Defamation and Privacy, Co-Sponsored by Internet and Computer Law and Communication, Media & Information Law

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Session Type: Section Programs

Session Capacity: N/A

Hotel: Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

Room: Maryland B

Floor: Lobby Level

This panel explores the current landscape of social media content moderation and its implications on free speech. Over the last decade, social media has democratized speech by providing a platform for previously unheard voices. At the same time, social media is fraught with abusive behavior, offensive content, and hate speech. The practice of content moderation by social media companies is a pervasive and important one, usually done pursuant to an internal policy to control who can participate and what speech is allowed. However, these private regimes of content moderation often proceed without much oversight, transparency, or government intervention. As social media continues to shape public discourse, what free speech protections should exist in these virtual spaces, what limits should be imposed to protect against abuse online, and what form should these protections or limits take?