Elon Musk Owns Twitter, So the Rules Are Going To Be Whatever He Wants
If the bird site's new owner wants to protect free speech, he should focus on resisting government requests to remove content.
Misinformation
Doctors Say a California Law Targeting Clinicians Who Share COVID-19 'Misinformation' Is Unconstitutional
The law authorizes regulators to discipline physicians who deviate from the "contemporary scientific consensus."
Senator Dick Durbin Doesn't Understand the First Amendment
On Tuesday, the senator erroneously claimed that "free speech does not include spreading misinformation."
Livestream: Homeland Security's Backdoor Social Media Speech Regulation
Livestream with Nick Gillespie, Robby Soave, and Zach Weissmueller
Department of Homeland Security
DHS' Crusade Against Misinformation Is Another Example of Anti-Terror Mission Creep
While the Department of Homeland Security pressured tech companies to censor their users' posts, it also branded election deniers as potential terrorists.
DHS Still Policing Disinformation Despite Dissolving Disinformation Governance Board
The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI regularly report misinformation and disinformation to tech companies for potential removal.
Don't Believe the People Blaming Crime on Defunded Police
Plus: the pandemic baby bump, how government is killing starter homes, and more...
PayPal Says It Won't Fine Users $2,500 for Misinformation, but It Will Fine Them for 'Intolerance'
"Sounds like a good reason to think twice about using PayPal," writes Eugene Volokh.
Elon Musk Buying Twitter Is Not the End of the World
Regular people are not so terminally online.
Germany's Criminalization of Online Offensiveness Shows the Perils of Weakening the First Amendment
A crackdown on insults, hate speech, and misinformation punishes dissenters who express themselves in ways that offend government officials.
How Government Officials Bully Social Media Companies Into Censorship
A new Cato report sheds light on "jawboning," or attempts by state actors "to sway the decisions of private platforms and limit the publication of disfavored speech."
Biden's Sneaky Censors
Behind the scenes, federal officials pressure social media platforms to suppress disfavored speech.
These Emails Show How the Biden Administration's Crusade Against 'Misinformation' Imposes Censorship by Proxy
Social media companies are eager to appease the government by suppressing disfavored speech.
My New Book Chapter on "Top-Down and Bottom-Up Solutions to the Problem of Political Ignorance""
It is now available for download on SSRN. The chapter is part of a forthcoming volume on "The Epistemology of Democracy," edited by Hana Samaržija and Quassim Cassam.
The Satanic Panic Is Back, and It's Bipartisan
Plus: Criminal sentencing before the Supreme Court, TikTok pushes back against security threat claims, and more...
Bryan Caplan on "Misinformation About Misinformation"
One of the world's leading experts on public knowledge and ignorance explains why consumers of misinformation are often as much to blame as producers.
Was Censorship the Greatest COVID Threat to Freedom?
It wasn't just autocrats who were frequently tempted to address "fake news" about the pandemic through state pressure and coercion.
The Biden Administration Sees Free Speech As a Public Menace
The alarm aroused by the Disinformation Governance Board is understandable given the administration’s broader assault on messages it considers dangerous.
Homeland Security Chief Admits New Disinformation Board Already Did a Bad Job of Informing Public
Alejandro Mayorkas fails to inspire much confidence in the new group run by Nina Jankowicz.
Jimmy Wales: What Wikipedia Got Right About Social Media
The co-founder of "the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit" talks about the power of decentralization and the rise in subscription models for journalism.
New DHS Board Seeks To Counter What It Thinks Is Disinformation
The board's head says she is dedicated to "protecting free speech," but she has also expressed direct opposition to "free speech absolutists."
Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales Has Already Solved the Internet's Problems
The online encyclopedia's decentralized, Hayekian approach provides a model for Elon Musk as he assumes control of Twitter.
How 'Cranks' Advance Science
A major lesson of the pandemic is that science is "not a priesthood," says Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer, a general surgeon and senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
No, Elon Musk Didn't Pay a 3.27 Percent Tax Rate
Plus: How misinformation spreads, ignoring inflation, and more...
The Hunter Biden Laptop Story Makes Another Case Against 'Misinformation' Bans
Plus: Fiona Apple fights for transparent courts, Missouri bill takes aim at out-of-state abortions, and more...
No, DOJ Shouldn't Investigate Tulsi Gabbard for 'False Russian Propaganda'
"Ukraine biolabs" is a textbook example of why the mainstream media's push to outlaw so-called disinformation is irresponsible.
Free Speech Supporters Shouldn't Cheer These Libel Suits Over Election Claims
Plus: Russia attacks near the Polish border, Texas must pause trans kid investigations, how environmental regulations hobble progress, and more...
Dispatch From Ukraine: Living as a Russian in Ukraine
A Russian-Ukrainian woman describes how Russians are being fed misinformation.
Vivek Murthy's Demand for Data on COVID 'Misinformation' Is Part of a Creepy Crusade to Suppress Dissent
The surgeon general's definition of misinformation includes statements that are arguably or verifiably true.
Misinformation or Political Dysfunction—Which Comes First?
Plus: Trafficking visas, a new no-fly list?, and more...
'Public Health' Has Become a Catchall Excuse for Bad Ideas
From to-go cocktail bans to Neil Young to teachers unions, the pandemic has provided a convenient pretext for selfish advancement.
Kamala Harris Spreads Misinformation on Human Trafficking
Plus: Texas attacks TikTok, Neil Young's anti-science past, IRS reconsidering face scans, and more...
Instagram Bans Healthy Eating Ads for Promoting 'Negative Self-Perception'
Plus: The ERA returns (again), Rep. Nancy Mace's marijuana mission, and more...
Government Regulation of Social Media Won't Protect Free Speech
Sen. Amy Klobuchar wants to put HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the former California attorney general with a reputation for being a partisan hack, in charge of "health disinformation" online.
Report: Facebook, Twitter Still Not Responsible for Radicalizing People
Political polarization drives social media use, rather than the other way around.
Elizabeth Warren Demands That Amazon Crack Down on COVID Misinformation
Amazon's customers are apparently unable to judge the veracity of COVID-related information for themselves.
Reddit's Messy Fight Over COVID Misinformation
Denizens of the popular online forum protested the spread of COVID misinformation, but the company rightly wouldn't cave to their demands. It still cracked down on 55 subreddits in the end.
48% of Americans Want the Government To Restrict Misinformation on Social Media
The Pew Research Center found that support for censorship is increasing.
CDC Took Mistaken Data on Delta Variant Transmissibility From a New York Times Infographic
Plus: Dominion defamation suit against Trump lawyers can proceed, prices rose 0.5 percent in June, and more...
Deluded Republicans and Smug Democrats Offer Little Hope for People Who Want To Be Left Alone
Live-and-let-live political types are stuck between cultists and totalitarians.
The Media's Lab Leak Debacle Shows Why Banning 'Misinformation' Is a Terrible Idea
How a debate about COVID-19's origins exposed a dangerous hubris
Americans Abandoning Free Speech Better Brace for the Consequences
Government will happily suppress misinformation in favor of misinformation of its own.
The Feds Are Spreading Fake Facts About Fentanyl
While fentanyl is a dangerous drug, it is very difficult to overdose on it through accidental exposure.
Health Care Workers Need Masks (and the Rest of Us Need Them, Too)
DIY manufacturers scramble to reduce shortages, as public health officials send mixed messages about the efficacy of broader use.
COVID-19 Reminds Us: Social Media Is Good, Actually
Will coronavirus help rehabilitate tech's rep?
People Are Less Gullible Than You Think
By default we veer on the side of being resistant to new ideas.
The Vaping Panic Is a Major Setback for Public Health
"There's no question public health would benefit dramatically if everybody switched completely to e-cigarettes."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Spreads Fake News About Austin Homelessness
The video Abbott shared was not of a homeless person—it was a mentally ill person having a serious episode. Whoops.
