free speech
Social Media Should Not Be Gatekeepers
Ashutosh Bhagwat argues in new research that expecting social media platforms to serve as gatekeepers for the “truth” flounders on economic, organizational, and democratic grounds. In fact, the end of media gatekeepers and elite control over public discourse may be what is necessary to reinvigorate the marketplace of ideas and reduce political polarization.
Economists Agree That Stronger Legal Liability for Online Platforms Would Reduce Disinformation
Will increasing the liability of internet platforms mitigate disinformation? Economists weighed in on the effects of limiting or repealing protections for Big Tech through a recent survey from the Forum for the Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets—previously the Initiative on Global Markets—at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
What Citizens United Did Not Predict and Why It’s Time To Reconsider
Citizens United v. FEC stands in the public eye as the U.S. Supreme Court case that flooded U.S. elections with “dark money” and SuperPACs....
Digital Platforms May Be Monopolistic Providers, But They Are Not Infrastructure
Social media platforms are not infrastructure nor natural monopolies, and they should be regulated only if they have monopolistic power and abuse it. Free...
The Silent Coup
President Donald Trump's seditious actions are exposing the political power that Twitter, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Facebook enjoy. Banning him from their platforms sets...
“A Loaded Weapon”: Francis Fukuyama on the Political Power of Digital Platforms
In an interview with ProMarket, Francis Fukuyama discusses the political threat posed by digital platforms and why he believes a “middleware” solution would be...
Here Is What American History Can Teach Us About the Interplay Between Free Speech and Democracy
The United States has a long and unfortunate history of overreacting in moments of perceived crisis. Time and again, we have suppressed dissent, imprisoned...
Twitter Refused to Promote the New Capitalisn’t Episode: This Is a Problem for Free Speech (and for American Health Care)
Twitter banned political ads from its platform but has full discretion in deciding what constitutes a "political ad." The Stigler Center tried to promote...
