Category Archives: cheap speech

“Social media injunction unravels plans to protect 2024 elections”

July 9, 2023, 8:30 pmcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: A July 4 injunction that places extraordinary limits on the government’s communications with tech companies undermines initiatives to harden social media companies against election interference, civil rights groups, academics and tech industry insiders say. After companies and the federal… Continue reading

“A.I.’s Use in Elections Sets Off a Scramble for Guardrails”

June 25, 2023, 1:00 pmcampaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: What began a few months ago as a slow drip of fund-raising emails and promotional images composed by A.I. for political campaigns has turned into a steady stream of campaign materials created by the technology, rewriting the political playbook… Continue reading

“Scoop: YouTube reverses misinformation policy to allow U.S. election denialism”

June 2, 2023, 11:10 amcheap speech, election subversion riskRick Hasen

Axios: In a reversal of its election integrity policy, YouTube will leave up content that says fraud, errors or glitches occurred in the 2020 presidential election and other U.S. elections, the company confirmed to Axios Friday. Why it matters:… Continue reading

“False claims of a stolen election thrive unchecked on Twitter even as Musk promises otherwise”

May 19, 2023, 7:11 amcheap speech, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

AP reports.

“Ad makers seek to nip ‘deep fake’ campaign ads in the bud”

May 5, 2023, 9:53 amcampaigns, cheap speechJustin Levitt

From Politico: The trade association representing Washington political consultants wants to curb the use of “deep fakes” in political advertising before it gets the chance to take off, as political campaigns become the latest space scrambling to respond to… Continue reading

“Latin American election influence operation linked to Miami marketing firm”

May 4, 2023, 8:50 pmcheap speech, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

Reuters reporting on Reuters reporting, leading to a Meta investigation of an alleged political misinformation-for-hire firm – apparently operating mostly in Latin America.

“Microsoft economist warns of A.I. election interference from ‘bad actors’”

May 3, 2023, 4:05 pmcheap speech, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

I’m also on an upcoming panel (at Caltech, this Friday!) about the “Societal Implications of Generative AI” … but when the chief economist of a company with a $1 billion investment in the technology raises a flag at… Continue reading

“The Jolt: Georgia megadonor tells Trump attorney election was clean”

May 3, 2023, 4:03 pmcheap speech, election subversion risk, fraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

Lauren Windsor with another audio reveal from the Cleta Mitchell conversation to RNC donors. More here at the AJC. From a donor apparently identified as Tommy Bagwell, to the assembled crowd: I’m one of the largest donors to Trump… Continue reading

“Bill would require disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads”

May 2, 2023, 4:08 pmcheap speech, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

The WaPo reports on Rep. Yvette Clarke’s bill, but it may be even more notable that the N.Y. Democrat called out a recent RNC ad as a model.

“Exclusive: Dominion Voting Systems tells its Fox News lawsuit story”

May 1, 2023, 7:41 pmcheap speech, chicanery, election subversion riskJustin Levitt

Axios with a bit of oral history.

“Inside a private portal from GOP campaigns to local news sites”

April 27, 2023, 7:12 amcheap speechRick Hasen

WaPo: The top Republican campaigns in Illinois used a private online portal last year to request stories and shape coverage in a network of media outlets that present themselves as local newspapers, according to documents and people familiar with the… Continue reading

“Supreme Court to decide if First Amendment stops government officials from blocking social media critics”

April 24, 2023, 7:27 amcheap speech, First Amendment theory, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Tierney Sneed for CNN: The Supreme Court said Monday that it will consider whether the First Amendment protects social media users from being blocked from commenting on the personal pages that government officials use to communicate actions related to their… Continue reading

“Why It’s Fine that Fox and Dominion Settled; Murdoch testimony would have been more fun to watch than Succession. But the trial wouldn’t have fixed the bigger problem.”

April 19, 2023, 7:43 amcheap speech, election subversion riskRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: What does the Fox (News) say? Not enough to save American democracy. But we never should have expected that a private defamation suit could have cured this country’s ongoing election panic… Continue reading