Category Archives: cheap speech

“Twitter reverses longstanding ban on political advertising”

January 3, 2023, 4:49 pmcampaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: Twitter said it was relaxing its ban on political and issue-based advertising on Tuesday, a reversal of the company’s long-standing approach to paid political speech. The policy change, which comes at a moment when major advertisers are defecting… Continue reading

“Tech companies may have to cough up research data under this bill”

December 21, 2022, 9:16 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: Tech companies including YouTube, TikTok and Facebook could be forced to turn over more data to outside researchers under a major bipartisan proposal set to be formally introduced Wednesday. The updated Platform Accountability and Transparency Act would require… Continue reading

Cert Petition Filed Against Texas Social Media Law That Would Require Private Websites to Carry Politicians’ Political Speech

December 15, 2022, 3:02 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

Read it here.

“The Lawfare Podcast: Rick Hasen and Nate Persily on Replatforming Trump on Social Media”

December 15, 2022, 7:19 amcheap speech, election subversion riskRick Hasen

The Lawfare Podcast: On November 19, Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk announced that he would be reinstating former President Donald Trump’s account on the platform—though so far, Trump hasn’t taken Musk up on the offer, preferring instead to stay on… Continue reading

“Elon Musk uses QAnon tactic in criticizing former Twitter safety chief”

December 13, 2022, 7:29 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: Elon Musk escalated his battle of words with previous managers of Twitter into risky new territory over the weekend, allying himself with far-right crusaders against a purported epidemic of child sex abuse and implying that the company’s former head… Continue reading

“Conceptual Replication of Four Key Findings about Factual Corrections and Misinformation During the 2020 U.S. Election: Evidence from Panel Survey Experiments”

December 11, 2022, 1:20 pmcampaigns, cheap speechDerek Muller

Alexander Coppock, Kimberly Gross, Ethan Porter, Emily Thorson, and Thomas J. Wood, Conceptual Replication of Four Key Findings about Factual Corrections and Misinformation During the 2020 U.S. Election: Evidence from Panel Survey Experiments (British Journal of Political Science): In the… Continue reading

“Elon Musk’s promised Twitter exposé on the Hunter Biden story is a flop that doxxed multiple people”

December 3, 2022, 11:17 amcheap speechRick Hasen

The Verge: Free-speech crusader Elon Musk isn’t happy with Twitter’s years-old decision to suppress a news story about Hunter Biden’s laptop just ahead of the 2020 presidential election. So in an effort “to restore public trust” in Twitter, Musk indicated… Continue reading

“Do You Have a Right Not to Be Lied To?; The legal thinkers reconsidering freedom of speech.”

November 28, 2022, 8:29 amcheap speechRick Hasen

Jeff Wise deep dive in New York magazine: Given the urgency of the threat to democracy, some American legal scholars are arguing that it’s time to explore direct legal penalties for lying. “When you have the level of threat of… Continue reading

“Musk says granting ‘amnesty’ to suspended Twitter accounts”

November 25, 2022, 12:36 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

AP: New Twitter owner Elon Musk said Thursday that he is granting “amnesty” for suspended accounts, which online safety experts predict will spur a rise in harassment, hate speech and misinformation. The billionaire’s announcement came after he asked in… Continue reading

Based on popular demand, Trump to return to Twitter

November 20, 2022, 4:34 amcheap speech, chicaneryTwitterTabatha Abu El-Haj

N.Y. Times and everyone is reporting on Elon Musk’s decision to reinstate Trump after polling Twitter. It is so nice to finally have an answer, after all these years, to who “the people” are: 15 million Twitter users.… Continue reading

Bill Marshall’s Review of My Cheap Speech Book in the First Amendment Law Review

November 19, 2022, 3:40 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

Grateful for this review from William P. Marshall, Cheap Speech, Freedom of Speech, and the War Against Disinformation, 20 First Amendment L. Rev 418 (2022): CHEAP SPEECH is an effort to grapple with the challenges posed by this flood… Continue reading

Young and Independent Voters Want Campaigns to Leave Them Alone

November 17, 2022, 4:39 amcampaigns, cheap speechNew SurveyTabatha Abu El-Haj

A new survey by Civics finds that young and independent voters do not appreciate unsolicited emails and text messages from multiple campaigns and they would rather they stopped. The survey analysts conclude: “Democrats are at risk of burning out their… Continue reading

“Election officials feared the worst. Here’s why baseless claims haven’t fueled chaos”

November 16, 2022, 1:44 pmcheap speech, chicanery, election administrationTabatha Abu El-Haj

NPR has a nice analysis of why voting went smoothly last week and why those seeking to spread false claims and sow doubts failed to fuel a similar level of chaos this election cycle: Preparation, Security, and the former President’s… Continue reading

“How News About Maricopa County’s Ballot-Counting Machines Went Viral”

November 9, 2022, 11:20 amcheap speech, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: Technical glitches on Tuesday disrupted operations at about a quarter of the voting centers in Maricopa County, Ariz., the most populous county in a state with multiple competitive races.While the problems were later solved, it set off a firestorm… Continue reading