Free Speech & Social Media
Safeguarding the vitality and integrity of public discourse online
Conversations that once took place in parks, sidewalks, and public squares now take place largely online, and often on privately owned social media platforms. As a society, we are just beginning to grapple with the question of how the First Amendment and free speech principles should apply in these digital spaces.
Our work seeks to illuminate the forces that are shaping public discourse online, and to ensure the inclusivity and integrity of digital spaces that are increasingly important to our democracy.
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LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Knight Institute Comments on Federal Court Hearing in Montana TikTok Ban Challenge
Says the ban should be struck down on First Amendment grounds
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Press Statement
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear First Amendment Challenges to Florida and Texas Social Media Laws
Knight Institute says cases could reshape digital public sphere
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Department of State
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records related to foreign state efforts to influence platforms’ content moderation
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Lawsuit
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals v. Tabak
A lawsuit challenging health agencies’ practice of blocking social media comments containing keywords associated with viewpoints critical of animal testing
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Lawsuit
Coalition for Independent Technology Research v. Abbott
A case challenging the application of Texas’s TikTok ban to public university faculty
RESEARCH
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Deep Dive : Jawboning
Six Things About Jawboning
Building blocks for a workable legal standard
By Daphne Keller -
Deep Dive : Jawboning
The Jawboning Forests and Trees
Systemic problems require systemic solutions.
By Evelyn Douek -
Deep Dive : Jawboning
The Unambiguous First Amendment Law of Government Jawboning
Missouri v. Biden and the political war over content moderation.
By Enrique Armijo
Events
Columbia University
Optimizing for What? Algorithmic Amplification and Society
A two-day symposium exploring algorithmic amplification and distortion as well as potential interventions
Columbia University and online
Lies, Free Speech, and the Law
A symposium exploring how the law regulates or should regulate false and misleading speech
Italian Academy Teatro, Columbia University, and online
Lies and Democracy
Political lies, American democracy, and the “Big Lie”