Social Media Moderation Is Speech, Says Supreme Court
The Court is remanding these two cases for more analysis—but it made its views on some key issues clear.
Section 230
Ending Section 230 Would Kill the Internet as We Know It
Don’t unleash censors; restrain them more!
The Worst Section 230 Bill Yet
New bipartisan legislation would sunset Section 230 after next year.
Jeff Kosseff: Why False Speech Deserves First Amendment Protections
The former journalist defends misinformation in the Trump era and explains why so many journalists are against free speech.
The Backpage Defendants Never Stood a Chance
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
The World's First Libertarian President
Plus: A listener asks the editors about libertarians and "reflexive contrarianism."
Backpage: The Monumental Free Speech Case the Media Ignored
The mere act of publishing sex ads online is enough to send most potential free speech allies scurrying for the exits.
Google Isn't Intentionally Biased Against Republicans, Says Court
Plus: The real message behind DeSantis' abortion anecdote, midwives sue over Alabama regulations, and more…
Court Rejects RNC's Lawsuit Claiming Google Discriminatorily Treated RNC's Email as Spam
Section 230, the court says, immunizes good-faith attempts to block spam—and RNC didn't introduce enough evidence of bad faith.
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.
Why Kamala Harris Won't Be Asked About the Suicide of a Newspaperman She Persecuted
When it comes to conflicts with people engaged in unpopular or disfavored speech, too many journalists side with the feds.
Have We Lost Track of the Trump Indictments Yet?
Plus: Why don't journalists support free speech anymore?
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?
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?
A.I. Needs Section 230 To Flourish
A new bill from Sens. Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal would stifle the promise of artificial intelligence.
Childproofing the Internet
How online “child protection” measures could make child and adult internet users more vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, and snoops.
How Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, and Elon Musk Will Change the Section 230 Debate
Expect the very foundations of the internet to come under attack from politicians and the mainstream media.
Section 230 Is Safe (for Now) After Supreme Court Rules on Google and Twitter Terrorism Cases
Plus: A new lawsuit in Montana over the state's TikTok ban, the economic realities of online content creation, the rights of private companies, and more...
Supreme Court Swats Down Attempts To Hold Twitter, Google Financially Liable for Terrorism
The narrow rulings concluded the platforms aren’t responsible for bad people using their communication services.
Appeals Court Dismisses Lawsuit Accusing Twitter of Sex Trafficking
Plus: Connecticut may exonerate witches, federal regulators are waging a quiet war on crypto, and more...
A TikTok Ban Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. Live With Taylor Lorenz and Peter Van Valkenburgh
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern for a discussion about Congress' attempt to ban TikTok with the RESTRICT Act.
The SAFE TECH Act Is Anything but Safe
The latest bid to amend Section 230 would threaten free speech and creators' ability to monetize content while also subjecting tech companies to a flood of frivolous lawsuits.
Conservatives at CPAC Criticize—and Misunderstand—Section 230
A senator, a state attorney general, and a former congressman excoriated the law while getting much of it wrong.
Any of These Supreme Courts Cases Could Crush the Internet
The Court’s decisions in Gonzalez and subsequent cases could lead to impossible, incompatible consequences.
Is Ketanji Brown Jackson a Greater Threat to Big Tech Than Clarence Thomas?
The Supreme Court’s newest member weighs in on the meaning of Section 230 in Gonzalez v. Google.
During Surprise Trip to Kyiv, Biden Promises Endless Support for Ukraine War
Plus: The National Endowment for Democracy ends funding of conservative media blacklist, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear major internet free speech case, and more...
Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
Section 230 and the Curse of Politics
Gonzalez v. Google presents the Supreme Court’s first opportunity to weigh in on Section 230.
Amicus Brief as to § 230(c)(1) in Gonzalez v. Google
(Note that this case is about immunity when Internet platforms provide access to material, not the separate question about immunity when Internet platforms block access to material.)
Appeals Court Panel Seems Skeptical That FOSTA Doesn't Violate the First Amendment
The 2018 law criminalizes websites that "promote or facilitate" prostitution. Two of three judges on the panel pushed back against government claims that this doesn't criminalize speech.
The Hazards of Holding YouTube Liable for Promoting Terrorism
A Supreme Court case illustrates the potential costs of making it easier to sue social media platforms over user-generated content.
Google's Brief to the Supreme Court Explains Why We Need Section 230
There's a good reason why algorithms are still protected by Section 230.
The Supreme Court Weighs the Future of Section 230
The famous internet law is headed for the High Court.
Indiana Lawsuit Accuses TikTok of Fraud, Calls the App a 'Chinese Trojan Horse'
The lawsuit alleges that TikTok's algorithm funnels inappropriate content directly to teens. That not only defies logic, but it is also antithetical to how a social media platform keeps users.
Abortion Rights Advocates Ask DOJ To Defend Section 230
While "the 26 words that created the internet" have been under fire from both sides, two groups argue that the 1996 law is essential to the future of abortion rights.
Section 230 Heads to the Supreme Court
The crucial protector of internet speech might have some cracks in its armor.
Reddit Is Not Guilty of Sex Trafficking, Says Court
In a post-FOSTA world, Section 230 still protects websites from lawsuits over criminal sexual conduct by their users.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against TikTok Over Child's Death in Blackout Challenge
In his dismissal order, the judge cited Section 230, the law protecting websites from liability for user-generated content.
Supreme Court To Hear 2 Cases About Social Media Moderation and Liability for Terrorism
Does Section 230 shield YouTube from lawsuits about recommendations? Can Twitter be forced to pay damages over the terrorists it hasn’t banned?
Subreddit Gets Users To Call Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a 'Little Piss Baby' To Defy Content Moderation Law
Reddit users are protesting Texas' H.B. 20, which forces social media platforms to host speech they find objectionable.
What Wikipedia Can Teach the Rest of the Internet
Jimmy Wales talks about why his online encyclopedia works, how to improve social media, and why Section 230 isn't the real problem with the internet.
There's No Way FOSTA Isn't a First Amendment Violation, Says Lawsuit
The case is now on appeal after a lower court said the ban on websites promoting prostitution didn't concern protected speech.
The Queen Is Dead. Anarchy in the U.K.?
Plus: The editors respond to a question about the Forward Party.
Is It TikTok's Fault When Children Die Making Dangerous Videos?
A lawsuit alleges that the social media giant "tries to conceal the dangerous and addictive nature of its product, lulling users and parents into a false sense of security."
Abortion Bans Bring First Amendment Battles, Too
Looking back at how abortion advertising bans played out last century may give us some idea what the future holds for speech about abortion.
Australia Offers a Terrifying Vision of an Internet Without Section 230
What happens when YouTube and Facebook can be held liable for their users’ speech?
Thomas Massie Has a Point When He Says Congress' Antisemitism Resolution Has a Free Speech Problem
Massie was the only House member to vote against a resolution demanding social media companies do more to track and suppress antisemitic content.
Elon Musk Is a Wild Card. Good.
Comparing Elon Musk and Barack Obama underscores why entrepreneurs, not politicians, are the more effective agents of social change.
