Ben Squires
Ben Squires writes for the newsletter about cancel culture and free speech rights in education and academia. [email protected]
SDSU Wired Its Dorms with 1,300 AI Cameras Without Telling Students
The students found out their dorms held more than 330 cameras from their own newspaper, not the school that installed them.
BC Tribunal Clears Student of “Hate Speech” Charge Over COVID-19 Video
A student who shared a pandemic video in a private chat walked away cleared, with a tribunal drawing a line that offended feelings and illegal discrimination are not the same thing.
The $750,000 Opinion: How a B.C. Tribunal Silenced a School Trustee
The man who called gender ideology education “child abuse” now owes $750,000 for saying so; not in a courtroom, but in a quasi-judicial hearing where no jury decided and no criminal standard applied.
Jury Awards $7.5M After Texas School Officials Violate Parents’ and Students’ First Amendment Rights
A small-town dispute over graduation standards just became a landmark First Amendment victory for Texas parents.
AI Gun Detection Error Leads to Armed Police Detaining Baltimore Teen Over Doritos Bag
A harmless moment became a police takedown, revealing how AI can turn ordinary kids into instant suspects.
Alberta High School Football Coach Removal After TikTok Video Draws Community Backlash
The coach is out, but the culture clash is running up the score.
Court Says UW-Madison Social Media Censorship Illegal
A university’s comment filters just got schooled by the Constitution.
UK: The Lecturer Who Spoke Out and Paid the Price
A lecturer’s Facebook post on a controversial jail sentence has become a career-ending lesson in who gets to speak and who gets silenced.
Fired Over a Meme: The Free Speech Fight the Justices Passed Up
The decision leaves unresolved how far public employers can reach into employees’ private lives.
Montgomery County Schools Settle Lawsuit Over Blocking on X
A six-figure settlement forces Montgomery County schools to reckon with a censorship scandal they tried to delete.
Chappaqua School District Strengthens Student Speech Protections After Lawsuit Over Off-Campus Rap Suspension
A suburban school district rewrites its rulebook after trying to police a rap verse posted online.
Federal Judge Orders UO to Pay $191K to PSU Professor Blocked for “All Men Are Created Equal” Comment
A $724,000 reminder that quoting the Declaration of Independence can still start a war in higher education.