Civil Liberties
1,371 Articles

Facebook’s Oversight Board: A Meaningful Turn Toward International Human Rights Standards?
That depends on how it will weigh Facebook’s community standards and values against global norms in its content-moderation decisions.

Italy and COVID-19: A Call for an “Italian Emergency Constitution”?
The ongoing health crisis triggers consideration of the lack of an articulated emergency framework in the Italian Constitution, and whether existing tools are suitable to face…

The Republic of Facebook
This board, for content moderation, may be part of the answer to problems of online speech and censorship. But U.N. Special Rapporteur David Kaye explains that it is only one part.

From “Enemy of the People” to “Essential”: The Pandemic Creates an Opening for the Press
World Press Freedom Day is a reminder that we need to emerge from this crisis ready to reimagine how to support news media as critical infrastructure.

The EU Should Quarantine its Autocrats
The Hungarian and Polish governments’ exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic for their own ends poses a significant challenge for the EU with consequences that will be present…

Can We Finally Admit That “One Country, Two Systems” Is Dead in Hong Kong?
Things in Hong Kong were supposed to be different. After the People’s Republic of China (PRC) assumed sovereignty over the former British colony, the territory was supposed to…

As the U.S. Risks Reopening for Business, Technology Alone Won’t Stop the Coronavirus
Bluetooth contact-tracing apps could be a tool for returning to some version of normal, but only within limits and with robust safeguards,

Broadcasters and Trump’s False Information on Coronavirus: What Role for the FCC?
Should the regulator require disclosure when information aired is false or scientifically suspect? Maybe "no" is the best answer.

A District Court Endorses a Broken Prepublication Review System
Last week, a district court in Maryland dismissed a constitutional challenge to the system of prior restraints that prohibits millions of former intelligence agency employees from…

Pompeo’s “Rights Commission” Is Worse Than Feared: 7 Concerns to Watch
There is a narrow window to truly examine how the U.S. government can advance, rather than undermine, equal rights for all.

Lawsuit Against Fox News Over Coronavirus Coverage: Can It Succeed? Should It?
There are reasons to be wary of lawsuits as a tactic for controlling the information that media outlets disseminate, even if it is to punish Fox News.

Congress Must Insert Oversight of Intel Community in COVID Emergency Legislation
Governments often curtail individual liberties when faced with national or global emergencies. Unsurprisingly, one result of the COVID-19 pandemic is that governments around the…