
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.
Featured
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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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
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Deep Dive : Jawboning
Missouri v. Biden: An Opportunity to Clarify Messy First Amendment Doctrine
On the legality of "jawboning," more clarity is needed.
By Jennifer Jones & Mayze Teitler
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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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
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Amicus Brief
Lindke v. Freed
A Supreme Court case addressing the application of the First Amendment to government officials’ social media accounts
RESEARCH
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Essays and Scholarship
The Myth of The Algorithm: A System-Level View of Algorithmic Amplification
To understand how algorithms shape the internet, we must understand what algorithms really are.
By Kristian Lum & Tomo Lazovich -
Essays and Scholarship
The Algorithmic Management of Polarization and Violence on Social Media
How social media is designed has the potential to escalate conflict. It's becoming clear that platforms can do more to monitor their impact and discourage violence.
By Jonathan Stray , Ravi Iyer & Helena Puig Larrauri -
Essays and Scholarship
What’s in an Algorithm? Empowering Users Through Nutrition Labels for Social Media Recommender Systems
What if there were a way to measure and better understand social media platforms' algorithms? With "nutrition labels," there might be.
By Luca Belli & Marlena Wisniak
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”