Pro-Gun Activists Sue Texas Politician Who Blocked Them On Facebook
The founders of a pro-gun rights group that was blocked by a state politician on social media filed a lawsuit in U. S. District Court for the Western District in […]
White House Refuses to Endorse Christchurch Call, citing Free Speech Concerns
In the wake of the deadly mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the country’s Prime Minister is leading an effort to stamp out extremism online. The “Christchurch Call” asks for “collective, voluntary commitments" from governments and online service providers to stop the spread of extremism. The non-binding doctrine has been signed by 18 countries, including France and Canada, and by five tech companies, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. The Trump administration, however, declined to sign the Christchurch Call, citing free speech concerns.
Public Official Sued For Blocking Constituent on Twitter and Facebook
A Colorado state senator is being sued for blocking a constituent on social media. Anne Landman is suing Republican Senator Ray Scott after he banned her from his official Twitter and Facebook accounts two years ago. “Sen. Scott censored me for being a critical constituent. Yet, he’s allowed his like-minded followers to ridicule me on his page and retain their right to speak freely,” Landman said in a statement. “This doesn’t feel like democracy. This feels like hypocrisy and punishment for having a different point of view.”
Facebook Bans Alex Jones and Other Controversial Figures for Promoting Hate Speech and Violence
Facebook is banning some controversial, well-known figures for violating the social media giant’s policies on hate speech and promoting violence. The list includes Sandy Hook-denier Alex Jones, right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, conspiracy theorists Laura Loomer and Paul John Watson, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who promotes anti-Semitic views, and Paul Nehlen, a white nationalist who ran for Congress in 2018.
Gene Policinski Commentary: A Growing List: 2019 Threats To First Amendment Freedoms
The Newseum Institute’s First Amendment expert, Gene Policinski, originally published this commentary on January 11, 2019, on the Newseum blog, and has given First Amendment Watch permission to reprint. First […]
Exercising Selfie-Expression: Do Ballot Selfie Bans Violate the First Amendment?
Elections look a lot different these days than they did in the past. Swag, branded hashtags, and of course, the ballot selfie. As the modern phrase goes, “picture or it […]
War of Words: Alex Jones Removed, Banned From Major Content Platforms
Alex Jones and InfoWars Twitter accounts have been permanently removed from the platform following a live-streamed confrontation on Periscope between CNN's Oliver Darcy and Alex Jones on Capital Hill, where Jones ranted at Darcy and about Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey who was on the Hill for congressional hearings. Twitter cited a violation of their abusive behavior policy as the reason for the move.
In a letter sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, The Knight First Amendment Institute called on the platform to amend its terms of service to allow journalists and researchers to safely […]