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.”
Nunes is accusing Twitter of “knowingly hosting and monetizing content that is clearly abusive, hateful and defamatory” to undermine the public’s confidence in him, thereby benefiting his political opponents.
Another Judge Rules That Politicians Censoring Critics On Twitter Violates The First Amendment
A federal judge ruled that three Republican members of the Wisconsin State Assembly violated the First Amendment rights of a liberal advocacy group by blocking the group’s account from their […]
Citing First Amendment Rights, Tesla Founder Musk Seeks To Dismiss Defamation Suit
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is asking a judge to dismiss a libel claim against him brought by a British diver involved in the international rescue mission of young boys trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand, arguing that his Tweets calling the diver a "pedo" and "child rapist" were an opinion and could not be construed as facts.
Does RT=Defamatory Endorsement? MSNBC’s Joy Reid Sued For Defamation Over a Retweet
MSNBC host Joy Reid is being sued for defamation for using her substantial social media presence to publish an inaccurate account that took place at a city council meeting in […]
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.
What is fake news? Facebook and Google offer mea culpas for spreading it and hire legions of staff to counter it. Congress investigated how the Russians promoted it during the 2017 Presidential election. President Trump calls out "fake news"organizations in tweets several times a week. Has the term itself lost its meaning? A recent survey by the Freedom Forum Institute reveals many Americans believe fake news is a major threat, even over hate speech. What more can be done to separate fake news from facts?