Elon Musk Giving ‘Serious Thought’ to Creating Social Media Platform With Free Speech as Top Priority

Tesla and Spacex CEO Elon Musk says that he is “giving serious thought to” creating a new social media platform with free speech as a top priority. “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy,” the Tesla billionaire said. Elon Musk Considers … Read more

Elon Musk Says Starlink Will Not Censor Russian News Sources Despite Government Requests

Spacex CEO Elon Musk says that Starlink has been told by some governments to block Russian news sources. However, he affirmed, “We will not do so unless at gunpoint.” Elon Musk Refuses to Censor Russian News Sources Spacex and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted early Saturday morning that Starlink has been told by some governments … Read more

Bluezelle is Resisting Censorship with a New Developer Grant: Interview with Neeraj Muraka

Online censorship has taken front and center since the sweeping ban of former U.S. President Donald Trump from every social outlet he’s been a part of. Other high-profile censorship acts, like Amazon removing alt-right social network Parler from its servers and My Pillow CEO Michael Lindell being banned from Twitter have presented a new paradigm … Read more

No Backdoor on Human Rights: Why Encryption Cannot Be Compromised

In April 2019, the UK issued an Online Harms White Paper to announce its campaign to rein in “harmful speech” on social media sites such as Facebook and TikTok. The public consultation period has ended and a full consultation response is expected in Spring 2020. (Initial Consultation Response here.) Legislation to criminalize freedom of speech … Read more

Was Youtube’s Christmas Crypto Purge Illegal?

This article considers the legal implications of Youtube’s notorious purge of crypto channels on Christmas Eve. What legal context induces Youtube and other social media giants to operate as they do? The article does not explore whether it is morally proper to terminate a contract without cause or explanation and to threaten people’s livelihoods; it … Read more

Speculation Abounds Regarding Youtube’s Removal of Crypto Content

At least six crypto Youtube channels have reported in recent hours that their content is being removed under the site’s “harmful and dangerous” policy, with one popular channel claiming Youtube pointed to a “sale of regulated goods.” Chris Dunn is one of these, whose channel has over 200k subscribers and has had multiple videos removed … Read more

Bitcoin Is a Weapon for Free Speech in the Face of Government and Corporate Censorship

The latest skirmishes in the bruising trade war between the U.S. and China have led to the unlikely politicization of the NBA. But how did the views of a basketball executive become such a political football? And what does China’s ideological commitment to censorship say about the value of free speech and of free speech … Read more

The Daily: Outcry Over Censoring of Gab, Chinese State Media Plugs Bitcoin Book

In today’s edition of The Daily, we focus on the crypto community’s alarm over the de-platforming of a social media network in response to a shooting incident in the U.S. We also look at a recent Bitcoin book recommendation on a Chinese TV show, as well as a North Korean attempt to scam investors. Also Read: … Read more