Social Media Platforms

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) listen during the Select Committee investigation of the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, during their first hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2021.

Congress’ Access to Individuals’ Private Communications: The Jan. 6 Committee’s Troubling Precedent

How and why federal law — Stored Communications Act — and Constitution may block January 6 Committee’s ability to subpoena telecommunications content.

Sep. 22, 2021 Elizabeth Goitein

A world map titled “Freedom on the Net 2021” with countries highlighted in different colors designating “free,” “partly free,” “not free,” and “not assessed.” For an interactive version of the map, visit FreedomHouse.org

Revenge of the State: Freedom House Finds Tech Increasingly Serves Authoritarian Ends

Hendrix unpacks the report's broader themes and dives into country reports on United States, India, and China.

Sep. 21, 2021 Justin Hendrix

Jan 6 Select Committee and Social Media Companies: 10 Key Pieces of Information to Subpoena

The Select Committee should request—better yet, subpoena—the following information from social media companies including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Parler, and TikTok.

Jul. 23, 2021 Justin Hendrix

A long list blown up in poster size of "public complaints" against Facebook policies, including the social media giant's political stances, data security lapses, politicization, privacy violations and misinformation, is taped to the outside of their office building during a protest led by the organization Public Citizen in Washington, DC, May 25, 2021.

Facebook’s New Dangerous Individuals and Organizations Policy Brings More Questions Than Answers

The company has responded to criticism with clarifications and revisions, but the rules require a fundamental rethink.

Jul. 20, 2021 Faiza Patel and Mary Pat Dwyer

A phone shows a download/open button for Parler.

Assessing Parler’s Letter Documenting Warnings It Gave FBI of Jan. 6 Attack

One of the significant moments in the recent House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on the Jan. 6 insurrection was the revelation that the social media platform Parler had…

Jun. 29, 2021 Justin Hendrix

A protestor holds a sign reading, “Digital Right is Human Right” during a demonstration at Ojota in Lagos on June 12, 2021. Other protestors stand in the background.

Nigeria’s Twitter Ban Is a Bellwether Case for Internet Freedom

When Twitter removed his post, President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria banned the site. Other leaders may follow suit.

Jun. 24, 2021 Kian Vesteinsson

Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 11, 2018 in Washington, DC.

A Deeper Dive: Facebook’s Response to Oversight Board on Trump May Be Less Than It Appears

A deeper dive shows the company is not ready to engage with the board's most far-reaching recommendations,

Jun. 21, 2021 Faiza Patel and Mary Pat Dwyer

A phone screen shows a statement by Trump on May 5, 2021. Another screen in the background shows an image of Trump. The statement text reads, “What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our country. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

For Facebook’s Sake: Getting Conversant with Human Rights

The Facebook Oversight Board decision on former President Trump has helped bring into sharper focus what international law scholars and lawyers have long understood: international…

Jun. 10, 2021 Deborah Pearlstein

With an image of himself on a screen in the background, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Financial Services Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 23, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Senate Report on January 6 Points to Need to Investigate Role of Social Media in Insurrection

Hendrix identifies three lines of inquiry for an investigation to follow.

Jun. 9, 2021 Justin Hendrix

People gather at a street corner during the Tulsa Race Massacre. Smoke billows from buildings down the block and all the buildings in the image are heavily damaged.

Controlling the Lens of History: From Tulsa to the Capitol Mob

(Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series on the hundredth anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, with more essays in the following days.) The centennial…

May 31, 2021 Eric J. Miller

Temel Atacocugu wipes tears with a tissue as he speaks on behalf of the injured during the National Remembrance Service at Christchurch Arena on March 13, 2021 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Another person stands nearby with a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

On Christchurch Call Anniversary, a Step Closer to Eradicating Terrorism Online?

Governments, including now the US, and companies take stock on the second anniversary of the New Zealand mosque shootings.

May 21, 2021 Courtney C. Radsch

World leaders are seen remotely on a screen as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a virtual Leaders Summit on Climate with 40 world leaders in the East Room of the White House April 22, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Facebook Oversight Board’s Decision on Trump Ban in a Global Context: The Treatment of Political Leaders

The future of Facebook's treatment of political leaders across the world

May 17, 2021 Chinmayi Arun