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
Press Statement
Federal Court Says National Institutes of Health Censored Critics on Social Media in Violation of First Amendment
Knight Institute, PETA, and Animal Legal Defense Fund say decision is victory for free speech online
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Quick Take : Public Officials and Social Media
What Public Officials Need to Know About Posting on Social Media After Lindke v. Freed
An update to the Institute’s Social Media for Public Officials 101
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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Amicus Brief
University of Maryland Students for Justice in Palestine v. University of Maryland
A case challenging a public university’s blanket ban on expressive gatherings on October 7.
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Amicus Brief
TikTok v. Garland
A petition before the D.C. Circuit challenging the federal TikTok ban
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Amicus Brief
Lindke v. Freed
A Sixth circuit case addressing the application of the First Amendment to government officials’ social media accounts
RESEARCH
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Deep Dive : Jawboning
A Small Step Towards Ending Jawboning and a Big Need for Disclosure
An analysis of the Supreme Court's Murthy v. Missouri decision
By Will Duffield -
Deep Dive : Jawboning
Murthy v. Missouri, Government Jawboning, and Our Collective Disinformation Problem
Bad facts make no law? Not much progress toward solving the First Amendment puzzle that jawboning presents
By Enrique Armijo & Derek Bambauer -
Deep Dive : Jawboning
Doctrinal Disarray
Amicus briefs in Murthy v. Missouri and NRA v. Vullo reveal how divided legal commentators are on jawboning questions
By Mayze Teitler
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”