Academic freedom protects free speech, but also conditions it. Knowledge cannot be tested and doesn’t advance if there isn’t also a duty to be well informed and reasoned.
South Africa’s Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has had to intervene to protect judges from unfair criticism.
GCIS/Flickr
As a branch of government, the courts must naturally be accountable for the exercise of their power. The means of achieving their accountability must be balanced against their necessary independence.
Don’t mourn 8chan, but don’t think online extremists aren’t already taking their hate elsewhere.
Shutterstock.com
We should celebrate the 'deplatforming' of the 8chan message board, linked to the El Paso shootings, as a win for the fight against online hate speech. But its removal does not mean the fight is over.
The Raheem Kassam visa dispute has now developed into a “free speech versus hate speech” debate on the international stage.
Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia
There are calls to ban the far-right former Breitbart editor from Australia. He's due to speak at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron at the “Christchurch Call” summit, which delivered an agreement signed by tech companies and world leaders.
EPA/Charles Platiau
While the "Christchurch Call" summit has made concrete progress, we need to keep up the pressure on social media companies to become more transparent and accountable.
Senators during the Senate Select Intelligence Committee’s hearing on the social media influence in the 2016 U.S. elections in Washington November 2017. The graphic shows conflict at a rally that was created and promoted by fake Facebook accounts run by Russian trolls.
Shawn Thew/EPA
As countries are calling for laws to control extremism online, it is becoming clear that defining the line between hate speech and free speech is a complex challenge.
Regulating hate speech on the internet should not be left to private corporations.
Shutterstock
A new theory of language suggests that people understand words by unconsciously simulating what they describe. Repeated exposure – and the simulation that comes with it – makes it easier to act.
Finding, and measuring Islamophobia hate speech on social media.
John Gomez/Shutterstock
Why do people believe absurd lies about George Soros? The answer depends on the platforms you use, the media influencers you follow and the memes you see.
Nigerians have the lowest trust in the country’s media, thanks to widespread misinformation.
EPA/Ahmed Jallanzo
Hysterical narratives promoting fear among some Americans may be more effective at sparking violence than hate speech is. Social media companies are expected to guard against both.
Demonstration of support of refugees, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2015.
Netavisen_Sameksistens_dk/Pixabay
Twitter and Facebook have said they will take steps to fight hate and abuse on their sites, but they have not yet adequately addressed the problem.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes his seat to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington in April 2018 about the use of Facebook data to target American voters in the 2016 election.
(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
It's a crime in many states and territories to publicly threaten or incite violence toward someone based on race, religion and sexual orientation. But what about gender?
Assistant Professor, Educational Technology, Holds the Chair in Educational Leadership in the Sustainable Transformation of Pedagogical Practices in Digital Contexts, Université Laval
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology and Associate Professor of political science, Charles Sturt University