
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
Blog
A Third Federal Appeals Court Addresses Social Media Blocking
Agrees that public officials who use social media accounts to further their official duties must comply with the First Amendment
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Analysis
Facebook’s ‘Supreme Court’ Faces Its First Major Test
The questions are bigger than whether Trump should have been suspended.
By Jameel Jaffer & Katy Glenn Bass -
Press Statement
Facebook Oversight Board Should Delay Ruling on Suspension of Trump, Knight Institute Says
Calls for independent investigation to assess how Facebook’s platform may have contributed to events of January 6th
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Press Statement
Justice Department Abandons Request that Supreme Court Hear Case Relating to Trump’s Now-Defunct Twitter Account
Knight Institute says Court should leave landmark appeals court ruling in place
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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Amicus Brief
Campbell v. Reisch
A lawsuit challenging a state representative’s blocking of a critic on Twitter
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Trump
A lawsuit challenging President Trump's blocking of critics on Twitter
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Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Trump
A second lawsuit challenging President Trump’s blocking of critics on Twitter
RESEARCH
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Blog
Creator Logic: It's like Uber but for culture
The original gig economy returns online
By Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci & Ethan Zuckerman -
Blog
The Great Shopping Mall: The market nationalist logic of Chinese social media
The West tends to focus on security, but entertainment and commerce are the key goals here
By An Xiao Mina & Xiaowei Wang -
Blog
Top 100: The most popular social media platforms and what they can teach us
Moving past U.S. and Facebook centrism
By Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci & Ethan Zuckerman
Events
Antitrust, Big Tech, and Free Speech: A Conversation with Bilal Sayyed
A Federal Trade Commission official discusses debates around breaking up the tech giants
New York, NY
The Tech Giants, Monopoly Power, and Public Discourse
A symposium examining free speech implications of "breaking up" today's giant online platforms