Favorite Update: After this blog post was written, we learned Meta revised its public “Hateful Conduct” policy in ways EFF finds concerning. We are analyzing these changes, which this blog post does not address. In general, EFF supports moves that bring more freedom of expression and transparency to platforms—regardless of their political motivation. We’re encouraged…
All posts tagged Corporate Speech Controls
Unveiling Venezuela’s Repression: A Legacy of State Surveillance and Control
Favorite The post was written by Laura Vidal (PhD), independent researcher in learning and digital rights. This is part two of a series. Part one on surveillance and control around the July election is here. Over the past decade, the government in Venezuela has meticulously constructed a framework of surveillance and repression, which has been…
In These Five Social Media Speech Cases, Supreme Court Set Foundational Rules for the Future
Favorite The U.S. Supreme Court addressed government’s various roles with respect to speech on social media in five cases reviewed in its recently completed term. The through-line of these cases is a critically important principle that sets limits on government’s ability to control the online speech of people who use social media, as well as…
The Global Suppression of Online LGBTQ+ Speech Continues
Favorite A global increase in anti-LGBTQ+ intolerance is having a significant impact on digital rights. As we wrote last year, censorship of LGBTQ+ websites and online content is on the rise. For many LGBTQ+ individuals the world over, the internet can be a safer space for exploring identity, finding community, and seeking support. But with…
Meta Oversight Board’s Latest Policy Opinion a Step in the Right Direction
Favorite EFF welcomes the latest and long-awaited policy advisory opinion from Meta’s Oversight Board calling on the company to end its blanket ban on the use of the Arabic-language term “shaheed” when referring to individuals listed under Meta’s policy on dangerous organizations and individuals and calls on Meta to fully implement the Board’s recommendations. Since…
As India Prepares for Elections, Government Silences Critics on X with Executive Order
Favorite It is troubling to see that the Indian government has issued new demands to X (formerly Twitter) to remove accounts and posts critical of the government and its recent actions. This is especially bears watching as India is preparing for general elections this spring, and concerns for the government’s manipulation of social media critical…
International Threats to Freedom of Expression: 2023 Year in Review
Favorite 2023 has been an unfortunate reminder that the right to free expression is most fragile for groups on the margins, and that it can quickly become a casualty during global conflicts. Threats to speech arose out of the ongoing war in Palestine. They surfaced in bills and laws around the world that explicitly restrict…
Platforms Must Stop Unjustified Takedowns of Posts By and About Palestinians
Favorite Legal intern Muhammad Essa Fasih contributed to this post. Social media is a crucial means of communication in times of conflict—it’s where communities connect to share updates, find help, locate loved ones, and reach out to express grief, pain, and solidarity. Unjustified takedowns during crises like the war in Gaza deprives people of their…
EFF's Comment to the Meta Oversight Board on United States Posts Discussing Abortion
Favorite This post was co-authored with EFF legal intern Virginia Kennedy. EFF recently submitted comments to the Meta Oversight Board’s call for submissions last month about posts in the United States discussing abortion that were removed under the company’s violence and incitement policy. EFF’s comments address the over-removal of abortion-related content and the use of…
As Platforms Decay, Let’s Put Users First
Favorite The net’s long decline into “five giant websites, each filled with screenshots of the other four” isn’t a mystery. Nor was it by any means a forgone conclusion. Instead, we got here through a series of conscious actions by big businesses and lawmakers that put antitrust law into a 40-year coma. Well, now antitrust…