Don't Bring Back COVID Authoritarianism
People should be free to choose how cautious to be. Mask mandates, lockdowns, and closing schools won't stop the virus.
Social Media
A Ruling Against a Man Arrested for a COVID-19 Joke Highlights the Influence of a Pernicious Analogy
A federal judge compared Waylon Bailey’s Facebook jest to "falsely shouting fire in a theatre."
'No Reasonable Officer' Would Have Arrested a Guy for a COVID-19 Joke, the 5th Circuit Says
The appeals court ruled that a Facebook post alluding to World War Z was clearly protected by the First Amendment.
The Washington Post Says Democracy Demands Less Freedom of Speech
The paper worries that "social media companies are receding from their role as watchdogs against political misinformation."
TikTok Woos Republicans With Debate Commercials
The video site took out ads touting social media's benefits.
U.S. Emulates Communist China in New TikTok Draft Agreement
Plus: Americans vote too much, Indiana abortion ban to take effect, and more...
Jay Bhattacharya & John Vecchione: Biden's Social Media Meddling Was Illegal
Plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden allege that federal pressure to remove and suppress COVID-19 material on Facebook and Twitter violates the First Amendment.
The Lab Leak Theory Still Counts as Misinformation in a New Study of COVID-19 Claims
A new study of COVID-19 narratives makes the very mistake it purports to correct.
Was Biden's Social Media Meddling Illegal?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern for a live discussion with Jay Bhattacharya and John Vecchione about their legal case against the Biden administration.
Fun, Silly Anti-Tax Ballad 'Rich Men North of Richmond' Goes Viral for Some Online Reasons
If you don't take Oliver Anthony's surprise hit song too seriously, it's a lot of fun. Regrettably, a lot of people are taking the song much too seriously indeed.
Why Stripping Fox's Broadcast License Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: A listener inquires about the potential positive effects of ranked-choice voting reforms.
Can We Trust A.I. To Tell the Truth?
Humanity has always adjusted to the reliability of new information sources.
Twitter Fined for Failing To Quickly Turn Over Trump Data to Jack Smith
Plus: A warning about trigger warnings, Biden blocks uranium mining near Grand Canyon, and more...
A Ham-Handed Bill Attacks the First Amendment in the Name of Protecting Minors From Online Harm
The Kids Online Safety Act imposes an amorphous "duty of care" that would compromise anonymous speech and restrict access to constitutionally protected content.
We Don't Need a War on Screen Time
Unwired makes an unconvincing argument for heavy-handed tech regulation.
Alex Winter: Is The YouTube Effect Good or Bad on Balance?
A new documentary film argues that the second-largest website on the planet is flooded with misinformation. Is that right?
Is YouTube Bad for Us?
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook at 1 p.m. Eastern this Thursday for a discussion with director Alex Winter about his new documentary The YouTube Effect.
Studies Keep Finding That Social Media Algorithms Don't Increase Polarization. Why Is the Press So Skeptical?
New research on Facebook before the 2020 election finds scant evidence to suggest algorithms are shifting our political views.
Biden White House Pressured Facebook To Censor Lab Leak Posts
"Can someone quickly remind me why we were removing—rather than demoting/labeling—claims that Covid is man made," asked Meta's president for global affairs.
E.U. Law Threatens Free Speech, Online Groups Say
The E.U.’s Digital Services Act will encourage censorship around the world and even in the U.S.
Elizabeth Warren and Lindsey Graham Will Break the Internet
The senators say they're creating an "independent, bipartisan regulator charged with licensing and policing the nation's biggest tech companies." What could go wrong?
Matt Taibbi: How the Left Lost Its Mind and Legacy Media Its Audience
The independent journalist talks about true press freedom, the Twitter Files, Russiagate, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Nearly 200 School Districts Are Suing Social Media Platforms
Plus: court strikes down Arizona law against filming cops, GOP candidates want to cut Social Security for young people, and more...
Tennessee Public School Sued After Suspending A Student Over Instagram Memes
Schools don't get to censor nondisruptive off-campus speech.
Mike Rowe on Well-Paying Dirty Jobs, Nonprofit Whiskey, and Male Decline
The country's favorite blue-collar champion calls attention to the 'skills gap' and asks why young men spend so much time online.
Federal Officials Can Keep Pressing Tech Platforms To Remove Content for Now, Court Says
Plus: GOP candidate defends “limited role of government” in parental decisions for transgender kids, some common sense about Diet Coke and cancer, and more…
A Win for the First Amendment, and a Loss for Partisans Who Want to Weaponize Censorship
One thing is clear about Missouri v. Biden: The decision cannot be understood by viewing it through a polarized lens.
Some Critics of the Ruling Against Biden's Censorship by Proxy Have a Beef With the 1st Amendment Itself
"Disinformation" researchers alarmed by the injunction against government meddling with social media content admire legal regimes that allow broad speech restrictions.
Critics of the Ruling Against Biden's Anti-'Misinformation' Crusade See No Threat to Freedom of Speech
The response to the decision illustrates the alarming erosion of bipartisan support for the First Amendment.
Chuck Schumer Panics Over Logan Paul's New Energy Drink
The new energy drink has about as much caffeine as a large Starbucks coffee.
The Courts vs. Misinformation Cops
Plus: A listener questions last week’s discussion of the Supreme Court's decision involving same-sex wedding websites and free expression.
Attack of the Twitter Clones
Plus: Groups ask Supreme Court to say public officials can't block people, latest jobs report shows openings down, and more...
Journalists Outraged That a Judge Would Dare Limit Biden's Censorship Powers
Unfortunately, there is reason to doubt that the judge's decision will meaningfully constrain the feds.
Federal Judge to Biden Administration: Stop Telling Social Media Sites To Limit Free Speech
Plus: Teaching A.I. about the Fourth of July, and more...
What Will 303 Creative Mean for Social Media Regulation?
If you can't force a web designer to serve a gay wedding, can you force a web platform to serve a politician?
Supreme Court Refuses To Expand the 'True Threats' Exception for Free Speech
Plus: Maine prostitution measure becomes law, "significant misconduct" in jail where Epstein hung himself, Mike Pence defends free markets, and more...
Is TikTok Really To Blame for Titanic Conspiracy Theories?
The New York Times tries to blame social media for conspiracy theories that have been around for decades. Don't fall for it.
Why Is So Much of Reddit Dark Right Now?
When your business relies on volunteer moderators and user-generated content, angry denizens can threaten the whole enterprise.
Don't Shame the OceanGate Crew for Taking Huge Risks
But don't expect taxpayers to rescue adventurers when they fail, either.
Lab Leak Theory: 1, Misinformation Cops: 0
Confirmation of Wuhan scientists as "patients zero" makes the lab leak theory look likely—and the misinformation police look like fools.
FTC Chair Lina Khan Ignored Ethics Official's Advice About Meta Case, Then Said She Didn't
Plus: RIP Daniel Ellsberg, the Pioneers of Capitalism, and more...
Small Porn Producers Will Be Hurt Most by New Age Verification Laws
New mandates in states like Utah and Virginia will lock in large incumbents like PornHub while discouraging positive trends and self-regulation in the industry.
Congress Had Questions About the CDC Stifling Dissent. Rochelle Walensky Refused To Answer.
Plus: Court using anti-pornography software to track a criminal defendant, $25 million verdict against Starbucks over fired employee, and more...
Kat Timpf: Make America Funny Again!
The You Can't Joke About That author says that free speech and dark humor can bring a fragmented country together.
E.U.'s Digital Services Act Threatens Americans' Free Speech
Online platforms should resist binding us all to the rules of censorship-happy jurisdictions.
