#free speech

#free speech

Banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek. We desperately need a wide ranging debate on whether and how social media should be regulated in the interests of the people. Imran Ahmed gave evidence to the select committee's inquiry into social media, algorithms and harmful content, and he was an articulate advocate for greater regulation and accountability.

For Maga politicians, European tech regulation hits hard in two areas: at the economic interests of Silicon Valley and at their view of free speech. The action against five Europeans who are taking on harmful content and the platforms that host it has had an inevitable feel to it, given the increasingly vociferous reactions to the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA).

What seems most likely: the law will not be rigidly enforced, as teen-agers and social-media companies figure out ways to circumvent the ban, but the social norm established by the law and its robust popularity among politicians and voters will lead to a significant downturn in social-media use by minors nonetheless. Not every fourteen-year-old is going to draw a moustache on their photograph or get a fake I.D.-and the law should be easier to enforce among younger kids,

Tech visionary, Kremlin dissident, FSB agent, free speech absolutist, health guru. These are just some of the labels admirers and critics have attached to Pavel Durov over the past decade. The Russian-born tech entrepreneur founded Russia's version of Facebook before going on to create the messaging app Telegram, launch a cryptocurrency ecosystem and amass a multibillion-dollar fortune, all while clashing repeatedly with authorities in Russia and beyond.

This guy who [Brendan] Carr who runs the FCC, he had the nerve to say that Kimmel, if he wanted to get back on television... he had to pay Charlie Kirk's Turning Points USA Foundation money to get back on. Think about that: Elon Musk bought the election for Trump because the Supreme Court said money was free speech. But if they make [Kimmel] pay money for some shit he doesn't believe in, they are compelling him to say something he does not mean....

In this March 2024 file photo, members of the Berkeley school community packed a BUSD board meeting in support of ethnic studies programs focusing on Palestinian history. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside/CatchLight

Mayday Health, a New York-based "reproductive health education nonprofit" founded after the Supreme Court killed Roe v. Wade in 2022, is one of countless organizations that have refused to abandon Americans who live in states where abortion is banned. Over the summer, they ran more than 120 mifepristone and misoprostol ads on billboards, trucks, gas stations, and in newspapers in states like Kentucky, West Virginia, and Texas-all of which have a near-total or total abortion ban.

Aisha Jung, 53, from south London, was with her husband and two of her sons, aged 10 and 11, when police arrested her at the November 2023 demonstration in Trafalgar Square, central London, telling her that the sign could be considered offensive. When police surrounded her and asked her to put the sign down she asked them what legislation they were relying on. She said she was told officers were finding out the answer, but was not given an explanation

The newest flashpoint comes with the U.S. and its European allies also at loggerheads over Ukraine and the future of European security. The EU penalized X on Friday after regulators found the platform had misled users, obscured key advertising information and blocked researchers from accessing public data. A furious Musk responded by accusing the EU of stifling free speech through "bureaucratic tyranny" - rallying far-right leaders and millions of followers behind the hashtag #AbolishTheEU.

The letter, seen by the Guardian, demanded Kimberley stop publishing or sharing videos, posts or commentary about the Reform leader and the wider Reform party. It also claimed Kimberley's videos contained content that misrepresents Monk and contributed to her harassment by members of the public. Kimberley denied the claims and told the Guardian there was no legal basis for the demands, adding the letter was written as if someone fed into ChatGPT write me an angry legal letter'.

We examine whether the increased concentration of media ownership will create a more restrictive narrative. Recent developments in United States tech and media have prompted concerns about media consolidation and its impact on free speech. The US government is pushing ByteDance to reduce its control over TikTok, with Oracle proposed to oversee the platform's algorithm for national security reasons. Meanwhile, Skydance Media's $8bn merger with Paramount Global raises further concerns about media ownership centralisation.

I've taken this step because I feel that I need to protect free speech.

Our family is overjoyed that, after four long years, our father, Saad Almadi, is finally on his way home to the United States! This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Sebastian Gorka and the team at the National Security Council, as well as everyone at the State Department. We also extend our thanks to the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh for keeping our father safe these past four years.

The family of British political commentator Sami Hamdi, who was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in late October while on a speaking tour in the US, say he is set to be released and will be able to return home soon. The government has agreed to release Sami, the family said in a statement on Monday. He will be able to return home soon insha'Allah. Hamdi was detained on 26 October at San Francisco international airport.

"It was not meant to call him a paedophile. It was a bad, dark, juvenile joke," he said. "I have not at any point tried to cause distress or anxiety or risk his life or his daughters' lives. "I don't want people to fear for their lives, I'm a dad. "I cannot believe I'm on trial for this. Words on a social media site."