Social Media
PragerU's Lawsuit Against Google Seeks To Rewrite the First Amendment
It flies in the face of precedent.
Neal Stephenson Wants To Tell Big Stories
An economist and a science fiction author discuss cryogenics, mythology, philanthropy, fragmentation, and simulation.
Free Speech Defenders Warn Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez That She Is Violating the Constitution by Blocking Critics on Twitter
The same First Amendment principles that apply to the president also apply to the congresswoman.
Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along
Sealed memos fought over in federal court last week show authorities have known for years that claims about Backpage were bogus.
Beto O'Rourke Proposes Plan to Punish Tech Companies for Failing to Censor Hate Speech
The move would violate the First Amendment.
The Government Wants a 'Red Flag' Social Media Tool. That's a Terrible Idea.
The FBI is looking for companies to comb through social media posts and pinpoint possible threats ahead of time. Think of it like a meme-illiterate Facebook-stalking precog from Minority Report.
Is YouTube Discriminating Against Both Conservatives and LGBT Videos? Two Lawsuits Say Yes.
Trying to get the government involved in what sort of videos online platforms promote or hide is going to end badly.
James Alan Fox: There Is No Evidence of an 'Epidemic of Mass Shootings'
The nation's leading scholar of mass shootings explains how media coverage of horrific events such as El Paso and Dayton stoke unwarranted fear and anxiety.
Democrats Join Trump in Seeking Balance by Policing Speech
The constitutional amendment they support, like the president’s plan to regulate social media, trusts the government to moderate our political debate.
Trump's Social Media Executive Order Would Let Unelected Bureaucrats Police Online Speech
It would essentially be a Fairness Doctrine for the internet.
No Probable Cause Required for Cops To Access User Data From Popular Apps
Only three states require police to obtain a warrant before requesting private user data from companies.
6 Terrible New Tech Bills in Congress
While expressing concern for free speech and privacy, lawmakers are seriously threatening both.
How Libertarians Should Respond to Mass Shootings
Plus: the budget deal, GOP retirements, and the latest front in the trade war.
Cloudflare, Not the Government, Should Decide Whether It Wants to Do Business with 8chan
Companies should forced neither to help spread offensive speech nor to suppress it.
Josh Hawley Wants to Ban YouTube's Autoplay Feature in the Name of Fighting Social Media Addiction
The Missouri senator thinks wasting time on Instagram is a problem so big that only the federal government can solve it.
Cops Can't Take a Joke? The First Amendment Doesn't Care
Plus: Behind the bipartisan war on internet speech, New York "decriminalizes" pot (but you'll still get fined), and more...
Section 230 Is the Internet's First Amendment. Now Both Republicans and Democrats Want To Take It Away.
From Josh Hawley to Kamala Harris, online free speech is under attack.
Tulsi Gabbard's $50 Million Lawsuit Against Google Is Another Attack on Online Free Speech
The presidential hopeful alleges the company violated her First Amendment rights when it suspended her campaign advertising site for 6 hours.
The Justice Department's 'Big Tech' Antitrust Investigation Is Unnecessary Political Theater
Both Democrats and Republicans are cheerleading for government action against Facebook, Google, Amazon, and the rest, but Americans should be skeptical.
The Erica Thomas Incident Wasn't National News, But That Never Stops Our Outrage-Hungry Media
A trivial encounter between two irate grocery shoppers becomes a viral story, then a hate hoax.
Dennis Prager, Who Boasts 1 Billion Video Views a Year, Decries YouTube 'Censorship'
The pundit made the claim at a Senate hearing on allegations of tech censorship against conservatives.
The Folly of Government-Imposed Social Media 'Neutrality'
Trump supports a bill that would encourage censorship in the name of free speech.
Donald Trump Doesn't Think 'the Mainstream Media Is Free Speech'
At his social media summit on Thursday, the president ranted incoherently about the media's "crooked," "dishonest," and "dangerous" speech.
Trump Is Hosting a Very Weird Social Media Summit at the White House
Plus: Air-launched rockets, the GOP becomes the party of Trump, and Pelosi feuds with AOC.
Google Told Employees to Delete Politically Incorrect Language From Code
"The cost of not doing this is the harm done to other Googlers every time they encounter these terms," says the company's diversity and inclusion team.
Trump To Convene 'Social Media Summit' Over Accusations of Anti-Conservative Bias
The president invited Republican lawmakers as well as social media stars who claim that tech giants are suppressing free speech.
Two Lawsuits Argue That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Blocking of Twitter Critics, Like Trump's, Violates the First Amendment
The New York congresswoman's use of Twitter seems similar to the president's in constitutionally relevant ways.
The Backlash Over The Little Mermaid Casting a Black Ariel Is Fake News
Few people who tweeted #NotMyAriel were actually upset about Halle Bailey portraying the mermaid princess.
2nd Circuit Agrees That Trump Cannot Constitutionally Block Critics on Twitter
The court says the "interactive space" created by his account is a public forum, meaning that the president's viewpoint discrimination violates the First Amendment.
An Iowa Man Wins His Free Speech Suit After Being Charged for a Facebook Rant Against a Cop
Jon Goldsmith was charged with third-degree harassment after calling Deputy Cory Dorsey a "stupid sum bitch" online.
Because Politicians Are for Sale, They Think Everyone Else Is Too
Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) has proposed a dreadful bill that would give the government control of internet content. He thinks the only reason anyone could be opposed is because they've been bought off.
When the Government Says You're Fake News
Countries across the world tackle political misinformation with authoritarian censorship.
A Social Media Platform Has Banned Support of Trump
It's Ravelry, and it's not just a "knitting site."
Sen. Ron Wyden: Conservatives Are 'Totally Wrong' About Political Neutrality Under Section 230
"Section 230 has nothing to do with neutrality. Nothing. Zip. There is absolutely no weight to that argument," Wyden says. He oughta know. He wrote the damn thing.
How Europe Censors What Americans Say Online
Stanford Law professor and former Google attorney Daphne Keller says tech giants are facing pressure from governments worldwide to clamp down on content.
Almost No One Digs Josh Hawley's Internet Censorship Proposal, Thank Goodness
Plus: Immigration officials confirm Trump tweets about new raids, Elizabeth Warren talks sex work decriminalization, and more...
Josh Hawley Introduces Bill to Put Washington In Charge of Internet Speech
Hawley is selling it as a way to fight tech-company "bias" against Republicans. Don't believe him.
Let God Tweet
I shouted out, who killed online freedom of speech? When after all, it was you and me.
Muscular Content Moderation Is a Really Bad Idea That's Impossible To Implement Well
Be afraid as more journalists and politicians start calling for stronger policing of online speech.
Congress Wants to Help Broker a Better Tech Deal for Big Media
Plus: psychedelics research bill moves forward, big companies push back against abortion bans, and more...
Are Google and YouTube Evil? No, But Don't Let That Get in the Way of Your Feelings.
Despite scant evidence, everyone wants to believe that social media has a unique ability to control our thoughts and actions.
Trump's Mexican Standoff and the New Illiberal Right
When Tucker Carlson and Elizabeth Warren agree on trade, regulation, and social media, it's time to rethink a few things.
YouTube Punishes Steven Crowder for Homophobic Speech, a Confused Approach to an Unsolvable Problem
The video platform temporarily demonetized a conservative comedian's channel, satisfying no one.
The European Union May Order Facebook to Stop You From Calling Austrian Politicians 'Corrupt Oafs'
Censorship inevitably ends up being used to protect the powerful from criticism.
After Virginia Beach Shooting, a Quick Pivot to Squabbling About 'Silencers' and Trump's Golf Clothes
Plus: Spending bill includes pro-marijuana changes, State Department starts collecting social media accounts of visa applicants, and more...
Facebook's Zuckerberg Was Right To Skip Canadian Show Trial
Abroad, legislators are in the mood to theatrically punish social media companies. CEOs shouldn’t play along.
