Semafor: Content moderation laws seen as threatening freedom of speech

In Semafor’s new breaking news feed “Signals,” Diego Mendoza cites a Tech Policy Press article by Joan Barata and Jordi Calvet-Bademunt:

Content moderation laws seen as threatening freedom of speech

Sources: Politico, American Principles Project, Tech Policy Press

Moves by the United States and the EU to tighten regulations around who can access perceived harmful content have drawn the ire of free-speech activists, who say the rules endanger users’ rights. At least seven states have now passed age-verification requirements for accessing online pornography, with Politico describing the requirements as “the most bipartisan policy in the country” — in one poll, 77% of respondents in swing states supported them. However, rather than comply with the laws, Pornhub is pulling service in many of these states. Pornhub says the rules violate freedom of speech, while The American Civil Liberties Union told Politico that the laws will “burden adults’ access to speech that is protected and they have every right to engage with and to access.”

By targeting online disinformation such as Russian propaganda in Europe, the DSA could inadvertently create “excessive and unintended restrictions” in other areas, two free speech researchers wrote for Tech Policy Press, a tech policy site. Investigative outlets like Bellingcat rely on access to such content for their reporting, they argued, and a ban would hinder their efforts to inform the public about covert Kremlin campaigns, for example.