Protecting Political Speech While Reducing Harm on Social Media

The contentious 2020 election and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have added fuel to the already fiery debate surrounding the treatment of political speech on social media. Many on the left have called for increased regulation to ensure social media platforms remove hate speech and misinformation, while many on the right have called for laws that would prohibit social media platforms from restricting users based on their viewpoints. Both sides blame social media companies—for either doing too much or not doing enough—while also overlooking the constitutionality of new laws on online political speech as well as their impact on free expression and innovation.

ITIF hosted a discussion on how Congress and social media platforms can balance free speech and harm reduction in the regulation and moderation of political speech online.