Should free speech be limited?

Our reporters examine free speech, privacy and the laws of the Internet

The new clash between free speech and privacy Sean Lewis for NPR The unprecedented power of technology and social media has both amplified and weaponized free speech. NPR's reporters examine how online abuse damages free speech and society, and whether an end to the Internet's anything-goes era is on the horizon. Backpage.com executives — CEO Carl Ferrer (from left), former owner James Larkin, Chief Operating Officer Andrew Padilla, former owner Michael Lacey — are sworn in to testify before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on investigations in January 2017.   Cliff Owen/AP For 20 years, one law has limited websites' responsibility for what users post on them. But that's changing. It's known as "a core pillar of Internet freedom" and "the law that gave us modern Internet" — a critical component of free speech online. But the journey of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act runs through some of the darkest corners of the Web, including some used for sex trafficking. Congress voted last month to curtail the law and the repercussions were nearly immediate. Who Created The Law, And Why Dan Shefet won what may be the most powerful single case against Google: the right to get search results about himself removed.   Jessica Vieux for NPR Europe's freedom: The right to dodge Google's all-seeing algorithm Dan Shefet is the man to know if a country — whether a democracy, a dictatorship or a tribal kingdom — wants some control over what can live online within its borders. After an outlandish claim against him stuck at the top of search results, this Parisian lawyer won a landmark case against Google in 2013, requiring the company to purge people from certain search results when asked — and permiting huge fines if the company fails to follow through. A Fight For Privacy Vs. Transparency Professor Albert Ponce received death threats after giving a talk on white supremacy in the United States.   Anya Kamenetz/NPR He spoke out about white supremacists, then came the threats to kill him For Portland State's Bruce Gilley, it started with his paper "The Case for Colonialism." For Diablo Valley College's Albert Ponce, it was a speech on white supremacists in contemporary America. Across the country in the past year and a half, at least 250 university professors have been targeted via online campaigns because of their research, their teaching or their social media posts. Instructors from across the political spectrum have been attacked from the right and the left, both with equally dire language. Some have lost their jobs, and others say they fear for their families' safety. Watch What You Say Anti-abortion-rights demonstrators stand outside the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014 after oral arguments over buffer zones around abortion clinics.  Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images What free speech has to do with skim milk, condoms and corporate political spending The impetus for the First Amendment stemmed from the view that the Constitution granted a lot of power to the federal government without much protection for citizens' rights. But many of the modern cases have less to do with citizens speaking to federal power than with the boundaries of businesses and organizations reaching into Americans' lives. What The First Amendment Means Today You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002