My USA Today Op Ed on Josh Hawley, Freedom of Speech, and Threats to Liberty From Left and Right
Both Hawley's "national conservatism" and similar ideas prevalent in many quarters on the left threaten free speech and liberty more generally.
Technology
Is the Great Deplatforming of 2021 an Assault on Free Speech?
No, says Techdirt's Mike Masnick, but it is cause for expanding Section 230 and building a more decentralized internet.
Mike Masnick: In Defense of Section 230 and a Decentralized Internet
Techdirt's founder wants to give end users, not politicians and tech giants, more control over what we can say and see online.
Why Purging Social Media of Extremist Speech Might Not Make Us Safer
Law enforcement will have an easier time arresting and prosecuting criminals on Parler than on Telegram.
How To Respond to the Great Deplatforming of 2021
We need an open digital commons, where individuals maintain ownership of their own identities and where speech is highly resistant to political pressure.
Millions of Users Are Flooding Encrypted Apps After Social Media Purges
Plus: Supreme Court declines more election challenges, Lisa Montgomery gets temporary stay of execution, and more...
Ron Paul Says He's Been Locked Out of His Account, but Facebook Says It Was a Mistake
No one has a right to a Facebook platform, but purges can and should be criticized.
A Silicon Curtain Descends
Trump escalated America's war against Huawei and China. Biden should beware burgeoning technonationalism.
FCC Won't Fulfill Trump Order for 'Regulations to Clarify' Section 230
Plus: Trump concedes on reinstated Twitter account, Cabinet resignations keep coming, and more...
Don't Give the Capitol Rioters Power Over Tech and Policing Policy
Plus: National Association of Manufacturers calls on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, Trump's response to the riot, and more...
The Fracturing of Communist Cuba's Propaganda Machine
"When I started my blog," says journalist Yoani Sánchez, "it was like an exorcism of something that was inside of me."
Congress Targets Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google for Being Popular
After a 16-month investigation into the big four tech companies, it seems the most that congressional busybodies can accuse them of is routine business practices and having popular services.
Are These Vulgarity-Spouting Birds a Threat to Democracy?
Aaron Reynolds is just trying to make people laugh, but his content may have been flagged on Instagram for interfering with the election.
Suppressing 'Hate Speech' on Social Media Drives Users to New Platforms
The more that big social media companies act like they can control what people say, the more competition they encourage.
Lindsey Graham Says Trump Will Sign Spending Bill if It Takes Aim at Section 230
Plus: One in seven NYC chain stores closed, Columbus officers turned off body cams before fatal shooting, and more....
Pornhub Isn't the Problem. That Won't Stop the Politicized Crusade Against It.
The case against the popular pornography site rests on misleading data and hidden agendas.
Stop Saying Lockdown Is 'Not That Hard'
Staying isolated from family and friends is wrenchingly difficult, even when it’s the right thing to do.
The Ultimate 2020 Libertarian Gift Guide
Reason's writers and editors share their suggestions for what you should be buying your friends and family this year.
FTC and State Prosecutors Join Antitrust Dogpile on Facebook
Plus: Sexual misconduct at the FBI, Tulsi Gabbard and Mike Lee don't understand the First Amendment, and more...
Remote Work Is Here to Stay and That's a Good Thing
Able to do our jobs from where we please, life for many of us will reflect a bit more of what we want rather than what we have to do to get by.
Sometimes Bigger Is Better
Republicans and Democrats are working together on an antitrust push against big tech. It will backfire big-time.
Are These Effin' Birds From Canada Fucking With American Democracy?
Aaron Reynolds, the creator of "Swear Trek" and "Effin' Birds," talks about living and dying by Instagram's algorithms.
Facial Recognition Programs Are Getting Better at Recognizing Masked Faces
Time to add a hat and sunglasses!
Ajit Pai on Net Neutrality, 5G, and Why He Wants To 'Clarify' Section 230
The outgoing FCC chairman discusses 'light-touch' regulation and the future of free speech on the internet.
Sneaking Section 230 Reform Into the Defense Bill Is a Terrible Idea
Plus: Bar food police strike in New York, study finds COVID-19 circulating in the U.S. last December, and more...
Still Waiting for Drone Deliveries
At the end of August, the FAA finally gave Amazon approval for its Prime Air drone delivery fleet.
The Conservative Antitrust Case Against Big Tech Is a Giant Self-Own
It's hard to take seriously complaints that there are no alternatives to Facebook when they're made on Twitter.
Senators Once Again Berate Twitter and Facebook CEOs for Content Decisions They Dislike
But what one side likes, the other side hates. There's no way Twitter and Facebook can appease them both.
TikTok Will Outlast Trump
Plus: Homeland Security says this election was "the most secure in American history," Chicago asks residents to stay home again, and more...
Twitter's Flagging of Trump's Post-Election Tweets Is Haphazard, Irrational, and Ineffectual
What is the platform accomplishing by calling further attention to the president's wild claims of voting fraud?
Cambridge Analytica, the Election Interference Operation That Wasn't
It wasn’t a plot to undermine democracy. It wasn’t a Russian intelligence operation. It was a low-tech scam.
A Big Tech Hearing As Pointless and Performative As Every Other One
Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Jack Dorsey faced the music. The tune is becoming familiar.
Mark Zuckerberg to Congress: Please Regulate Us (Wink, Wink)
Plus: Unrest and looting in Philadelphia after the police shoot and kill a black man, Trump supporters stranded in Omaha, Biden faces new corruption allegations, and more...
Sacha Baron Cohen, Rudy Giuliani, and the Death of 'Disinformation' As a Useful Term
The Hunter Biden story has exposed the media's selective skepticism.
The Republican Antitrust Suit Against Google Is a Progressive Dream
The government is going after Google not to stop consumer harm but to level the business playing field.
Justice Department Files Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google
Government claims Google uses its power to force users and advertisers on board. Google says that its popularity is not anticompetitive.
Ted Cruz Threatens To Force Facebook and Twitter Heads To Testify About Hunter Biden Article
Plus: Supreme Court won't stop Pennsylvania from counting late ballots, proposed amendment would limit Court to nine justices, and more...
Politics and Social Media: Should We Use Exit, Voice, or Loyalty?
The Reason Roundtable argues over what to do when Twitter prematurely suppresses oppo-dump journalism unfavorable to Democrats, and when politicians respond with retaliatory regulation.
Americans Are Moving Where They Want. Will It Be a Win for Choice or Polarization?
We can increasingly live where we please while working jobs of our choice. What we do with that bonanza is up to us.
You Can't Always Trust What You Hear Online, and Congress Has Some Ideas About Fixing That
The House Intelligence Committee is mulling ways to stop an "infodemic." Is this really a task we want the government to tackle?
Twitter Blocking a New York Post Article Was Dumb—but Not Illegal, Censorship, or Election Interference
Plus: 898,000 new jobless claims, and more...
Big Tech Is Just the Beginning: House Dems Seek Major Changes to Antitrust Law
Enforcement is supposed to be about protecting "consumer welfare." Overturning that goal would be bad for all of us.
German-Style Internet Censorship Catches On Around the World
Inspired by Germany's notorious hate-speech law, more countries seek to impose steep penalties on platforms that don't comply with their censorship whims.
Does Google Secretly Manipulate Us To Vote for Democrats? The Evidence Is Flimsy.
Republicans have seized on the dubious claims of a psychologist who thinks Big Tech is shifting millions of votes to the left.
Massachusetts Voters Will Decide (Again) Who Is Allowed To Fix Their Cars
The costly fight over a “right to repair” proposal has led to a lot of cybersecurity fearmongering.
House Antitrust Report Hits Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google
Plus: Tech companies respond, proposed H-1B visa changes, and more...
