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 […]
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, 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Joan Barata Introduction The right to information is a fundamental right that encompasses two main aspects: a) the positive obligation of the public (and some private) bodies to provide, publish, and disseminate information about their main activities, budgets, policies, and plans, and b) the right of all persons to ask public officials for information […]
ABSTRACT In contemporary society, the rise of social media has dramatically transformed the sharing of information, bypassing traditional editorial and governmental controls. This shift has enabled rapid global information sharing but also raised concerns about the influence of social media platforms, even in democratic societies. Legislative responses, such as Germany’s Network Enforcement Act of 2017, […]
Background The Future of Free Speech (FoFS)1 is an independent, nonpartisan think tank located at Vanderbilt University. We work to restore a resilient global culture of free speech in the digital age through knowledge, research, and advocacy. FoFS’ comment focuses on the following issues identified by the Oversight Board: The impacts of Meta’s Hate Speech […]