
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
Knight Institute Comments on Proposed TikTok Ban
Says ban of speech platform would raise serious First Amendment concerns
LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Press Statement
Knight Institute, PEN America, Center for Democracy and Technology, with Other Free Speech Organizations, Send Letter to Congress Opposing Proposed National TikTok Ban
Groups raise alarm over free speech implications of proposed ban
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Institute Update
Knight Institute, PEN America, ACLU, and Others Call on Congress to Oppose Proposed TikTok Ban on Free Speech Grounds
A group of free speech advocates and tech policy organizations today sent a letter to Congress expressing concern about the free speech implications of a proposed TikTok ban. The letter–signed by 16 organizations, including the Knight Institute, PEN America, ACLU,...
LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
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FOIA Lawsuit
Knight Institute v. Department of State
A FOIA lawsuit seeking records related to foreign state efforts to influence platforms’ content moderation
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Amicus Brief
Krasno v. Mnookin
A case challenging the suppression of speech on a public university’s social media accounts
RESEARCH
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Essays and Scholarship
The Professional Price of Falsehoods
What role should professional organizations play in responding to lies and misinformation spread by those within their ranks?
By Quinta Jurecic -
Quick Guide : Algorithmic Amplification and Society
Understanding Social Media Recommendation Algorithms: A discussion guide
Connect your experiences as a user or creator on social media to the ideas in the article. What, if any, resonated with your experiences? What, if anything, surprised you? In your own history of social media use, do you remember...
By Arvind Narayanan -
Essays and Scholarship
Understanding Social Media Recommendation Algorithms
Towards a better informed debate on the effects of social media
By Arvind Narayanan
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”