Litigating Internet Freedoms: Governments and Social Media Companies Go to Court

This week’s episode is focused on two important court cases – in India and West Africa – that will help define the relationship between social media companies and government regulation in efforts to protect fundamental freedoms. We talk to Allie Funk, Research Director for Technology and Democracy at Freedom House, about strategies to counter growing government efforts to block access to social media, as well as expectations for the private sector to develop their own rights-respecting policies and practices.  

Additional Resources: 

• Changes to the foreign agent law in Russia: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-signs-off-harsher-foreign-agent-law/31943645.html 
• ECOWAS ruling on Nigeria: http://www.courtecowas.org/2022/07/16/ecowas-court-orders-nigeria-to-guarantee-not-to-repeat-of-the-unlawful-ban-on-twitter/ 
• Freedom House 2021 Freedom on the Net Report: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2021/global-drive-control-big-tech 
• Op-Ed: What Twitter’s lawsuit against the Indian government could mean for global free expression: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-07-16/india-twitter-suit-freedom-censorship-internet 
• The White House Declaration for the Future of the Internet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Declaration-for-the-Future-for-the-Internet_Launch-Event-Signing-Version_FINAL.pdf