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Articles on Free speech

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Online hate isn’t always as easy to spot as it might appear. Lukasz Stefanski/Shutterstock.com

What is the online equivalent of a burning cross?

Two websites, one taken offline, the other still active, raise hard questions about how prepared Americans are to deal with free speech about white supremacy, in both monuments and domain names.
Private companies are policing online hate without independent oversight or regulation, which has serious implications and poses risks for basic human rights and freedoms. (Shutterstock)

Why it’s a mistake to celebrate the crackdown on hate websites

After violence in Charlottesville, internet firms are erasing bigoted content. But should private companies serve as unaccountable regulators and be responsible for policing complex social issues?
Demonstrators gather in anticipation of controversial speaker Ann Coulter near the University of California, Berkeley campus, April 27, 2017. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

New legislation may make free speech on campus less free

New laws pending in Wisconsin and North Carolina would require public universities to punish students who disrupt campus speakers. But these laws would do more to hinder free speech than protect it.
Students protested at UC Berkeley on both sides: in opposition to Ann Coulter and in support of free speech. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Can we talk about free speech on campus?

What legal rules must colleges and universities follow when it comes to speech on campus? And, beyond legal requirements, what is a school’s obligation to protect – or limit – free speech?
Students for a Democratic Society was the largest – and arguably most successful – student activist organization in U.S. history. S.Sgt. Albert R. Simpson, Department of Defense / via Wikimedia

What was the protest group Students for a Democratic Society? 5 questions answered

Student protest has been in the political spotlight since Trump’s election. Todd Gitlin, former president of Students for a Democratic Society, shares his perspective on protest in the 60s and now.
Digital information should be private and secure. Digital communications via shutterstock.com

Should cybersecurity be a human right?

Recent developments at the United Nations and the G-20 suggest that the well-known human rights to privacy and freedom of expression may soon be formally extended to online communications.
Protestors at the University of California, Berkeley campus oppose the appearance of Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos. AP Photo/Ben Margot

Berkeley, Milo Yiannopoulos and the lessons of free speech

UC Berkeley had a duty to protect the free speech of right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos and those protesting his appearance. But what are the limits of free speech when it comes to campus safety?

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