Google and Privatized Authoritarianism
The tech giant appears willing to do almost anything to win access to the vast Chinese market.
Censorship
E.U. Passes Censorship-Inducing Online Copyright Regulations
Online platforms will be subjected to a costly, easily-abused system that will likely pull down legal content.
British Lawmaker Wants to Ban Your Private Facebook Groups Because She Worries You're Using Hate Speech
Bill also calls for holding forum moderators legally liable for extreme speech.
Beware the Press's Self-Serving Calls to Regulate Social Media
Demands for government oversight hide opportunism amid rhetoric about safety.
Google Obeys Russia's Demand to Remove Putin Critic's YouTube Ads
An aide for the jailed dissident calls Google's actions "political censorship."
Regulators Want to Know: Are Social Media Companies 'Intentionally Stifling' Conservatives?
The Department of Justice plans to look into whether social media platforms are "hurting competition and intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas."
Missouri Might Imprison You for False Meat Advertising
A state law says you can't call it meat unless it's actually beef, pork, or poultry. Critics say the bill violates the First Amendment.
A New Report Details Pro-Trump Censorship of Liberty University's Student Paper
"I didn't feel comfortable being told what I couldn't write about by President Falwell."
Why the New Winnie the Pooh Movie Is Banned in China
A story of censorship in the age of memes
After China Complains, Apple Removes Thousands of 'Illegal' Gambling Apps
It's not the first time Apple has bowed to China's censorship demands.
Kevin McCarthy Shows Why the Government Shouldn't Regulate Social Media
The House majority leader doesn't understand how Twitter works.
Judge Threatens Censorship After Newspaper Reveals Bureaucratic Errors in Parkland Lead-Up
"If I have to specifically write word for word exactly what you are and are not permitted to print…then I'll do that," the judge said.
Gun Control Becomes Speech Control
People appalled by Cody Wilson's firearm fabrication software tend to forget about the First Amendment.
'It's Not About Donald Trump Being Crappy, It's About the Government Being Crappy': Podcast
The podcast crew takes on the The New York Times' controversial new hire, Trump's trade war escalations, Medicare-for-all, and 3D-printed guns.
Facebook Blocks Searches for Pages that Reference Marijuana—Even Those of Government Agencies
The platform is struggling to handle contradictory laws about legal and illegal use of pot
Kevin McCarthy Wants Twitter to Kick Out a Congressional Candidate
...after months of complaining that social media companies censor too much.
Twitter Sucks Because We Suck. Don't Blame @Jack
If social media feels like a cesspool, don't go swimming.
House Committee on Un-American Activities
The Life and Death of a Hollywood Blacklist
Sometimes censorship is a public-private partnership.
Mark Zuckerberg's Sister Simultaneously Rejects and Defends Facebook Censorship
Censorship is "nefarious." Unless it's being carried out by the government.
Putin Invokes JFK and MLK Assassinations in Weird U.S./Russia Comparison
"Haven't presidents been killed in the United States? Have you forgotten about-well, has Kennedy been killed in Russia or in the United States? Or Mr. King?"
Europe Delays Plan to Destroy the Internet With Terrible Copyright Enforcement Proposal
Lawmakers resist plan that would likely lead to widespread censorship of online media sharing.
Video Game Company Valve's New Content Policy for Online Store Steam Is Amazing
The company's hands-off, user-centered approach is a model other content platforms would do well to emulate.
YouTube Won't Host Our Homemade Gun Video. So We Posted It on PornHub Instead.
Our video is awesome. But nothing in the First Amendment says YouTube has to run it.
When the Censors Came for Jack Johnson's Fight Films
Friday A/V Club: The boxer who just got a posthumous presidential pardon was a central figure in one of the first battles over movie censorship.
Canadian City Leaders Declare Anarchy Symbol to Be Hate Speech
When government has the power to censor, ultimately it will look for excuses to suppress opposition.
Man Protests Police Department's Violation of Speech Rights, So Cops Arrest Him
Stamford, Connecticut, police chief objects to salty language on a sign. That's not a crime.
The Battle of Ideas Turns Coercive
Too many people (and governments) want to shut down and punish speech they disagree with.
Malaysia's First 'Fake News' Conviction Is All About Shielding Government from Criticism
Man goes to jail for complaining about police response times.
Man's Joke Video of Dog Giving Nazi Salute Lands Him U.K. Hate Speech Fine
Court feels "menaced" by a pug.
She Posted Rap Lyrics to Remember a Dead Teen, So the U.K. Prosecuted Her for Hate Speech
Why all Americans should be thankful for the First Amendment
RIP Miloš Forman, a True Hollywood Anti-Authoritarian
From One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to Black Peter, the Czech-born Oscar-winner championed eccentric individuals and artists over small-minded bureaucrats and a stifling state.
Beware Censorship by Proxy
Prodding private companies into self-censorship is a dangerous government tradition.
Can You Guess How Much Butt This Town Will Let You Show?
Everett, Washington, continues to wage war against scantily clad "bikini baristas."
University of Virginia Hires 'Social Sentinel' to Monitor Students' Social Media Posts
"They are being watched, and that's a problem."
Hours After FOSTA Passes, Reddit Bans 'Escorts' and 'SugarDaddy' Communities
The great content crackdown has begun.
Social Media Beats Censorship in Iran
The vigorous debate over censorship shows how much Iran has changed in recent years.
