Featuring Natalie Alkiviadou
Senior Research Fellow Natalie Alkiviadou joins The Lembit Öpik Show for TNT Radio to discuss a proposed “fake news” bill in Cyprus. The bill, which Dr. Alkiviadou wrote about at Verfassungsblog, would impose a prison sentence of up to five years for those accused of spreading disinformation.
Alkiviadou expresses concern about the proposed legislation, which, if implemented, will impose the second most severe criminal penalties for “fake news” and “offensive speech” behind Kazakhstan. Most worrisome, she argues, is who decides what is considered fake, true, offensive, and tolerable. Alkiviadou questions whether limiting speech to protect democracy is legitimate or if panic over disinformation is allowing elites to manipulate public discourse.
Start listening at 44:39 for Dr. Alkiavadou’s segment.
Learn more about The Lembit Öpik Show here.
Natalie Alkiviadou is a Senior Research Fellow at The Future of Free Speech. Her research interests lie in the freedom of expression, the far-right, hate speech, hate crime, and non-discrimination.