This report sets out the trends and practices across regional and international institutions in relation to their approach towards and handling of hate speech. To do so, it relies on the database of the Global Freedom of Expression initiative at Columbia University and the database of the Future of Free Speech Project (Justitia). It aims […]
Scope Creep: An Assessment of 8 Social Media Platforms’ Hate Speech Policies SUMMARY At the turn of the 21st century, academics, civil society organizations, and governments hailed the promise of the Internet to eliminate any centralized control over speech. A few short decades later, however, this tech utopianism has disappeared. Dominant social media platforms […]
By Joan Barata and Andrei Richter This paper contributes to the discussions surrounding the internet and the challenges of its regulation. It is divided into two parts. Part one documents the international standards that have emerged pertaining to internet shutdowns, and part two explores the relevant case law at the national and international levels. The […]
Thoughts on the DSA: Challenges, Ideas and the Way Forward through International Human Rights Law Abstract National and regional legislative measures/proposals that dramatically enhance platform liability for content developed by users such as the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) and the EU’s proposed Digital Services Act (DSA) place free speech at risk and potentially shrink […]
Read the report (Sorry, only in Danish) Summary of the report This report investigates the extent of illegal comments on selected Danish Facebook pages. On the basis of a representative sample, the report estimates that one out of 15,000 comments on Danish Facebook pages constitutes a hate crime. In particular, a representative segment of 63 […]
A Framework of First Reference – Decoding a Human Rights Approach to content moderation on social media SUMMARY 4.66 billion people have Internet access, and 4.20 billion are active social media users. Despite the unprecedented scale and ease with which information and opinions are shared globally, Internet freedom is seen more and more as both […]
Justitia’s executive director Jacob Mchangama has contributed with a chapter to the book “Threats to free speech in the 21st century” Read the the chapter: A history of laws on hate and abuse (PDF) About the book: SUMMARY Free speech is, with free trade, freedom of enterprise and security of property, one of the key […]
For immediate release: A new survey reveals that most people and nations strongly support free speech in principle but have reservations in practice. A global survey “Who Cares about Free Speech?” has been conducted by YouGov for the legal think tank Justitia, which asks citizens in 33 countries questions about their attitude towards free speech […]
Rushing to Judgment: Are Short Mandatory Takedown Limits for Online Hate Speech Compatible with The Freedom of Expression? For the first time in human history, ordinary people have been given the ability to publicly share and access information instantly and globally through social media without the mediation of traditional gatekeepers such as newspaper editors or […]
The Digital Berlin Wall – How Germany (Accidentally) Created a Prototype for Global Online Censorship – Act two The German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) continues to inspire authoritarian and illiberal internet censorship around the world. In under a year, the number of countries copy-pasting the NetzDG matrix to provide cover and legitimacy for digital […]