Speech
PragerU says the First Amendement should apply to YouTube
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss out of hand the possibility that giants like Google and Facebook with their billions of users and massive financial clout, have become a new, digital age incarnation of the public square.
In federal court, Google stands by putting over 100 PragerU videos in restricted mode
PragerU argues that the tech giant had placed their videos under restricted mode simply because they promoted conservative ideas and that their video content is neither vulgar nor obscene.
YouTube’s anti-conspiracy theory algorithm expands outside the US
After piloting in the US, the algorithm has now reached the UK and will expend to other countries soon.
Facebook suspends popular meme page for posting a pro-Infowars meme
First they came for Alex Jones. Then they came for the Infowars memes.
Government of Tonga threatens to block all access to Facebook
The country wants to kill rumors about its monarchy.
CEO Susan Wojcicki says YouTube will continue to push “authoritative voices” and reduce “borderline content”
YouTube’s continued push towards “authoritative voices” has left many independent creators feeling neglected by the site.
US refuses to sign France’s G7 online “hate speech” pledge
US social media companies had already delayed signing the pledge on Friday.
Malaysia outlines plans to crack down on “hate speech” online
Several critics, however, argue that the laws concerning hate speech may turn out to be archaic, and need to be amended or banned.
Australia decides not to block Facebook for hosting violent content but will block “fringe websites”
The government says it won’t block mainstream sites, only smaller independent ones.
The Internet Archive Risks Being Blocked in Russia Over Copyright Suits
The Moscow City Court recently ruled in favor of those alleging an infringement, ordering the Internet Archive to stop allowing access to the audiobooks in question.
US social media companies delay signing France “hate speech” pledge
A senior Trump administration said some of the social media companies felt “bullied by France to join.”
FTC and FCC reportedly worried about Trump’s plan to “police” social media
They reportedly argue that it could lead to more censorship.