The Free Flow — January 30, 2025
A Global Free Speech Roundup for the Digital Age
The Digital Age
» Trump Moves to Rollback AI Regulations with Executive Order
Background:
On January 23rd, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to reverse all past policies that “act as barriers to American AI innovation.”
Biden previously signed an executive order in 2023 mandating AI developers to collaborate with the US government in identifying potential public safety risks from their platforms.
Trump’s course reversal in favor of American AI firms comes as DeepSeek, a Chinese rival, caused a massive sell-off of American AI stocks on Monday—hinting that America’s lead in AI is by no means guaranteed.
While US AI platforms are far from perfect, DeepSeek users have been frustrated by its strict censorship in compliance with Chinese laws.
DeepSeek Censors: You can read more about the dangers of DeepSeek’s AI censorship and the opportunity it provides for American firms to champion AI free speech with commentary from Senior Research Fellow Jordi Calvet-Bademunt.
We’ll have more news on the intersection of AI and free speech in our forthcoming newsletter: .exe-pression. Subscribe now so you don’t miss it!
» Pakistan Sentences 4 Men to Death for “Online Blasphemy” Amid Push for “Fake News” Law
A Pakistani Court sentenced the men for posting “sacrilegious material” online on the Qur'an and Islamic religious figures, following a request submitted by a group of “vigilante lawyers.”
Dive Deeper:
Pakistan also recently passed a stringent “cybersecurity” law, which allows anyone who feels aggrieved by allegedly “fake or misleading information” online to approach authorities, who can speedily take down such content and imprison or fine the social media users.
The law would also criminalize the “intentional” spread of “false news” with a sentence of up to three years in prison.
But Pakistan’s statutory death penalty for blasphemy means sentences are even harsher for offensive religious speech.
Pakistan has never executed someone for blasphemy, but the government’s “National Commission for Human Rights” reports that 767 Pakistanis languish in prison awaiting blasphemy trials, noting that arrests are often instigated by private citizens and not law enforcement.
The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond
» European Union to Test Meta, X, and TikTok for Disinformation
In anticipation of German elections, the European Commission (EC) has asked social media platforms to participate in a test meant to measure whether they are doing enough to “counter disinformation”
Background:
The EU’s Disinformation Services Act (DSA) mandates social media platforms adopt “strategies” to counter disinformation
Last year, a similar test was conducted for the European Parliament elections.
One of the affected platforms, TikTok, was already subject to scrutiny by the EC in December over mass misinformation during the Romanian elections.
For more on the DSA and the difficulty of tackling election misinformation, check out Senior Legal Fellow Joan Barata’s analysis here.
» Denmark Files First Charges for “Mistreating” Qur’an Under New Law
Two men were charged with “inappropriate treatment of the Koran” during a festival in June.
Background:
Denmark adopted legislation in 2023 making it illegal to “desecrate” religious texts.
Last Friday marked the first time charges were filed under the new law.
Offenders risk fines and up to two years in jail, with Danish authorities reporting eight total investigations are ongoing as of January 22, 2025
You can read more about the debates that led to Denmark’s blasphemy law and why it’s bad for free speech in these pieces from Executive Director Jacob Mchangama.
Murder in Sweden: A man on trial for burning a Qur’an in Sweden was shot dead hours before he was set to receive a court verdict. Authorities suspect the perpetrators were linked to “a foreign power.”
Quick Hits
Trump Signs Executive Order to Investigate and Potentially Deport Foreign Students that “Support” Terrorism: Critics argue that this order — if it targets expression and not illegal conduct like violence or vandalism — could be used to deport visa-holding students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
FCC To Review Trump’s Complaints on CBS, NBC, ABC: Brendan Carr, the FCC’s new chairman, plans to investigate further—in a striking departure from the policy of his predecessor, who called Trump’s complaints “at odds with the First Amendment.”
International Community Calls Belarus Elections a “Sham” Due to Silenced Opposition: After a brutal crackdown on protests in 2020 and crackdowns on dissenting voices in the country, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko won re-election in what international organizations have called a fraudulent process.
Canadian Universities Police Speech on Gaza: The Canadian Association of University Teachers claims faculty face restrictions in voicing criticism of Israel due to “institutional neutrality” policies.
UK’s Labour Government to Revise Academic Freedom Law: The old law included a “statutory tort” that allowed anyone to sue a university for restricting their speech. Student unions will also receive exemptions from the regulation.
Identity Crisis at the ACLU: The storied civil liberties organization is in the grips of a civil war, pitting advocates of individual liberty against those who want the group to focus primarily on civil rights violations.
Harvard Adopts Controversial Definition of Antisemitism: The new definition considers comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany or the allegation that the “existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor” as antisemitic.
ICC Prosecutor Requests Warrant Against Taliban: The International Criminal Court prosecutor seeks charges for Taliban crackdowns on women’s rights in Afghanistan, which include over 100 written or announced decrees severely restricting freedom of movement, expression, and association, among other rights.
Russia Blocked 417,000 Websites in 2024: According to data from the internet freedom NGO Roskomsvoboda, 523,000 websites were restricted last year, and access was eventually restored to 106,000.
Idaho Senate Votes 32-1 to Pass Anti-SLAPP Law: The new law will make it harder for deep-pocketed plaintiffs to file costly lawsuits in an effort to chill criticism or other speech activities of critics.
Protest Watch
Iran Arrests Dozens of Kurdish Activists: The 27 activists had protested against death sentences for Iranian-Kurdish political prisoners and arbitrary arrests in Iranian Kurdistan.
Hearing Could Reshape UK's Determination of Peaceful Protest: A law that expanded the legal definition of public nuisance to crack down on disruptive protests could be reinterpreted by the Court of Appeal in London after activists appeal their long sentences.
Press Freedom Watch
Deteriorating Civil Society in Libya: Human Rights Watch released a report on Libya’s repression of “civic space,” as authorities escalate arrests and other harassment of political activists and NGO workers.
Switzerland Arrests, Deports Palestinian Journalist: Ali Abunimah was taken into custody in Zurich before he could deliver a scheduled speech. Officials cited infractions against Swiss law without detailing charges.
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