, Publications, Reports

THE FUTURE OF FREE SPEECH INDEX 2025 The Future of Free Speech Index is a composite measure based on answers to eight questions about the willingness to allow controversial speech, criticism of the government, media freedom, and an open Internet. Executive Summary Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy, a fundamental right that empowers individuals […]

Open Letter Urges UK Home Office to Withdraw Secret Orders Undermining Apple-User Privacy

Posted on by The Future of Free Speech in Consultation responses, Digital Regulation, Global Free Speech, News Desk, Publications

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 […]

Amicus Brief: Supreme Court Should Overturn TikTok Ban

Posted on by The Future of Free Speech in Consultation responses, Digital Regulation, First Amendment, Publications

On December 27, 2024, The Future of Free Speech joined the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Institute for Justice, Reason Foundation, and several other civil liberties organizations in an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in urging the Supreme Court to overturn the law banning TikTok. The brief argues that the national ban on […]

Book Chapter: The Future of Free Speech: Old Threats and New Challenges

Posted on by Joan Barata and Natalie Alkiviadou in Books, Global Free Speech, Hate Speech, Journal, Publications

By Joan Barata  From Eric Heinze, Natalie Alkiviadou, Tom Herrenberg, Sejal Parmar and Ioanna Tourkochoriti (eds) The Oxford Handbook of Hate Speech, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024-25 Abstract The contemporary challenges to freedom of expression are multifaceted and complex, with traditional regulatory frameworks being stretched by new dynamics in the digital realm. This paper explores […]