This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 FCC Commissioner Condemns Disney Stations’ Early License Review

— 🌍 RSF Report: Global Press Freedom at Lowest Point in 25 Years

— 🤖 Meta Threatens Shut Down of Instagram, Facebook in New Mexico

— 🇺🇲 U.S. Senate Considers Bill to Require ID Checks for AI Chatbots

— 🇲🇲 Myanmar Revokes Publishing Licenses of Three News Outlets

First of All 🇺🇸

» FCC Commissioner Condemns Disney-Owned Stations’ Early License Review

• Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Anna Gomez publicly condemned the agency’s initiation of an early review process for Disney-owned broadcast stations’ licenses as “the most egregious action this FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date.”

• Details:

  • The criticism focuses on the FCC’s order directing Disney’s eight television stations to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule following a controversial monologue from Jimmy Kimmel, a late-night host on Disney’s ABC network, as mentioned in last week’s Free Flow.

  • FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has repeatedly said that the agency has a duty to scrutinize whether broadcasters that rely on public airwaves are serving “the public interest.”

  • Gomez argued that the move, which comes after a separate FCC investigation into Disney’s diversity practices, is evidence that the Trump administration is attempting to intimidate critics in the media.

  • “This should be a lesson to media companies that no amount of capitulation to this Administration will buy them protection,” Gomez added. “The only choice is to stand up and stand firm in defense of the First Amendment.”

» FBI Launches Criminal Leak Investigation Over The Atlantic’s Reporting on Director Patel

• The FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation into The Atlantic magazine journalist who wrote that FBI Director Kash Patel had “alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.”

• Details:

  • The investigation comes two weeks after Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the publication and the reporter, Sarah Fitzpatrick, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • Criminal leak investigations typically look into government officials who may have disclosed state secrets or classified documents, which makes its application to this case, where unclassified information was leaked to a reporter, unusual.

  • The investigation could allow agents to obtain Fitzpatrick’s phone number, run her name and personal information through databases, and examine her social media contacts, though it is not known what steps have been taken.

  • A spokesperson denied the existence of the investigation to MS NOW, and said, “Every time there’s a publication of false claims by anonymous sources that gets called out, the media plays the victim via investigations that do not exist.”

  • Fitzpatrick’s story included over two dozen anonymous sources that detailed concern among FBI officials over Patel’s alcohol consumption.

» Federal Trade Commission Withdraws Appeal, Comes to an Agreement with Media Matters

• Media Matters for America has won its case against the Federal Trade Commission’s retaliatory investigation into the organization last June.

• Context:

  • In June 2025, Media Matters sued to block the FTC’s investigation following its article about social media platform X’s placement of antisemitic posts next to major brands’ advertisements.

  • In August, the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. granted a temporary injunction blocking the agency from enforcing its investigation and determining it had likely acted with “retaliatory animus.”

  • Two months later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to stay the lower court’s decision, preventing the investigation from moving forward.

  • In April of this year, judges questioned the FTC’s counsel, asking that the FTC explain whether there was something “radically left” about being anti-Nazi.

  • The FTC later sought to withdraw its appeal and has now agreed to a binding agreement that guarantees it will never reissue investigative demands to the company.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Meta Threatens to Pull Instagram and Facebook from New Mexico Over Age-Verification Dispute

• Meta warned it may shut down Instagram and Facebook in New Mexico entirely rather than comply with a push by state prosecutors for fundamental changes to platforms’ child accounts.

• Context:

  • The push comes after a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million for knowingly harming children’s mental health and concealing what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

  • The second phase of the case will unfold next week during a bench trial on allegations that Meta poses a public nuisance.

  • State prosecutors are now asking the court to order a series of changes to children’s social media accounts, including age-verification mandates, default privacy settings, and more stringent oversight.

• The Warning:

  • In a court filing, Meta argued it was unrealistic for the company to meet a proposed requirement for 99% accuracy in verifying that platforms’ child users are at least 13, among other demands.

  • “As a practical matter, this requirement effectively requires Meta to shut down its services — for all users in the state — or else comply with impossible obligations,” the filing read.

» U.S. Senate Panel Advances Bill to Ban Minors From AI Chatbot Companions

• A Senate committee unanimously advanced a bill that would prohibit minors under the age of 18 from accessing AI “companions” and require systems to disclose their “non-human status and lack of professional credentials” for all users.

• The GUARD Act:

  • The bill, known as the Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue (GUARD) Act, defines an AI companion as a chatbot designed to simulate interpersonal or emotional interaction with the user.

  • It would also establish a new crime for companies that “knowingly” make chatbots that “solicit or produce sexual content” available to minors.

  • The Act proposes age-verification measures to ensure compliance, including the submission of government ID.

Our Take: In a statement to The Hill, Ashkhen Kazaryan said, “By mandating government ID or equivalent age verification for any American who wishes to interact with an AI chatbot, the bill burdens the speech and associational rights of every adult, not just minors.”

» Lawsuit Pushes Back on Minnesota Law Mandating Social Media Health Warnings

• NetChoice, a tech trade group, has filed a lawsuit challenging a Minnesota law that requires social media companies to show users health warning labels on their sites.

• Details:

  • The warnings provided in the legislation were designed by the Minnesota Department of Health and will be required to appear on social media users’ feeds on July 1 if the law is passed.

  • The lawsuit argues that the law violates platforms’ First Amendment rights by requiring them to express “the government’s preferred message.

  • Similar social media warning legislation has passed in states like California (effective Jan 1, 2027), New York (effective date pending state rulemaking), and Colorado, though a federal court has paused Colorado’s law after a similar lawsuit by NetChoice.

• Potential Required Warnings Include:

  • “Warning: The app may repeatedly show similar or upsetting content, which may negatively affect your mental health. Use tools (mute, unfollow, “not interested”) to change what you see. Support is available: Call/text 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org.”

  • “Warning: Infinite scrolling and videos that play automatically may make it difficult to stop. Extended use may affect sleep, school, work, and mood. Call/text 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org.”

  • “Comparing yourself to ‘perfect’ posts? Call/Text 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org. Warning: Many images are edited and may affect self-esteem and mood.”

» UK Children Are Drawing Fake Mustaches to Beat Online Age Checks — and It’s Working

• A report from Internet Matters reveals that a third of children in the UK claim to have bypassed online age checks in the past two months, some by drawing mustaches to trick facial recognition software.

• Details:

  • The report follows the passage of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which began enforcing safety measures, including reporting tools, content warnings, and restrictions on features such as livestreaming, in July 2025.

  • According to the report, 46% of children said they believe age checks are easy to bypass, while 17% said they are difficult to bypass.

  • Children described using fake birthdates, someone else’s identification, submitting videos of other people’s faces, and using video game characters to circumvent facial recognition software.

  • The report also found that 26% parents have allowed their child to bypass age checks, with 17% actively helping them to do so.

» Utah Law Targeting VPN Use Goes Into Effect

• On May 6, Utah’s first-of-its-kind law targeting the use of VPNs to avoid age-verification mandates took effect.

• Details:

  • Utah lawmakers pushed for the bill as VPN usage surged after Pornhub blocked Utah IP addresses from accessing the site because of the state’s age-verification law.

  • The bill, known as the Online Age Verification Amendments, includes provisions that regulate access to websites based on geographic location, regardless of VPN use, and bans the sharing of VPN instructions.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» EU Accuses Meta of Age-Verification Failures

• The European Commission’s preliminary ruling has found that Meta has failed to implement required safeguards to keep children under the age of 13 off its platforms, Instagram and Facebook.

• Details:

  • The ruling determined that there is no adequate system in place to identify and remove the accounts of minors who manage to bypass the platforms’ age limits.

  • Regulators said Meta’s tool for reporting minors is “difficult to use and not effective,” and that the lack of effective controls appears to violate the Digital Services Act.

  • Under the DSA, the commission can issue a fine of up to 6% of Meta’s worldwide revenue.

  • The findings come as the EU is investigating Meta on other issues, including whether its platforms have an addictive design, and a probe into its recommender systems.

» European MEPs Call for Sanctions Against Georgian TV Channels

• The European Parliament is due to vote on proposed amendments to its annual report on Georgia that call for sanctions against several pro-government broadcasters.

• The Amendments:

  • The amendments, published on March 19, call for restrictive measures against three Georgian TV channels: Imedi, Rustavi 2, and POSTV.

  • Another Amendment raises the possibility of extending sanctions to leaders of Georgia’s National Communications Commission and the Public Broadcaster.

  • Individuals from Imedi and POSTV who are explicitly named in the report for spreading “deliberately misleading information” about the war in Ukraine could also face sanctions.

• The Report:

  • The report describes the TV outlets as a “communications arm” of the ruling Georgian Dream party that spreads disinformation and hostile propaganda.

  • It focuses on campaigns targeting EU institutions and representatives, condemning “demeaning narratives” and “manipulative reporting” that undermine public trust in the bloc.

  • Georgia’s status as an EU candidate country is highlighted, with the report adding that such practice runs counter to the country’s commitments to obtain that status, and that disinformation undermines the fundamental principles of democratic accountability.

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index Shows Sharp Global Decline

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) latest Press Freedom Index shows media freedom is at a 25-year low, with countries like the U.S. falling as many as seven places in the rankings.

• Findings:

  • Out of the 180 countries in the report, 100 experienced a decline in press freedom, and more than half of the countries now fall into the ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’ categories for press freedom.

  • The U.S. has fallen to 64th place, seven places below its previous ranking, which the report attributes to the Trump administration’s “systematic policy” of “repeated attacks on the press and journalists.”

  • The steepest decline took place in Niger, which fell 37th places to 120th, as a wave of suppression washed over the Sahel region with armed groups and ruling juntas attacking journalists.

  • Meanwhile, Syria saw positive improvements, rising from 177th to 141st, and Ukraine moved by seven places to 55th.

• Pushback from Hong Kong:

  • The Hong Kong government and legislature condemned the reports after it was ranked 140th.

  • The report cited the 20-year sentence given to journalist and activist Jimmy Lai, which the government said was an attempt to “sugarcoat the criminal acts of a national security offender.”

  • The government also called out Deutsche Welle after it awarded Lai its 2026 freedom of speech award, and said the “so-called ‘award’” was an attempt to “slander, smear, as well as attack” authorities.

» 50,000 Protesters Were Arrested During Iran’s Crackdown, Some Face Death Penalty

• Around 50,000 people were arrested in total during anti-regime protests across Iran in January that led up to the Iran war, with some facing charges that carry the death penalty.

• Details:

  • The United Nations reports that at least 21 political prisoners have been executed since the start of the war, and many were forced to confess under torture.

  • Primary reports have revealed that several thousand simply disappeared in custody as well.

» China Pressures Zambia to Cancel World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference

• Access Now, the group that organizes the world’s largest digital rights conference, RightsCon, has said the event was canceled following pressure from the Chinese government.

• Details:

  • A week before the conference was scheduled to take place in Lusaka, Zambia, the Zambian government announced it would be postponed to an unspecified date.

  • Two days before the announcement, Access Now learned that the Chinese government had been informed of the in-person participation of Taiwanese people.

  • It claims the Chinese government tried to influence the Zambian government’s approach to Taiwanese participants’ move across the border.

  • According to Access Now, it was told “informally from multiple sources” that “in order for RightsCon to continue, we would have to moderate specific topics and exclude communities at risk, including our Taiwanese participants, from in-person and online participation.”

» Myanmar Junta Revokes Publishing Licenses of Three Media Outlets

• Myanmar’s military junta revoked the publication licenses of three news agencies (Khonumthung Media Group, Chin World, and Myatmaukkhit News Agency) for publishing and broadcasting content detrimental to national security, the rule of law, and public peace.

• Details:

  • The revocation prohibits the news outlets from publishing or broadcasting on any media platform or technology.

  • The bans took effect on April 9 and were formally announced on April 24.

  • The Independent Myanmar Journalists Association told the Committee to Protect Journalists that several journalists associated with the banned outlets have gone into hiding to avoid arrest or harassment.

» Uganda Passes ‘Foreign Agents’ Law

• The “Protection of Sovereignty” bill, passed on May 5, criminalizes actions deemed to promote the “interests of a foreigner against those of Uganda” and labels anyone receiving money abroad as a foreign agent.

• Details:

  • The bill drew outrage among Ugandans, prompting lawmakers to remove a clause classifying Ugandans abroad as “foreigners” and creating an exemption for certain institutions, including medical, academic, and faith-based organizations, from restrictions on foreign funding.

  • Human Rights Watch said the bill’s vague language could be used to target activists and organizations, and risks shrinking civic space in a country already accused of suppressing dissent.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 Trumps Call on ABC to Fire Kimmel After Monologue

— 🇺🇸 DHS Announces Plan to Vet Immigrants for ‘Extremist’ Views

— 🇦🇺 Australia Says Platforms Fail to Apply Age-Verification Consistently

— 🇹🇳 Tunisia Suspends Rights Group and Protesters Rally for Press Freedom

— 🇦🇷 Argentina Blocks Journalists from Government Headquarters

First of All 🇺🇸

» Trumps Call on ABC to Fire Kimmel After Monologue, FCC Considers Early License Review

• President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump publicly called on ABC to immediately fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after he joked that Melania had “the glow of an expectant widow.”

• Details:

  • Trump called the joke “a despicable call to violence” and wrote on social media that Kimmel “should be immediately fired” by ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney Co.

  • Melania Trump separately said, “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.”

• Pressure from the FCC:

  • Following the incident, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order directing Disney’s eight owned-and-operated television stations to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule.

  • According to Semafor, the agency is moving toward a review of the licenses, though “a person familiar with the FCC’s thinking” said the timing was not related to the monologue.

  • The company’s licenses have been threatened before, including this month when Chairman Brendan Carr criticized its diversity programs.

» DHS Announces Plan to Vet Immigrants for ‘Extremist’ Views

• The Department of Homeland Security has announced a new policy to scrutinize immigrants’ past statements for signs of “extremist views.”

• Details:

  • The policy would allow immigrants to be denied a green card for expressing political opinions, from participating in a pro-Palestinian protest to desecrating the American flag.

  • A spokesperson for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said that “espousing terrorist ideologies, expressing hatred for American values, advocating for the violent overthrow of the United States government, or providing material support to terrorist organizations” would warrant closer scrutiny.

  • In DHS training materials, a social media post that declares “Stop Israeli Terror in Palestine” and shows the Israeli flag crossed out was cited as an example of questionable speech.

• Context: The Trump administration has previously cracked down on pro-Palestinian movements by attempting to deport protesters, threatening to freeze funds for universities where protests were held, and vetting immigration applications for antisemitism as well as ‘anti-Americanism.’

» Ex-FBI Director Indicted Over Social Media Post

• Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted over a social media photo that officials argue constitutes a threat against President Trump.

• The Post:

  • The new indictment focuses on a photo Comey posted nearly a year ago of seashells arranged on a beach that he had seen on a walk, which spelled out “86 47.”

  • “86” is slang for “to get rid of” or “throw out,” and 47 alludes to Trump, the 47th president of the U.S. Officials accused Comey of advocating for the president’s assassination.

  • Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, and wrote, “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” and that he took the post down because he opposed “violence of any kind.”

  • He was then interviewed by the Secret Service and is now accused of “knowingly and willfully” making a threat to “take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon” the president, as well as transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.

  • The indictment does not provide evidence that Comey knowingly threatened Trump, but suggested that a “reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret” the message as a threat.

• Context:

  • The latest action follows a separate indictment against Comey on charges that he lied to Congress in 2020 about whether he had authorized providing information to a journalist about an investigation.

  • That indictment was dismissed after a judge determined that the prosecutor who brought the charges was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.

  • Comey’s relationship with the administration has been strained, with Trump firing Comey months into his first term as president amid an investigation that Comey was overseeing into whether Trump’s campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the 2016 election outcome.

» Emory Professors File First Amendment Lawsuit Over Campus Protest Arrests

• Three professors at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, have sued the institution over its decision to call in police to disperse a pro-Palestine campus protest, resulting in 28 arrests, arguing the crackdown violated their First Amendment rights and Emory’s own free-speech commitments.

• Details:

  • The complaint alleges Emory broke its own policies by calling in Atlanta police and Georgia state troopers to clear protesters, who had set up tents on the university’s main quad to protest the war, without seeking alternatives.

  • The lawsuit demands the university reimburse three students who paid to defend themselves against misdemeanor charges that were later dismissed, along with punitive damages.

  • One protester was charged with disorderly conduct after she yelled, “Stop!” at a police officer arresting a protester. Another was arrested on the same charge while trying to help an elderly woman.

  • Emory claimed that those arrested were trespassing on school property and not students, but 20 of 28 arrested individuals were affiliated with the university.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» California Advances Social Media Age Ban That Would Require Government ID From All Users

• California’s AB 1709, which would ban all users under 16 from social media platforms with ‘addictive features,’ has cleared two committees and is on track for a full Assembly vote next month.

• Details: Companies would be required to verify every user’s identity, regardless of age, before allowing access to their platforms, or risk penalties.

Our Take: “Democracies have always worried about dangerous ideas corrupting the young. Intellectuals and lawmakers should absolutely be concerned about how and when our children navigate social media,“ wrote Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff at the Wall Street Journal. “But they should also be concerned about whether, in our rush to protect our children, we are building an infrastructure of surveillance and censorship that will ultimately threaten the hard-won freedoms we want future generations to enjoy.”

» Australian Authorities Say Platforms Fail to Apply Age-Verification Consistently

• Australia’s eSafety Commissioner said that platforms’ weak deployment of age-assurance products, rather than the limits of the technology, is responsible for enforcement problems with the country’s social media ban for minors under 16.

• Details:

  • The findings push back against social media companies’ claims that continued underage access was a reflection of inadequate age-checking products.

  • The Commissioner flagged failures to verify ages at account setup, repeated attempts to verify ages until users pass, and continued reliance on self-declared ages as compliance gaps.

  • It is currently investigating Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Google’s YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat over suspected breaches of the ban.

  • The platforms face up to $49.5 million AUD in fines for each breach, and the government has said it is gathering evidence to support federal court action if compliance does not improve.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Greece to Ban Anonymous Posts on Social Media

• Greece’s minister of digital governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, has announced that the government is moving forward with a plan to ban anonymity on social media.

• Details:

  • “The major problem behind anonymity is toxicity— anyone, especially on social media, can smear an individual and carry out character assassination without facing any consequences,” Papastergiou explained.

  • He added that platforms must be required to verify account identities, and that there are many technical ways to do so.

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Argentina Blocks Journalists from Government Headquarters

• Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has expelled reporters and the press corps from Casa Rosada, or the “Pink House” — the equivalent of the White House.

• Details:

  • A spokesperson for Milei said that the block, which affects roughly 60 reporters with press credentials covering Casa Rosada, was a “preventative measure” after footage filmed with smart glasses from inside the headquarters was aired on local TV channel Toda Noticias without authorization.

  • Casa Rosada security is also suing the network for “illegal espionage,” though a journalist from the network claims they had notified press officers of their filming plans in advance.

  • The footage showed accessible parts of the Casa Rosada that had already appeared on TV.

• Previous Attacks on Media:

  • The government had constrained the media’s movements in the building last year, capping attendance at news briefings and barring certain wings of the headquarters.

  • Six accredited media outlets were barred from entering Casa Rosada and the lower house of Congress this month following accusations of involvement in Kremlin-backed disinformation.

  • Milei has taken to X to insult journalists multiple times, with 86 written posts and 874 re-shares between April 2 and 5th alone, including a re-share of a post asking him to designate the press as a terrorist organization.

  • He has also filed defamation suits against at least eight journalists in the last year, and encouraged his allies to do the same.

» Tunisia Suspends Rights Group and Protesters Rally for Press Freedom

• In the latest crackdown on civil society, Tunisian authorities have ordered a one-month suspension of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, one of Africa’s oldest rights groups.

• The same day, dozens of people demonstrated outside the Tunisian journalists’ union’s headquarters in Tunis, the country’s capital, demanding press freedom.

• The Suspension:

  • The President has frequently cited foreign funding as grounds for suspensions, claiming it is a threat to Tunisia and is used to stir unrest.

  • The suspension follows similar measures targeting rights groups over the past year.

  • It also comes shortly after a journalist, Zied El-Heni, was detained for 48 hours over a Facebook post, highlighting a pattern of arrests and legal pressure.

• Public Backlash:

  • Protesters gathered to support Mourad Zeghidi, a columnist, and his colleague, Borhen Bsales, who have been in detention since 2024 for spreading false news.

  • The pair faced later charges of money laundering and tax evasion, and were sentenced to three and a half years in prison in January 2026.

» Bangladesh Arrests Four For Criticizing the Government on Social Media

• Bangladesh has arrested at least four individuals for social media content criticizing the government.

• Arrests:

  • Hasan Nasim:

    • Nasim was arrested on April 17 after following a police complaint from a ruling party supporter about his post of a cartoon that depicted a government lawmaker and quoted a joke he had made in parliament.

    • A case was filed against him relating to online blackmail, prompting a local newspaper to ask, “How can a joke made in a public forum, printed in newspapers, and a cartoon based on that joke constitute blackmail?”

    • Nasim was granted bail on April 21.

  • Sawoda Sumi:

    • Sumi was arrested on April 5 for allegedly posting comments on Facebook that were deemed “anti-government.”

    • Sawoda was arrested under section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Bhola municipality, southern Bangladesh, which allows arrest without a warrant if authorities have “credible information” of a “cognizable offense.”

    • She was granted bail two days later.

  • Azizul Haque:

    • Haque was arrested after ruling party supporters filed a complaint about a post on his Facebook page featuring a controversial depiction of the Prime Minister.

    • A magistrate upheld his detention on April 1, and the police said, “We can arrest him immediately. He has been spreading misinformation about the Prime Minister.”

  • Shaon Mahmud:

    • Mahmud was abducted by members of the ruling party’s youth wing and turned over to the police for “insulting” the Prime Minister on Facebook.

» U.S.–Kuwaiti Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin Acquitted After Nearly Two Months in Detention

• A Kuwaiti court has acquitted U.S.–Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin of all charges following roughly seven weeks in detention for publishing footage of a US Air Force plane crashing west of Kuwait City, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

• Details: Press freedom groups note that while the acquittal is a positive outcome, the prolonged detention itself represents a significant press freedom violation and a potential deterrent for other journalists covering sensitive topics in the region.

» CPJ Sounds Alarms About Belarus’ Surveillance and Doxxing of Exiled Journalist

• The Committee to Protect Journalists has sounded alarms following an April 2 broadcast by a state-owned TV channel in Belarus that exposed the address and phone number of an exiled investigative journalist, as well as personal information on about 20 other journalists.

• Details:

  • STV host Raman Pratasevich claimed that Stanislau Ivashkevich, the director of the Belarusian Investigative Center (BIC), has “led to entire sectors of the Belarusian economy being added to the sanctions list.”

  • He disclosed Ivashkevich’s phone number and address, released private recordings of him and his son, and shared video instructions on how to access the apartment where he is currently residing in Warsaw.

  • Pratasevich also listed 12 exiled journalists he said are working with BIC and shared their dates of birth and departure from Belarus, as well as 4 exiled journalists who left BIC in 2023 to form an investigative outlet known as Buro Media.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 FBI Director Files Defamation Suit Against The Atlantic for $250 Million

— 🇭🇺 EU Top Court Strikes Down Hungary’s LGBTQ Law

— 🇪🇺 EU Age-Verification App Sparks Criticism Over Security Risks

— 🇬🇧 20+ Arrested in Australia Protesting Ban on ‘Antisemitic’ Phrases

— 🇹🇷 Turkey Arrests Journalist Under ‘Disinformation’ Law

First of All 🇺🇸

» FBI Director Files Defamation Suit Against The Atlantic for $250 Million

• FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over an article alleging that he has “alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.”

• Context:

  • The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that Fitzpatrick’s article falsely portrays Patel as “a habitual drunk, unable to perform the duties of his office” and “a threat to public safety.”

  • Patel threatened to sue The Atlantic before publication, telling the magazine, “I’ll see you in court — bring your checkbook.”

  • The lawsuit claims the publisher “published these statements with actual malice,” and Patel’s lawyers say that it ignored pre-publication denials and “failed to take even the most basic investigative steps” that “would have easily refuted their claims.”

  • A spokesperson for The Atlantic called the suit “meritless” and said it will “vigorously defend” its reporting and journalists. Fitzpatrick, in an MS NOW interview, said she stands by “every word of this reporting.”

• The lawsuit comes a day before a federal judge dismissed a separate lawsuit of Patel’s that alleged former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi defamed him by saying he had been more visible at nightclubs over the past year than the bureau’s headquarters.

» Federal Judge Rules for ICE App Creators in First Amendment Case

• A federal judge in Illinois has granted a preliminary injunction to the creators of two ICE-monitoring projects, finding they are likely to succeed on First Amendment claims that the Trump administration illegally coerced Apple and Facebook into removing them.

• Details:

  • Judge Jorge L. Alonso of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled in favor of Kassandra Rosado, creator of the ICE Sightings – Chicagoland Facebook group, and Kreisau Group, developer of the Eyes Up phone application.

  • Both projects used publicly available information to track ICE activity. Similar apps, including ICEBlock and Red Dot, were also removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play following pressure from officials.

  • The lawsuit cites social media posts by former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanding — and taking credit for — the removals. Judge Alonso called those posts “thinly veiled threats.”

» U.S. to Bar World Cup Attendees Who ‘Fostered Antisemitism’ Abroad

• Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism, announced that the United States will bar foreign nationals, including European politicians, accused of “fostering antisemitism” in their home countries, from attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

• Details: Kaploun framed the restriction as a use of visa-issuance authority, saying, “Coming to this country is a privilege. It’s not a right.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Federal Judge Blocks Reworked Arkansas Minors Social Media Law

• A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Arkansas law restricting minors’ social media access, finding that the plaintiff, tech industry trade group NetChoice, was likely to succeed on multiple First Amendment challenges.

• Details:

  • U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks said the challenge against the vagueness of a provision of the law prohibiting platforms from engaging in “addictive practices” was likely to succeed.

  • He also said that other parts of the law, including a requirement that platforms maintain certain default settings for minors, such as ceasing notifications during specific time windows and requiring stronger privacy and safety settings, are likely not consistent with the First Amendment.

  • “Imposing small burdens on vast quantities of speech for no appreciable benefit is not consistent with the First Amendment,” Brooks wrote, “Arkansas cannot sentence speech on the internet to death by a thousand cuts.”

  • The order follows Brooks’ decision in December to grant a temporary block against Act 901 of 2025, another social media law in Arkansas that would have allowed parents to sue platforms if exposure to content on their sites resulted in their child developing eating disorders, committing or attempting suicide, or becoming addicted to the app.

» DOJ Refuses to Assist French Prosecutors Investigating Grok

• The U.S. Department of Justice has informed French authorities that it will not contribute to an ongoing French investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X, and accused them of trying to use the country’s legal system to regulate the public square of ideas “in a manner contrary to the First Amendment.”

• Context:

  • The two-page refusal letter follows a raid of X’s offices in France as part of an investigation into its algorithms, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • X is also currently under investigation in the EU over whether the company “properly assessed and mitigated risks” in its AI model, Grok.

  • In February, the platform appealed a $120 million first-of-its-kind fine issued by the EU for violating the Digital Services Act.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» EU Top Court Strikes Down Hungary’s Anti-LGBTQ Law

• The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that Hungary violated EU law when it banned children from accessing LGBTQ+ content.

• Details:

  • The case stems from a 2021 law restricting or banning the “promotion” of homosexuality and gender transition in media accessible to children.

  • Last year, the Hungarian government banned Pride events and authorized police to use biometric cameras to identify organizers and attendees, despite pressure from EU officials against the law.

  • The Court said the legislation “consistute[s] a particularly serious interference with several fundamental rights,” including freedom of expression.

  • As Peter Magyar prepares to replace Prime Minister Viktor Orban next month, he can seek financial penalties if Hungary fails to comply with the judgment.

Our Take: European courts have a long record of being pretty mediocre when it comes to protecting free speech. But in this case, the CJEU decision is laudable and should be welcomed by everyone concerned about creeping censorship in Europe. — Jacob Mchangama.

» EU Rolls Out Age Verification App, Cybersecurity Experts Say It Takes 2 Min. to Hack

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that the EU’s age-verification app for online platforms is ready and will soon be available across member states, escalating Europe’s push to restrict minors’ access to social media.

• However, cyber and privacy experts reported several issues with the app’s design after reviewing the source code.

• The App:

  • The app is designed to provide a centralized age-verification layer that platforms can use to comply with national and EU-level age-based access rules, reducing the need for platforms to collect additional identity data themselves.

  • Users will need to upload a passport or ID card to confirm their age anonymously when using the app.

  • The rollout comes as at least a dozen European countries, including non-EU nations such as Britain and Norway, have enacted or are considering legislation setting minimal age limits for social media use.

• Security Issues:

  • Security consultant Paul Moore found the app would store sensitive data on a user’s phone and leave it unprotected. He claims to have hacked the app in under 2 minutes.

  • Baptiste Roert, a prominent French white-hat hacker, said it was possible to bypass the app’s biometric authentication, allowing people to access the app without entering a PIN or using Touch ID.

  • “It’s a good thing they made the app open source for experts to try and test it,” said Oliver Blazy, a cryptographic researcher who is part of a French task force on digital identity. “The problem is the released source code does not meet cybersecurity standards we would expect for such an important app.”

» England Universities Could Face £500,000 Fines Under New Free Speech Complaint System

• The Office for Students (OfS) has planned a new system that could leave England’s universities that fail to protect free speech subject to £500,000 or 2% of institutional income, and in some cases, loss of public funding.

• Details:

  • From next April, the system will allow the OfS to fine universities for breaches of their duties under the Freedom of Speech Act, which came into force in August 2025, and requires universities and colleges in England to promote academic freedom.

  • University staff, external speakers, and non-student members can report free-speech concerns to the Department for Education (DfE) under the new system, which the DfE said would “empower more people to raise concerns confidently.”

  • The DfE will investigate these complaints and can recommend that universities review decisions, pay compensation, or improve their processes.

  • Students raise their concerns about free speech to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Over 20 Arrested in Australia While Protesting Ban on ‘From the River to the Sea’

• Queensland police arrested more than 20 people over a weekend of protests in Brisbane against new state laws banning the phrases “from the river to the sea” and “globalize the intifada,” which carry a maximum sentence of two years in jail.

• Details:

  • Twenty people were arrested on Saturday for reciting or displaying the prohibited phrase, though police advised protesters that “similar words to the banned phrases” were “not captured by the legislation.”

  • Justice for Palestine spokesperson Magan-djin told reporters that according to that advice, “if we say… ‘between the river and the sea,’ we should be fine.”

  • “This is how absurd these laws are,” the spokesperson added. “But they are also dangerous,” and the organization would be coordinating a high court challenge to argue that the law is invalid under the Australian Constitution.

  • Premier David Crisafulli denied the laws amounted to a crackdown on free speech, claiming the proscribed phrases constitute a call for genocide and drawing a link to the Bondi terror attack.

• Other Instances:

  • At least two more were arrested the day after during a march on Parliament House.

  • Moments after the Justice for Palestine spokesperson’s comments, a protester led a chant of “From the river to the sea” and was arrested within minutes. Those who responded with “Palestine will be free” were not.

  • Stephen Heydt, a Jewish man, was charged for wearing a t-shirt that said “Jews for a free Palestine from the river to the sea” and for chanting the banned phrase.

  • Premier David Crisafulli denied the laws amounted to a crackdown on free speech, claiming the proscribed phrases constitute a call for genocide and drawing a link to the Bondi terror attack.

» Turkey Sentences Veteran Journalist Under ‘Disinformation’ Law

• An Istanbul court has sentenced a veteran Turkish journalist to two years and six months in prison on charges of “spreading misleading information” under the country’s disinformation law.

• Details:

  • The case against Zafer Arapkirli, a columnist for the opposition daily BirGün, stemmed from posts he made on X about internal clashes in Syria following the 2024 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

  • Turkey backed the rebel offensive that toppled Assad, and has since forged ties with Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new leadership.

  • The court acquitted Arapkirli of a separate charge of inciting hatred and enmity. In a parallel case, a separate panel sentenced three other journalists to prison terms over a discussion of alleged Turkey–Israel trade on an opposition television program.

• Context:

  • Turkey’s 2022 “disinformation” law makes the dissemination of “misleading” information punishable by up to three years in prison, extending earlier media regulations to online publications and social media.

  • “When the law was introduced in 2022, authorities claimed it would not be used against journalists,” Arapkili said. “In reality, however, it is now being used precisely against them.”

  • Arapkili added that jail sentences of three years or less are rarely enforced in Turkey, but are a tactic to “create obstacles and restrict our work,” and he plans to appeal.

» Algeria Re-Arrests Freelance Journalist Hassan Bouras

• Algerian provincial security forces have arrested journalist Hassan Bouras and conducted a raid on his home, confiscating his laptop.

• Context:

  • Bouras is known for reporting on corruption and human rights violations, and is a former member of the dissolved Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights.

  • He has faced legal harassment since 2003 and been arrested 3 times, before his most recent sentence to two years in prison in November 2022.

  • On April 13, an investigating judge in northwestern Algeria ordered Bouras’ detention pending an investigation into four accusations that have not yet been disclosed.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 Federal Grand Jury Subpoenas Reddit Over Anti-ICE Posts

— 🤖 India Proposes New Digital Rules to Regulate Online News

— 🇫🇷 France Debates Bill Criminalizing Calls for Israel’s Destruction

— 🇷🇺 Masked Agents Raid Novaya Gazeta, Arrest Journalist

— 🇰🇼 US-Kuwaiti Journalist Detained Over Social Media Posts

First of All 🇺🇸

» Federal Grand Jury Subpoenas Reddit Over Anti-ICE Posts

• Reddit has been ordered to appear before a grand jury in Washington, D.C., as part of an investigation into an anonymous user who posted criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

• Details:

  • The company received an administrative summons, also known as an administrative subpoena, last month to provide the name, address, phone number, and other personal data associated with the anonymous account.

  • On March 4, Reddit received an initial summons from an ICE agent stating, “You are requested not to disclose the existence of this summons for an indefinite period of time,” and that failure to comply could result in prosecution.

  • The agent requested more than a month’s worth of electronic data from the anonymous account, though an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of California notified the user’s attorneys that the government was withdrawing its request.

  • Four days later, on March 31, Reddit received an order from a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in D.C. to appear before a grand jury.

• Context:

  • Administrative subpoenas do not require judicial approval and have increasingly been used to target online critics of the Trump administration, as reported in a previous Free Flow.

  • Reddit reports that from January to June 2025, it received its highest volume of requests for users’ data, and 66% of those came from U.S. agencies.

  • This included 423 subpoenas and 27 court orders, and several were categorized as “other/unknown investigation types.” Reddit disclosed user data in 82% of the cases.

» Meta Vows Appeal of Social Media Verdicts, Warns of Free Speech Erosion

• Meta has announced it will appeal jury verdicts in social media addiction cases — including a $375 million award in New Mexico and a $4.2 million award in California — arguing the cases should not have been brought under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

• Details:

  • In New Mexico, Meta was held liable for misleading customers about the safety of its platforms.

  • In California, a 20-year-old woman identified as KGM alleged that the platforms contributed to her depression and suicidal thoughts through addictive design.

  • Ethan David, BP and Head of Global Litigation Strategy at Meta, said that courts have repeatedly recognized that “you cannot hold a platform liable based on the content that’s on that platform or on that platform’s publishing decisions” under Section 230.

  • “We think these cases threaten to erode fundamental principles of free speech,” he added.

• The appeal comes as Massachusetts’s highest court ruled that the state can sue Meta over allegations that its platforms are too addictive to minors.

Our Take: “When courts recharacterize editorial judgments as product defects, they dismantle [federal law] without a single legislative vote and expose every platform that displays user content to broad liability,” Ashkhen Kazaryan recently told the Boston Globe. “If these precedents stand, this might lead to the end of the open Internet as we know it.”

» Trump Defamation Suit Against Wall Street Journal Dismissed, Can Be Refiled

• A federal judge in Florida has dismissed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Trump against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corp, and Rupert Murdoch, ruling that Trump did not plausibly allege the “actual malice” required under the First Amendment precedent.

• Details:

  • Trump claimed the newspaper had defamed him when it published a story saying he had sent a “bawdy” 50th birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier.

  • Plaintiffs who are public figures have to show that a defendant made the alleged defamatory statements with actual malice.

  • Judge Darrin Gayles found that Trump’s complaint “comes nowhere close to” the standard for actual malice.

  • The court gave Trump until April 27 to refile an amended complaint.

» Kansas Legislature Overrides Veto to Enact KIRK Act

• The Kansas legislature has overridden the governor’s veto to enact the KIRK Act (Kansas Intellectual Rights and Knowledge Act, named after Charlie Kirk), which imposes new regulations on student protests at public universities, including the University of Kansas.

• The KIRK Act:

  • Imposes fines of at least $500 and $50 per day on universities for policies that violate the act or prevent organizations from protesting on campus.

  • Allows schools to place time, place, and manner restrictions on protests, but requires that students are able to “spontaneously and contemporaneously assemble or distribute literature.”

  • Generally makes any outdoor area on campus an eligible spot for protests and limits universities’ ability to designate specific “free speech” zones.

  • Limits when schools could charge a group a security fee for providing police officers or other similar services.

  • Requires schools to submit an annual report detailing any incidents or disruptions related to campus gatherings.

  • Requires universities sued over a matter involving a protest or gathering to submit a separate report within 30 days of the lawsuit’s filing.

  • Extends protections of religious student organizations to “political or ideological” student organizations, allowing these groups to deny membership if the leaders suspect an individual does not “sincerely” hold the same core beliefs.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Meta Tightens Restrictions on ‘Antifa’ Content

• Documents obtained by The Intercept indicate that Meta has updated its Community Standards policy to impose new limitations on posts that include the word “antifa.”

• Details:

  • The company now treats any “content that includes the word ‘antifa’ as a potential rules violation,” if it appears alongside content that Meta deems a “content-level threat signal.”

  • Under the new rules, any “visual depiction of a weapon,” “reference to arson, theft, or vandalism,” or “military language,” can trigger a threat signal if accompanied by the word “antifa.”

  • Uses of “antifa” will also be penalized if mentioned in “references to historical or recent incidents of violence,” including “historic wars” and “battles.”

  • Comments could be hidden or suppressed, or accounts could be fully banned for violating Meta’s Community Standards.

  • Meta spokesperson pointed to a recent transparency report that noted the company would “remove QAnon and Antifa content when combined with content-level threat signals.”

» Massachusetts House Passes Social Media Ban for Minors

• The Massachusetts House has passed legislation requiring platforms to prohibit kids under 14 from having social media accounts without parental consent.

• Details:

  • The bill would allow parents to consent to minors’ use of platforms.

  • However, it would also ban students from using cellphones throughout the school day.

  • It defines “social media platform” as public websites, apps, and online services that display “content primarily generated by users and allow users to create, share, and view user-generated content with other users.”

  • Email, text messaging, and telecommunications are excluded.

» India Proposes New Rules to Regulate News and Political Posts on Social Media

• India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has proposed new amendments to the Information Technology Act that would give the government broader authority to regulate news-related and political content on social media platforms.

• Details:

  • The proposed rules would subject “users who are not publishers” who share content related to “news and current affairs” to the Act’s “code of ethics” currently applicable to registered news publishers.

  • The proposal arrives as India’s government faces growing criticism for using existing IT rules to compel takedowns of content critical of Prime Minister Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party.

» India Cracks Down on Satirists Mocking Prime Minister Modi

• Indian authorities are targeting political satirists and cartoonists who mock Prime Minister Narendra Modi, using legal pressure and content-removal orders to suppress criticism that has flourished online since the government’s handling of the Iran conflict.

• Details:

  • The crackdown has hit accounts that post memes, cartoons, and parodies of Modi.

  • Political cartoonist Satish Acharya is among those who have faced legal threats. Social media accounts, including that of commentator Dr. Nimo Yadav, have been suspended after government complaints.

  • Under India’s IT rules, platforms face a three-hour deadline to remove content flagged by the government as an emergency, a timeframe critics say makes meaningful review impossible.

» Apple Removes Jacky Cheung Tiananmen Song from China Store

• Apple has removed a song by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung that references the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre from its Chinese platform.

• Context: Apple has consistently complied with Chinese content restrictions, including removing the Taiwanese flag emoji from Chinese iOS devices, removing all VPN apps from the App Store, and moving Chinese iCloud users’ data from its servers to a state-owned telecom company.

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The Brussels Effect 🇪🇺

» France Debates Bill Criminalizing Calls for Israel’s Destruction

• French lawmakers are preparing to vote on a government-backed bill that would criminalize calls for the destruction of Israel as a form of antisemitism.

• Details:

  • The bill, known as the “Yadan law” after its sponsor, lawmaker Caroline Yadan, would broaden the scope of two charges: incitement to terrorism and glorification of terrorism.

  • Under current law, only “direct” incitement to terrorism is punishable — but this would extend it to acts that “implicitly” incite terrorism.

  • The phrase “from the river to the sea” would also be considered a call for Israel’s destruction.

  • It would also make it an offense to glorify a perpetrator of terrorism, not just the acts of terrorism themselves.

  • Additionally, the bill creates a new offense of publicly calling for the “destruction of a state recognized by the French Republic,” which is punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment and a €45,000 fine.

  • The existing offense of Holocaust denial would be expanded to cover any “denial,” “downplaying,” or “gross trivialization” of crimes against humanity.

  • A petition with more than 500,000 signatures has called on MPs to reject the bill, and the National Assembly is obliged to consider holding a debate on the demand.

• Elsewhere: France’s law comes as Italy seeks to become the first country to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism into law, which includes certain criticisms of Israel.

» European Commission Reviews Whether ChatGPT Falls Under Digital Services Act

• The European Commission is examining whether OpenAI’s ChatGPT should be classified as a very large online search engine under the Digital Services Act, which would subject the AI chatbot to enhanced transparency and risk-assessment obligations.

• Details: The assessment follows OpenAI’s revelation that ChatGPT has reached more than 45 million monthly active users in the EU, a key criterion for stricter oversight under the DSA.

» First Results Published Under EU Hate Speech Code of Conduct

• The first results under the revised Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech + were published, including platforms’ self-assessed data and that of independent monitors.

• Details:

  • The Code forms part of the co-regulatory framework under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

  • The monitoring period ran from early November until mid-December 2025, and measured how quickly platforms respond to allegations of illegal hate speech and how they address hateful content.

  • The assessment found that all signatories of the Code, with the exception of X, either disputed allegations or classified them as errors.

  • A significant number of cases classified as errors appear to result from monitoring reporters using the incorrect reporting channels.

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Belarus Parliament Passes Anti-LGBTQ+ ‘Propaganda’ Bill

• The Belarusian parliament has passed a bill that imposes penalties for promoting LGBTQ+ causes.

• Details:

  • Under the legislation, “propaganda of homosexual relations, gender charge, refusal to have children, and pedophilia” would be punishable by fines, community labor, and a 15-day arrest.

  • The bill now heads to President Alexander Lukashenko for his signature and is expected to become law.

» UK Museum Censors Exhibition Catalogs After Chinese Printer’s Demands

• The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) censored content in exhibition catalogs after its Chinese printing company, C&C Offset Printing, suggested it be replaced.

• Details:

  • For the Music is Black exhibition catalog, the V&A wanted to use 1930s illustrations of British trade routes, but an email from the printer said that Beijing’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) had rejected them.

  • “...there is a China border here, and we need to use the standard maps from the Chinese government,” the email read, “Our suggestion is to delete this map or use another image.”

  • In 2021, the V&A pulled a map it intended to use in a catalog and removed a photograph of Lenin because Chinese printers said it could be deemed “sensitive” by GAPP.

  • The V&A said the changes were “minor” and that they consider on a case-by-case basis where to print books and catalogs to “maintain close editorial oversight.”

» Masked Russian Agents Raid and Arrest at Novaya Gazeta

• Masked Russian security agents have raided the Moscow offices of independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and arrested its executive director, Oleg Roldugin.

• Details:

  • The newspaper claims it was not informed of the reason for the search, and that its lawyers were not allowed to enter the building.

  • Russia’s Interior Ministry later confirmed that the search was part of an investigation into the “illegal use, transfer or storage of information containing personal data.”

  • It added that a “group of individuals” had obtained and used personal information in news articles and online content that “painted a negative picture of Russians.”

  • Employees of the newspaper are under investigation in addition to Roldugin.

» Detention of US-Kuwaiti Journalist Raises Alarm Over Kuwait’s Press Crackdown

• US-Kuwaiti dual national journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been detained in Kuwait since March 3 after he published footage of a US Air Force plane crashing in Al Jahra, west of Kuwait City.

• Details:

  • Shihab-Eldin reported on his Substack that the three US planes were shot down by Kuwait air defenses the day before in a friendly fire incident in which none of the pilots were killed.

  • Campaigners fear Shihab-Eldin will be charged under new security laws being introduced in Kuwait and in a new security court.

• New Security Laws:

  • Several Gulf states are using anti-terror laws to restrict publicity about attacks on infrastructure during the Iran conflict.

  • Kuwait has passed two new laws, including one that defines terrorism as spreading terror among the people by endangering the safety and security of society.

  • Another proposes fines and sentences on anyone who “publishes statements or spreads false rumors in relation to military entities…”

  • This includes statements intended to weaken the military’s confidence, diminish its prestige, cast doubt on its existence, or undermine its morale.

» Thai Journalists Sued for Reporting on Minister’s Bribery Case

• Journalists in Thailand are facing lawsuits for reporting on a government minister’s bribery case.

• Context:

  • The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment sued Hathairat Phaholtap, editor in chief of the Isaan Record, over Facebook posts citing the publication’s report that Thai politicians were involved in trafficking Thai berry pickers.

  • The report also claimed that politicians accepted bribes from brokers supplying Thai workers to a Finnish berry company.

  • The Minister then filed a separate claim against Kowit Phothisan, another editor at the Isaan Record, for sharing the posts.

» Kazakhstan Court Convicts 19 Anti-China Protestors

• A court in Kazakhstan has convicted all 19 defendants in a case linked to a protest demanding the release of a naturalized Kazakh citizen who has been detained in Xinjiang, China, since July 2025.

• Details:

  • The protest took place in November of last year near the border between the two countries.

  • In videos of the protest, defendants can be seen burning small Chinese flags and a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping, while chanting slogans against the President, the Chinese Communist Party, and calling for the release of the Kazakh citizen.

  • The court found the group guilty of “inciting interethnic hatred.”

  • Several received five-year prison sentences, while others were placed under state supervision, with limits on movement, residence, and daily activities.

  • All 19 are banned from engaging in political activity for three years.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 Trump Threatens to Jail Journalists Over Iran Fighter Jet Leak

— 🇮🇪 Ireland Tests Digital Wallet for Social Media Age Verification

— 🇬🇷 Greece to Block Social Media for Minors Under 15

— 🇫🇷 French MEP Detained Over “Apology for Terrorism” Charges

— 🇭🇺 Hungary Files Espionage Charges Against Investigative Journalist

First of All 🇺🇸

» Trump Threatens to Jail Journalists Over Iran Fighter Jet Leak

• President Trump has threatened to imprison journalists who reported details about a missing airman following the downing of a U.S. fighter jet by Iran.

• Details:

  • Trump said that he would pursue whoever leaked information about the second airman, and said, “We’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘National security. Give it up or go to jail.’”

  • The pilot of the aircraft was recovered within several hours, while the “back seater” was stranded in Iranian territory until April 5, when he was recovered by American forces.

  • The President said the government had hoped to keep the second airman’s status a secret to prevent him from being captured or killed in Iran.

» University of Alabama Closes Student Magazines, Prompting Free Speech Lawsuit

• The University of Alabama has shuttered two student-run magazines for discrimination. This prompted a lawsuit alleging the university violated students’ First Amendment rights by silencing independent student media.

• Details:

  • On December 1, the university immediately suspended Alice, a women’s lifestyle magazine, and Nineteen Fifty-Six, a magazine named for the year Autherine Lucy became the first Black student to enroll at UA.

  • University officials argued the magazines were “unlawful proxies” for discrimination on the basis of race or gender, discriminating against groups that do not belong to the magazines’ respective target audiences, Black and female students.

  • The Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the ACLU of Alabama have filed a federal lawsuit against the magazines’ suspension.

  • The case comes amid a memo from former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which outlined “best practices” for institutions receiving federal funding to avoid the “significant legal risks” of engaging in programs that may discriminate.

  • Gabrielle Gunter, the editor-in-chief of Alice, said, “Every single magazine has a target audience. The problem with Nineteen Fifty-Six and Alice is that our target audiences are groups this presidential administration doesn’t like.”

» Missouri Senate Passes Anti-SLAPP Bill to Shield Free Speech

• The Missouri Senate has passed a bill aimed at combating strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), joining a growing number of states with anti-SLAPP protections.

• Details:

  • The legislation would replace Missouri’s current Anti-SLAPP laws with the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, and allow defendants to seek early dismissal of cases against speech or journalism tied to matters of public concern.

  • The motion to dismiss would pause discovery and other proceedings while a court reviews the order, and allow a defendant to recover damages if the motion is approved.

  • The bill now heads to the Missouri House for consideration.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» White House Requests Satellite Imagery Providers to Indefinitely Withhold Images

• Planet Labs, a satellite imaging firm, told customers that it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the conflict region in the Middle East to comply with a request from the U.S. government.

• Details:

  • The decision comes after the company imposed a 14-day delay on imagery of the Middle East, which it said was to prevent adversaries from using images to attack the U.S. and its allies.

  • It said it will withhold imagery dating back to March 9, and that the policy will likely remain in effect until the end of the conflict.

  • While satellite technology is used for military purposes, including target identification, weapon guidance, missile tracking, and more, it also helps journalists and academicians study hard-to-reach places.

  • Planet Labs said it will release imagery on a case-by-case basis for urgent, mission-critical requirements or for public interest.

» Arizona Considers Requiring Parental Consent for Minors’ Social Media Use

• Arizona lawmakers are considering banning social media for children under 16 without parental permission.

• Details:

  • The latest versions of House Bill 2991 and Senate Bill 1747 require app stores to “determine or estimate” the age of new and existing users, and prevent users under 16 from downloading or accessing pre-downloaded apps without parental consent.

  • App developers would be expected to rely on app stores’ age findings and comply with the minimums.

  • Developers would also have to provide safeguards and parental controls for accounts held by minors, which could include daily time limits and restrictions on the sharing of users’ geolocation data.

  • Companies that violate the rules could face civil lawsuits from minors or their families for “actual damages,” or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater.

  • If the violation was “egregious,” companies could face punitive damages, and the attorney general could seek a civil penalty of up to $75,000 per violation.

» Greece to Block Social Media for Minors Under 15

• Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said the country is expected to ban social media for children under 15.

• Details:

  • Although the legislation has not yet passed, it has little opposition and is expected to take effect in January 2027.

  • Mitsotakis said the government does not want to distance children from technology, which can be a source of inspiration and knowledge, but that “the addictive design of certain applications…has to be stopped at some point.”

  • Mitsotakis did not specifically name any of the social media companies that would be subject to the legislation, though officials later said the ban would apply to messaging apps.

  • Officials also added that the goal is to use Kids Wallet, a state-backed mobile app installed on children’s devices and linked to their parents’ accounts, to restrict access to social media.

  • Kids Wallet is already being used by parents to limit children’s screen time and restrict the purchase of age-restricted goods such as alcohol and tobacco.

» Ireland Tests Digital Wallet for Social Media Age Verification

• Ireland has begun testing a government-issued digital wallet that would verify users’ ages before granting access to social media platforms.

• Details:

  • The wallet must be implemented by the end of 2026 to comply with the European Union’s Online Safety Code, which requires platforms to implement effective age-verification measures.

  • According to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalization, people can store digital copies of their birth certificates, driving licenses, health cards, and more in the digital wallet.

» Judge Dismisses X’s Antitrust Lawsuit Over Advertiser Boycott

• A judge has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit brought by Elon Musk against the World Federation of Advertisers and major brands, including Shell, Nestle, Colgate, and Mars, for allegedly colluding on an ad boycott on X, his social media platform.

• Background:

  • Advertisers had created the Global Alliance for Responsible Media to moderate the content appearing around their ads, and had sent letters to Musk threatening collective action if he did not honor their brand safety standards.

  • Musk alleged that the advertiser-controlled initiative was conspiring to tank the app’s revenue and censor conservative viewpoints because he had cut the platform’s content moderation teams and disbanded its Trust and Safety Council.

  • U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle found that X failed to show that consumers were harmed, a required element for an antitrust claim, and dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning X cannot refile.

  • Boyle also said that the advertisers “merely decided that they would not buy from X their own advertising need” out of concern for brand safety, and that they did not attempt to “control the social media advertising market” or work together.

  • The ruling could affect Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against Media Matters for America, whose reporting he says prompted the boycott.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Hungary Files Espionage Charges Against Investigative Journalist

• The Hungarian government has filed criminal espionage charges against Szabolcs Panyi, a prominent investigative journalist, for alleged spying activities in coordination with a foreign country.

• Details:

  • Panyi was investigating Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto’s communications with Moscow when he was secretly recorded speaking to a source.

  • Media tied to Hungary’s government published the recording in edited form, and Panyi can be heard confirming the phone number that Szijjarto used.

  • The Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Panyi has “spied against his own country in cooperation with a foreign state,” and that his role as a journalist was a cover.

  • Panyi, who had been targeted by military-grade spyware produced in Israel in 2021, denied sharing Szijjarto’s phone number with a foreign state and any wrongdoing.

  • In 2024, Panyi spoke at our Global Free Speech Summit and said that “[Hungary] is not in the business of trying to kill journalists. They are in the business of trying to kill stories by putting spyware on journalists’ phones so that they can identify our sources, and possibly they can intimidate our sources and prevent whistleblowers from contacting journalists.”

Our Take: “Charging journalists with espionage for investigating their own government is not the conduct of a liberal democracy,” The Future of Free Speech posted in a statement on social media expressing support for Szabolcs. “It is the conduct of the autocratic states that Panyi himself has spent his career documenting.”

» French Prosecutors Open Hate Speech Probe Against CNews Channel

• The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into French news channel CNews for alleged racist comments made about Bally Bagayoko, the newly elected Black mayor of the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.

• Details: Bagayoko filed a complaint alleging that the comments made on the channel on March 27 and 28 constituted racial slurs, which are punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to €45,000 ($52,000).

» French MEP Rima Hassan Detained Over ‘Apology for Terrorism’ Charges

• French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan has been detained by French authorities on charges of “apology for terrorism” in connection with social media posts that expressed solidarity with Kōzō Okamoto, a Japanese terrorist.

• Details:

  • Okamotio was responsible for the massacre of 26 passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel.

  • This is not the first time Hassan has been accused of condoning terrorism, as her statements about the Israel-Gaza conflict have repeatedly come under fire.

  • Though she said Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, was “morally unacceptable,” she has drawn criticism from several parties in France’s political establishment for continuing to describe Hamas’ armed resistance against Israel as “legitimate from the perspective of international law.”

  • Her post was brought to French prosecutors by Hassan’s fellow French lawmaker, Matthias Renault, who posted, “Finally, the beginning of the end of impunity for the France Unbowed lawmaker!”

  • Hassan is now being held for condoning terrorism, as well as drug use, transportation, and possession, after nearly 2 grams of synthetic drugs were discovered in the bag she had brought to fulfill her summons at a Paris police station.

» Spain Rules LaLiga Players’ Protest is Legal

• Spain’s National Court has ruled that players protesting the plans of LaLiga, a professional football league, were legally exercising “their right to freedom of expression.”

• Details:

  • The players did not play for the first 15 seconds of matches in games played over October 17-20, in protest of LaLiga’s proposal to move a scheduled match between Villarreal and Barcelona from Spain to Miami, Florida.

  • LaLiga sued, alleging the players’ protest was illegal, but the National Court found that the protest “did not constitute a strike” and was a protected expression.

  • The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE)— the players’ union— highlighted that the ruling was based on an article of the players’ collective bargaining agreement, which gives professional footballers the “right to freely express their thoughts on any matter and, in particular, on matters related to their profession, with no limitations other than those derived from the law and respect for others.”

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Mass Arrests in the Middle East Amid Crackdown on Coverage of Conflict

• UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned of an escalating crackdown on coverage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, highlighting the arrest of nearly 2,350 people in Iran since February 28.

• In Iran:

  • Those arrested face national security charges, including terrorism, dissent, alleged espionage, and ‘cooperation with the enemy.’”

  • The Commissioner added that many of these people face expedited proceedings and the risk of execution, with eight people already put to death.

• In the Gulf:

  • In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, 313 and 109 people have been detained, respectively, “in relation to the filming or sharing of information, among other charges.”

  • 35 people in the UAE have been sent for “expedited trial,” among them individuals who circulated footage showing Iranian strikes.

  • At least 4 critics were reportedly arrested in Jordan.

  • In Kuwait, a new decree imposes prison terms and steep fines for circulating content that seeks to “undermine the prestige of the military” or public trust in it.

  • Public prosecutors in Bahrain have sought the death penalty for individuals accused of espionage.

• In the Occupied West Bank:

  • Israeli authorities announced the detention of 200 Palestinians between February 28 and March 6, including for posts made on social media, suspicion of “incitement,” and “glorification of the enemy.”

  • A 44-year-old Palestinian high school principal was physically assaulted by Israeli authorities, who also vandalized his home, for a post he reportedly published expressing support for Iran.

» IPI Report Shows Widening Crackdown on Independent Journalism in Sahel States

• A new report by the International Press Institute has documented intensifying threats to independent journalism following a series of military coups in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

• Key Findings:

  • Military rulers across the Sahel have weaponized cybercrime laws to arrest and jail journalists, blocked or suspended dozens of local and foreign media outlets, and even forcibly conscripted critical reporters into military service in Burkina Faso.

  • Niger has emerged as the region’s leading jailer of journalists, with multiple reporters currently imprisoned under cybercrime charges for covering security-related topics, including refugee conditions and the activities of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.

  • French media outlets, including Radio France Internationale (RFI), France 24, and LCI, have been suspended or banned in Mali and Burkina Faso.

  • Burkina Faso has also blocked the BBC, Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, The Guardian, and Le Monde—many of which remain inaccessible.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 SCOTUS Rejects Colorado’s Conversion Therapy Ban

— 🇮🇩 Indonesia’s Social Media Ban Takes Effect

— 🇫🇮 Finnish MP Convicted for Hate Speech

— 🇹🇷 Censorship in India Spikes Amid Iran War

— 🇮🇱 Israeli Soldiers Assault and Detain CNN News Crew

First of All 🇺🇸

» Supreme Court Sides with Therapist in Challenge to Colorado’s Ban on Conversion Therapy

• The U.S. Supreme Court has, by an 8-1 vote, remanded Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors to lower courts, instructing it to apply strict scrutiny and stressing that it would likely fail on grounds of viewpoint discrimination.

• Details:

  • Licensed counselor Kaley Chiles went to federal court to challenge the 2019 law, arguing that she tries to help clients “with their stated desires and objectives in counseling,” which can include reducing unwanted sexual attractions or behaviors.

  • A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit found that the ban regulated conduct that happened to involve speech and used the least stringent test for constitutional challenges, the “rational basis” test, allowing the state to continue enforcing the law.

  • Writing for the majority, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch stressed that the ban “censors speech based on viewpoint,” and that although it addresses conduct, it “regulates what [Chiles] may say” as well as “what views she may and may not express,” and stressed the high likelihood that it would fail the strict scrutiny.

» Federal Judge Rules Trump Violated Free Speech by Ordering NPR Defunded

• A federal judge has found that President Trump’s executive order barring federal funding for NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment and is “unlawful and unenforceable.”

• Background:

  • The order singled out the two broadcasters and accused them of not presenting “fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens,” and revoked $1.1 billion in congressionally-approved public media funding.

  • Justice Randolph D. Moss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the order “singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs.”

  • “It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch,” Moss added.

  • White House spokesperson called it “a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge,” and the Trump administration said it would appeal.

» Judge Blocks Pentagon’s Ban on Anthropic, Cites First Amendment Retaliation

• A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction to stop the Pentagon from labeling AI company Anthropic a “supply chain risk” and halted the Trump administration’s ban on federal use of its technology, citing likely First Amendment retaliation.

• Details:

  • The designation followed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s announcement that he would not allow the company’s AI model, Claude, to be used for autonomous weapons or citizen surveillance, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • District Judge Rita Lin found that the government’s actions were likely motivated by retaliation for Anthropic’s public statements, which drew scrutiny to the government’s contracting position.

  • Lin stayed her order against the Department of Defense’s designation, which would have effectively barred the company from government contracts, for seven days, giving the government an opportunity to appeal.

  • “Nothing in the governing statute supports the Orwellian notion that an American company may be branded a potential adversary and saboteur of the U.S. for expressing disagreement with the government,” the order said.

» Tennessee Library Board Fires Director for Refusing to Move LGBTQ Books

• The Rutherford County Library Board in Tennessee has voted 8-3 to fire library system director Luanne James for refusing to comply with its order to relocate more than 100 LGBTQ+ books from the children’s to the adult section.

• Context:

  • On March 16, the board voted to move the books, with Board Chairman Cody York arguing it is dangerous and inaccurate to tell children that boys can be girls and girls can be boys.

  • Two days later, James emailed the board saying she would not move the books, arguing that doing so would violate her and county residents’ First Amendment rights and compromise her professional obligation to prevent government-mandated viewpoint discrimination.

  • “Librarians should not be used as a filter for political agendas,” James said in a statement read by her attorney after her firing, “I stood up for the right to read, standing for the citizens of Rutherford County.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Austria Plans Social Media Ban for Children Under 14

• Austria’s governing coalition has announced plans to ban social media use for children under 14, joining a growing list of countries imposing age-based restrictions on platform access.

• Details:

  • The proposal would prohibit children under 14 from accessing social media platforms, though specific enforcement mechanisms have not yet been detailed.

  • If enacted, Austria would join Australia, which implemented an under-16 ban late last year.

  • The announcement comes as Australia’s communications watchdog said this week that social media firms must better enforce the country’s under-16 ban, noting that one-fifth of Australian minors continue to use platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» France Moves Closer to Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

• France’s Senate approved a proposal to restrict social media access for children under 15, advancing President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge amid broader European efforts to regulate minors’ online activity.

• Background:

  • France has long pushed stricter controls on youth access to social media, including a 2023 law requiring parental consent for minors under 15—though it never took effect due to conflicts with EU law.

  • The National Assembly’s earlier version of the bill mandates that platforms delete existing underage accounts and block new ones, and bans mobile phones in high schools.

  • The Senate’s version proposes a two-tier system distinguishing between harmful platforms (which would be banned) and others accessible with parental consent, while exempting educational services.

  • Ongoing EU-level debates over age verification systems—and broader Digital Services Act (DSA) constraints—have complicated national efforts to regulate access.

  • Lawmakers remain divided between the Assembly and Senate versions, requiring a compromise before implementation—likely delaying enforcement.

  • Key questions remain unresolved, particularly around how platforms will verify users’ ages without infringing privacy or creating new barriers to access.

» Indonesia’s Social Media Ban for Minors Takes Effect

• Indonesia’s ban on social media for children under 16 has officially taken effect, making it one of the latest countries to impose age-based restrictions on platform access.

• Details:

  • The ban, Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Digital No. 9 of 2026, 5, took effect on March 28, and requires social media platforms to block accounts belonging to users under 16.

  • Authorities have already summoned officials from Google and Meta over compliance failures with the new law.

  • TikTok and Roblox have also received warning letters that said they showed “partial compliance,” and the country’s minister of communication and digital affairs, Meutya Hafid, said that “if they still fail to demonstrate full compliance,” they will be summoned as well.

  • The government has not specified what penalties under the law could be, but has previously stated they would include warnings, administrative fines, temporary suspension, and “termination of access” to the local market.

Our Take: In an X thread about Indonesia’s social media ban, Jacob Mchangama argues, “Just as proponents of free speech should take seriously the very real challenges that social media brings about for children, childrens’ advocates should acknowledge that their policy proposals have real consequences for free expression and that good intentions do not equal good outcomes.” To read more about the dangers of social media age restrictions, read Jacob and Jeff Kosseff in the Wall Street Journal.

» India Sees Spike in Social Media Censorship Amid Iran War

• Internet watchdogs documented a surge in takedowns of social media content critical of the Indian government’s response to the Iran conflict beginning on March 11, with at least 42 instances recorded by March 19.

• Background:

  • India’s legal framework allows authorities to issue takedown orders for national security or public order reasons, though these requests or the reasoning behind them are not made public.

  • Removed content included political cartoons, satire, opposition messaging, and commentary questioning New Delhi’s silence on U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.

  • Affected voices ranged from cartoonists and journalists to opposition figures, parody accounts, and even a retired Air Force officer.

» Iran Cracks Down on Starlink Sellers as Internet Blackout Continues

• Iranian authorities have arrested dozens of people for alleged involvement in a network that sold Starlink satellite terminals, which have enabled people to access the internet and communicate during ongoing internet blackouts.

• Context:

  • The internet has been nearly completely blacked out in Iran for more than a month, following shutdowns during anti-government protests beginning in December, and throughout the ongoing conflict with the U.S. and Israel.

  • Iranians are attempting to circumvent the blocks, including by using Starlink satellite-internet terminals developed by SpaceX, despite the fact that such attempts could result in capital punishment.

  • Authorities have reportedly seized 139 Starlink devices and arrested 46 people accused of selling the terminals.

  • Information and Communications Technology Minister Sattar Hashemi signed a document escalating operations to locate Starlinks, citing public leaks of government files detailing its strategy to target resellers.

  • This comes as bombing, power outages, and overstretched emergency services are taking a toll on the nation’s infrastructure in addition to its censorship system.

  • Regime-approved communication, which the nation’s censorship systems were designed to protect, has also degraded, and local data centers and “white SIM cards,” as mentioned in a previous Free Flow, are no longer working.

» Brazil Proposes Targeting Online Misogyny as Senate Advances Criminalization Bill

• Brazil is proposing a new decree to combat misogyny online, while the Federal Senate advances legislation that would criminalize misogyny with prison sentences of up to five years.

• Background:

  • The decree, led by Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security, is part of the National Pact Brazil Against Femicide, responding to a reported rise in coordinated online harassment and misogynistic content.

  • At the same time, Brazil’s Federal Senate has approved a bill that would classify misogyny as a criminal offense, defined as conduct rooted in beliefs of male supremacy.

  • The bill would incorporate misogyny into existing laws governing prejudice and discrimination, akin to provisions in Brazil’s Law of Racism.

  • Lawmakers backing the bill point to rising violence against women, citing thousands of femicide cases and attempted femicides in 2025 alone.

• The Decree would:

  • Establish a heightened duty of care for platforms

  • Require rapid removal of illegal content, particularly non-consensual intimate material

  • Create reporting mechanisms for victims

  • Impose corporate liability for coordinated harassment campaigns

  • Ban AI-generated sexualized or manipulated content (e.g., deepfakes)

• The Senate Bill:

  • Criminalizes misogyny with 2–5 year prison sentences

  • Applies to online abuse, including threats and harassment directed at women

  • The Senate rejected proposed exemptions for speech framed as “free speech” or religious expression

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Finnish MP Convicted for Hate Speech

• Finland’s supreme court has, in a 3-2 vote, convicted Christian Democrat Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen of inciting hatred after she republished a pamphlet on social media claiming that homosexuality was a “developmental disorder.”

• Background:

  • Räsänen first published the pamphlet in 2004, and republished it on Facebook in 2019 and on her website in 2020.

  • Lower courts had acquitted her of all charges. The Supreme Court reversed those acquittals and fined her €1,800.

• Reaction:

  • Finnish government ministers from Räsänen’s party and the nationalist Finns Party immediately called for freedom of speech protections and legislative changes.

  • The minister of justice, Leena Meri, said the law was “not sufficiently precise and especially not predictable as required by the principle of legality in the criminal code,” and that, “It is very difficult for people to know what is prohibited and what is permitted.

  • Räsänen said she would consider appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Israeli Soldiers Assault and Detain CNN News Crew

• A CNN team reporting on the aftermath of an assault by Israeli settlers and the establishment of an illegal outpost near the Palestinian village of Tayasir was detained and physically assaulted by Israeli soldiers.

• Background:

  • The Foreign Press Association (FPA), representing hundreds of journalists in Israel and Palestine, condemned the attack and said the crew clearly identified themselves as press.

  • Israeli soldiers reportedly pointed rifles at the CNN crew and nearby civilians, ordered journalists to stop filming, and threatened to confiscate their equipment.

  • According to the FPA, a soldier placed CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold, slammed him to the ground, and damaged his camera.

  • CNN confirmed the account, while the FPA rejected the idea that the incident was a misunderstanding, calling it a direct attack on press freedom.

  • The IDF said the episode would be investigated, with a spokesperson stating the conduct did not reflect military standards and apologizing for the incident.

» China Tries Artist in Secret Trial Over Sculptures Mocking Mao

• A prominent Chinese artist, Gao Zhen, stood trial on Monday in a closed-door proceeding for allegedly “slandering” Mao Zedong through satirical sculptures. This trial highlights the Chinese government’s continued crackdown on artistic and historical expression.

• Background:

  • China criminalized speech that “tarnishes” official historical narratives in 2018, with expanded penalties in 2021 allowing prison sentences of up to three years.

  • Authorities have increasingly used these laws against journalists, comedians, and online commentators critical of the Communist Party’s version of history.

  • Gao Zhen’s work—created over a decade ago—includes irreverent depictions of Mao, addressing taboo subjects such as the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square.

  • Gao was tried in secret after more than 18 months in detention, with authorities barring public access and even denying entry to a U.S. diplomat.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Justin Hayes is the Director of Communications at The Future of Free Speech and the Managing Editor of The Bedrock Principle.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 Pentagon to Remove Media Offices after Court Rules Against Press Limits

— 📱 Meta and YouTube Held Liable in Social Media Addiction Trial

— 🇬🇧 UK Fines 4Chan Over Age Verification Failures

— 🇨🇳 Hong Kong Book Shop Arrested Over ‘Seditious’ Publications

— 🇬🇳 Guinea Decree Dissolves 40 Political Parties

First of All 🇺🇲

» Rapper Prevails in Defamation Suit Brought by Police

• Rapper ‘Afroman’ has prevailed in a defamation lawsuit brought by Ohio police who raided his home in 2022 on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping, whom he had mocked in music videos and social media posts.

• Background:

  • Half a dozen armed officers from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office raided the home of Afroman, whose legal name is Joseph Foreman, on suspicion of drug trafficking and kidnapping, though no evidence was yielded or charges filed.

  • Foreman claims that the officers broke his gate and security surveillance wiring, took $400 in cash, and frightened his wife and kids, then 10 and 12, who were present during the raid.

  • According to Afroman, he asked himself, “as a powerless Black man in America, what can I do to the cops,” and found that the only solution was to “make a funny rap song about them.”

  • This was the starting point for his 14-track album, Lemon Pound Cake, which includes songs like “The Police Raid,” “Why You Disconnecting My Video Camera,” and more, and features footage of the raid he recorded on his home surveillance system in the music videos.

  • Afroman also posted memes and sold merchandise satirizing the incident, criticizing deputies’ appearances, and even making more serious allegations related to extramarital affairs and pedophilia amongst department members.

• The Lawsuit:

  • Afroman maintained that his reaction to the raid was “the smartest, most peaceful solution,” but law enforcement officers alleged that his unauthorized use of likenesses hurt their reputations and interfered with their official duties and sued him for $3.9 million in damages.

  • A jury agreed with Afroman’s lawyers that his response was protected speech, and commenters have even remarked that the trial has backfired, drawing more attention to the content.

» Pentagon to Remove Media Offices After Court Finds Its Press Limits Unconstitutional

• The Defense Department has said it plans to remove media outlets’ office spaces from the Pentagon after a federal judge found that recent press restrictions on reporters’ access to the building are unconstitutional.

• Context:

  • Dozens of reporters sacrificed their Pentagon access credentials by refusing to sign a revised press pass policy that required journalists to pledge not to gather information that has not been expressly authorized for release, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • The New York Times sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon in December, claiming the new policy violates journalists’ constitutional rights.

  • On March 20, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman in Washington, D.C., ordered the Pentagon to reinstate the credentials of 7 Times journalists and struck down some of the agency’s restrictions on reporting.

• What’s Next:

  • An area of the Pentagon known as the “Correspondents’ Corridor,” which reporters have used to cover the U.S. military for decades, will immediately close.

  • Journalists will eventually be able to resume work from an “annex” outside the building, though it is unclear when the annex will be available.

  • The Times has said it intends to take the Pentagon back to court. The Defense Department is appealing Friedman’s decision.

» ICE Officers Taking DNA Samples From Protesters

• Several protesters arrested by ICE officials while observing officers’ activity, who have not been charged, have told NPR that officers took samples of their DNA.

• Details:

  • NPR reviewed footage from an individual named Ben, who was on the side of the road filming officers when he was tackled, held down, and dragged into their vehicle.

  • He was then held in custody for three hours, where officers collected his DNA sample by swabbing his mouth with a Q-tip.

  • Ben suffered broken ribs and blunt chest trauma from the impact.

  • Five other people described similar occurrences under oath as part of lawsuits against the Trump administration: that they were arrested seemingly without provocation while protesting ICE, and then had officers take or attempt to take what appeared to be a sample of their DNA.

• The Risks:

  • It is unclear where the samples acquired from protesters are ending up or how they are being used, and administration officials continue to deny the existence of a protester database.

  • Previously, DNA specimens collected by immigration officers were stored in a national FBI database, and local law enforcement agencies could access these tests, which can reveal broad information about a person, including their likelihood of having certain personality traits.

» Nashville Reporter Released on Bond from ICE Custody

• Estefany Rodríguez Flórez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias, has been released from ICE custody after she was detained on March 4, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

• Details:

  • Rodríguez was accused of violating her visa conditions, although her attorneys have cited court records showing that she lawfully entered the U.S. and has applied for political asylum and legal status through her husband, who is a citizen.

  • She also has a valid work permit and no criminal history, and her attorneys argue that she was targeted for her reporting that was critical of ICE.

  • Flórez was held in the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, Louisiana, and released on $10,000 bond.

  • The habeas case against her allegedly warrantless arrest will continue, including claims that her First Amendment rights were violated in retaliation for her critical reporting of ICE activity.

» FIU Student Sues University Over Investigation into Group Chat

• Florida International University law student Abel Carvajal has sued the school over its investigation into an offensive group chat he created with conservative students and leaders.

• Details:

  • The Miami Herald and The Floridian reported on the leaked WhatsApp conversations, where variations of the N-word were mentioned more than 400 times, and descriptions of ways to violently kill Black people were included.

  • Following the controversy, Carvajal resigned as secretary of the Miami-Dade Republican Party and received notice from FIU that he was being investigated for creating and managing the group chat in which “individuals posted statements threatening to harm others.”

  • Carvajal’s lawsuit argues that FIU’s investigation constitutes viewpoint discrimination and that “no illegal speech or categories of unprotected speech” were included in the group chat.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Meta and YouTube Held Liable in Social Media Addiction Trial

• A California state court jury has found both Meta and YouTube liable in a lawsuit accusing the platforms’ design and operation of harming their child users.

• Background:

  • The case was brought by a 20-year-old known as “KGM” in documents, who claims her addiction to social media exacerbated her mental health struggles.

  • Meta and Google’s YouTube were the only two remaining defendants in the case, following settlements by TikTok and Snapchat.

• In Court:

  • Lawyers for KGM argued that design features intended to “hook” young users, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and notifications, amounted to negligence in causing her harm.

  • Jurors were told not to consider the content of the posts and videos KGM was exposed to per platforms’ liability shields provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

  • The juries found that the companies acted with malice and awarded KGM $3 million in damages, while they head back to decide on punitive damages.

• In another case in New Mexico, a jury determined that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms.

Our Take: Separating “addictive design” from editorial judgment shouldn’t be a workaround for the First Amendment and Section 230. The real causality, if this trend continues, won’t be Meta or YouTube, which can bear the costs, but small and mid-sized companies that can’t. — Ashkhen Kazaryan

» Kentucky Social Media Ban under 16 Bill Advances

• HB 227, a Kentucky law that would ban children under 16 from accessing social media sites without parental consent, has passed the House and awaits a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• Details:

  • The legislation would require sites with $1 billion in annual ad revenue to verify users’ ages at account setup.

  • Platforms would be required to estimate the ages of users who have used the platform for 25 or more hours within the first six months of the legislation’s enforcement.

  • Users’ ages must be re-estimated after every 100 hours spent on the platform, though users with more than 7 years of continuous use on a specific platform will be exempt from estimation.

  • If companies have 80% confidence that the user is over 15, the account can be considered “adult,” and if a user is a minor with parental consent, platforms must disable addictive features and profile-based advertisements.

  • Users identified as minors who have not provided parental consent will have 30 days to dispute account deletion or provide consent.

  • The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Matt Lockett (R-Nicholasville), defended the legislation against free speech concerns, arguing the bill doesn’t contain restrictions on specific content and is “100% content neutral.”

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK Regulator Fines 4Chan Over Age-Verification Failures

• 4chan, an image-board website, has been fined £450,000 ($602,360 USD) by the UK’s internet regulator Ofcom for failing to comply with age-check requirements under the Online Safety Act.

• Details:

  • 4chan faces an additional £50,000 (approx. $66,920 USD) fine for failing to assess the risk of users encountering illegal material.

  • It also faces a £20,000 (approx. $26,770 USD) fine for failing to specify in its terms of service how users are to be protected from such content.

  • These come after 4chan was previously fined £20,000 for failing to respond to Ofcom’s requests.

  • The company has until April 2 to implement age-assurance measures, conduct a “suitable and sufficient” assessment of the risk of illegal harm, and rewrite its terms of service.

  • If it fails to do so, it could face daily penalties of up to £20,000.

  • 4Chan has refused to pay all previous fines from OfCom, and the company’s lawyer, Preston Byrne, responded to the demands with an AI-generated cartoon image of a hamster.

  • “In the only country in which 4Chan operates, the United States, it is breaking no law and indeed its conduct is expressly protected by the First Amendment,” Byrne wrote on X.

» EU Commission Investigates Snapchat Under DSA

• The European Commission has launched an investigation into Snapchat over concerns that the social media platform isn’t doing enough to protect kids under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

• Details:

  • Although it is Snapchat’s own policy to require users to be at least 13 to use the platform, the commission said Snapchat’s “age assurance” system is “insufficient” at effectively enforcing this age requirement.

  • Under the DSA, platforms must deliver an “age-appropriate” experience to users under 17, which the Commission argues Snapchat cannot do without effective age-verification systems in place.

  • The Commission alleged Snapchat may not be doing enough to protect minors from being contacted by “users with harmful intent, such as sexual exploitation or recruitment for criminal activities.”

  • The app is also accused of not adequately scrubbing underage users’ feeds of content about illegal or restricted products, including drugs, vapes, and alcohol.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Hong Kong Book Store Staff Arrested Over ‘Seditious’ Publications

• Four staff members at an independent book shop in Hong Kong have been arrested on suspicion of selling ‘seditious’ titles, including a biography of Jimmy Lai, a convicted activist.

• Details:

  • “Knowingly selling a publication that has a seditious intention” is a criminal offense under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

  • Violators of the offence could face up to seven years behind bars, and 10 years if they are found to have colluded with an external force.

  • National security police reportedly arrested the staff and raided the bookstore, known as Book Punch, seizing allegedly seditious publications.

» Guinea Government Dissolves 40 Political Parties

• Guinea’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization announced the dissolution of 40 political parties for their “failure to meet their obligations,” stripping them of their legal status and banning them from political activity, including the use of their names, logos, emblems, and other symbols.

• Details:

  • The decree has sparked backlash from the country’s main opposition figure, Cellou Dalein Diallo, who accused President Mamadi Doumbouya of trying to build a “party state.”

  • Several political parties and media outlets have been suspended, and numerous opposition leaders and civil society figures have been arrested or exiled under Doumbouya’s rule.

» Russian Authorities Thwart Protests Over Telegram Restrictions

• Authorities in nearly a dozen regions across Russia have refused to authorize protests over the blocking of the messaging app, Telegram, and internet blackouts.

• Details:

  • Officials have used various excuses to block rallies, including “tree inspection,” snow removal, ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, and even claims that the protests have no underlying cause.

  • Activists have scaled back protests into smaller, indoor gatherings, even if demonstrations are not focused on the war, while some have gone to court to challenge officials’ refusals.

  • This is the latest example of such demonstrations being limited or restricted, from protests against the jailing of local activists, cattle culling, labor demands, car registration fees, animal cruelty, and more.

  • An activist from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk said that the city has allowed small, authorized rallies because “the authorities are trying to give people an opportunity to vent, so that the tension doesn’t build up.”

  • However, even there, protesters against internet censorship were arrested at a square that did not even require authorization for demonstrations, but had been taped off for a purported “tree inspection.”

» CNN Segment Discussing Chinese Censorship Censored in Real-Time

• While CNN’s Beijing correspondent, Mike Valerio, began describing topics that trigger censorship in China, the feed was interrupted with colored bars that say “Please stand by.”

• Details:

  • Valerio warned audiences in China about what they would see if their feeds were censored, and as he went on to discuss how President Trump’s strikes in Iran are perceived to serve Chinese interests, viewers in China saw their feeds interrupted in the exact way Valerio described.

  • “Anddd we’re being censored right now, just so you know,” Valerio reported, “Color bars are up,” while the feed to U.S. audiences was uninterrupted.

  • The footage shows the real-time capabilities of Chinese monitoring and censorship, as Valerio’s interview with Elex Michaelson was repeatedly cut as soon as they mentioned specific topics.

» Filmmaker on Trial in Turkey for Screening Armenian Genocide Film

• Rojhilat Askoy, a Kurdish filmmaker, has gone on trial on charges of “publicly insulting the Turkish nation and state institutions” for screening “Aurora’s Sunrise,” an animated film about the Armenian genocide, in Turkey.

• Details:

  • Turkish courts have previously ruled that using the term “Armenian genocide” is a protected expression, and have acquitted two journalists of similar charges in July 2024.

  • However, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Diyarbakir province indicted Askoy, citing scenes and dialogues that portrayed the events of 1915 as genocide.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Ashkhen Kazaryan is a Senior Legal Fellow at The Future of Free Speech, where she leads initiatives to protect free expression and shape policies that uphold the First Amendment in the digital age.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 FCC Chair Threatens Broadcast Licenses Over ‘Fake News’ on Iran War

— 🇦🇺 20% of Australian Minors Continue to Use Social Media After Ban

— 🇷🇺 Russia Tests Internet Shutdown Systems in Moscow

— 🇬🇧 UK Urges Social Media Platforms to Strengthen Age-Verification

— 🇬🇪 Georgia Legislative Package Targets Foreign Cooperation and Public Criticism

First of All 🇺🇲

» FCC Chair Threatens Broadcast Licenses Over ‘Fake News’ on Iran War

• Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has warned broadcasters that their licenses could be revoked for “running hoaxes and news distortions” about the Iran war, prompted by President Trump’s criticism of media coverage of the conflict.

• Details:

  • In a post on X, Carr wrote that “broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions— also known as fake news— have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals.”

  • Carr posted the message in response to a post from President Trump that criticized media coverage of an attack on U.S. air tankers in Saudi Arabia.

  • “None were destroyed, or close to that, as the Fake News said in headlines,” Trump wrote, specifically calling out two newspaper outlets: The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times (outlets that are not regulated by the FCC).

  • In another Truth Social post, Trump posted: “The story was knowingly FAKE and, in a certain way, you can say that those Media Outlets that generated it should be brought up on Charges for TREASON for the dissemination of false information!”

  • In an interview with CBS News, Carr said that anyone “that doesn’t like, you know, the contours of the licenses” can turn to cable or streaming services, but that “there is something unique about being on the broadcast airwaves.”

  • Carr added that while there was no imminent effort to reassess broadcast licenses, ongoing investigations, such as FCC probes into ABC over the equal time rule and into Comcast and its subsidiary, NBC Universal, over diversity equity, and inclusion policies, could serve as a reason to demand early license renewal.

  • Commissioner Anna Gomez, the FCC’s sole Democratic member, reacted to Carr’s post and said, “Such threats violate the First Amendment and will go nowhere. Broadcasters should continue covering the news, fiercely and independently, without fear of government pressure.”

Our Take: “It’s important to remember that the government does not need to revoke a single license to change what gets reported, how a story gets framed, or whether a producer decides a particular piece is worth the headache. They just need to flex their muscles and point the editorial winds in the direction they want them to blow,” wrote Ashkhen Kazaryan at The Bedrock Principle. “That is why the Supreme Court, case after case, has held that government pressure designed to alter private speech raises the same constitutional concerns as outright censorship.”

» Photographers Banned from Pentagon for ‘Unflattering’ Photos of Hegseth

• After Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly expressed displeasure with how he appeared in independent press photos of a March 2 press conference regarding military strikes in Iran, the Pentagon announced it would ban photographers from its briefing room.

• Details:

  • The photographs were published by wire services, including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Getty Images.

  • Photographers were subsequently barred from the March 4 and March 10 briefings.

  • Kingsley Wilson, a Pentagon spokesperson, defended the restriction and suggested that outlets apply for credentials if the lack of access “hurts their business model.”

  • Wilson also said the move was to use the room “effectively,” and that the public can instead use photos released by the Defense Department’s own staff photographers.

  • It is unclear whether the ban on photographers is a permanent policy change or temporary and tied specifically to briefings related to Iran.

» DOJ Moves to Drop Charges Against American Flag-Burner

• The Justice Department has dismissed charges against veteran Jan “Jay” Carey, who had set an American flag on fire across the street from the White House on the same day President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to “vigorously prosecute” people who burn the American flag.

• Background:

  • Carey pled not guilty to two misdemeanors brought by the office of Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia: igniting a fire in an undesignated area and lighting a fire causing damage to property or park resources.

  • On the day he was arrested, Carey said in a social media video of him burning the flag that he was protesting Trump’s policies.

• The Executive Order:

  • In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that flag-burning is protected under the Constitution.

  • President Trump’s executive order does not make burning the American flag a crime or assess a penalty for it, but argues that doing so is “likely to incite imminent lawless action.”

  • It also gives the Attorney General the opportunity to “pursue litigation to clarify the scope of First Amendment exceptions in this area.”

• The Justice Department filed to dismiss the charges on March 13, days before the March 16 deadline in the case.

» Ohio Senate Passes Debated Antisemitism Bill to Target Campus Speech

• Ohio’s Senate has passed SB 87, a bill aimed at preventing anti-Semitism on college campuses, that codifies the contested International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition of antisemitism and expands the legal definition of ethnic intimidation.

• Details:

  • The IHRA’s definition outlines eleven antisemitic scenarios, which range from denying the Holocaust to conflating modern-day Israel with Nazism.

  • Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D., Lakewood) and state Sens. Hicks-Hudson, Catherine Ingram (D., Cincinnati), and Kent Smith (D., Euclid) voted against the bill, arguing the language must be refined to ensure students and faculty can discuss world events, such as conflicts involving Israel.

  • The bill has gone to the House for consideration.

» UF College Republicans Sue University Over Chapter Deactivation

• The University of Florida College Republicans has filed a lawsuit against the university after it deactivated the campus chapter following a photo of a student performing a Nazi salute.

• Context:

  • The issue stems from an X post of a screenshot showing students performing a Nazi salute in a chat room on Guilded, a platform for gaming communities that has since shut down.

  • UF announced on X that it would deactivate the chapter at the request of the Florida Federation of College Republicans (FFCR) while it reorganizes under “new student leadership” for reinstatement.

  • In its statement, UF said, “The university also supports the rights of organizations, such as FFCR, to take decisive action in addressing conduct that is antithetical to its principles.”

• The Lawsuit:

  • The lawsuit claimed, “UF’s action was taken because of opposition to or disapproval of the perceived viewpoint.”

  • It also claims the university denied the chapter due process and did not identify a specific policy to warrant the deactivation.

  • It requests that a judge reinstate the chapter, alleging that the university retaliated against speech protected by the First Amendment.

  • Because UF is a public university, the case raises core First Amendment questions about when schools can penalize student organizations for controversial or offensive speech.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» One-Fifth of Australian Minors Continue to Use TikTok, Snapchat After Social Media Ban

• Two months after Australia banned social media from allowing minors, one-fifth of Australian teenagers under 16 were still using platforms.

• Context:

  • The ban, included in a previous Free Flow, went into effect in December and requires platforms to block minors under 16 from accessing or using their services, or face fines of up to $49.5 million AUD ($35 million USD).

  • The world is carefully tracking the impact of the ban as governments around the world are considering or advancing similar measures to keep minors off social media.

• The Aftermath:

  • More than 20% of Australians aged 13-15 use TikTok and Snapchat, even with the bans in place.

  • Data also showed that the number of 13-to-15-year-olds using Snapchat in Australia fell by 13.8 percentage points between November and February, although 20.3% of users still fall within that age range.

  • A spokesperson for the eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s internet regulator, said the office was aware of reports of minors’ continued social media use and is “actively engaging with platforms and their age assurance providers,” while continuing to monitor for breaches of the law.

  • The spokesperson added that the office is “actively drawing on a range of insights to assess compliance.”

» Hawaii Proposes Bills Seeking to Restrict Minors’ Access to Social Media

• Bills targeting minors’ use of phones at school, social media access, and interactions with artificial intelligence are moving through Hawaii’s legislature.

• Details:

  • SB 2761:

    • Seeks to bar children under 16 from creating or keeping social media accounts, requiring platforms to verify users’ ages and remove underage accounts.

    • The bill has passed out of the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary.

  • HB 1559:

    • Would prohibit students in public schools from using “telecommunication devices” during the school day, including at lunch and recess, with limited exceptions for emergencies.

    • Schools would be able to confiscate phones and release them only to a parent or guardian, and unclaimed devices would be forfeited after three months.

  • HB 1782:

    • Would regulate conversational and companion-style AI systems, banning features that encourage emotional dependency, stimulate romantic relationships, or present the AI as human or “sentient.”

    • AI providers would be required to disclose when minors interact with AI, limit data collection, and impose penalties for violations.

» Russia Expands Internet Shutdown Tests in Moscow

• Russia shut off mobile internet in downtown Moscow in what the government insists was a necessary step to protect Russians from attacks by Ukrainian drones, which can use local cell phone towers for navigation.

• However, analysts argue that the shutdowns are a test of a nationwide system that Moscow has been building to limit information and connectivity during unrest.

• Background:

  • Russia is reportedly testing a system used in Iran during nationwide anti-government protests earlier this year, which allowed authorities to shut down the internet while regime insiders used “white SIM cards” to access the web.

  • Russia has already established a “white-list” of government-approved websites that remain accessible during shut-offs, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • They’ve also targeted messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp while promoting a state-backed messaging platform, Max, as included in a previous Free Flow.

  • In February, Russia’s parliament passed a new law requiring telecommunications companies to shut off data access upon request from the Federal Security Service.

• The Shut-Offs:

  • The data outages have extended to dozens of regions, including places far from zones impacted by drones.

  • Pharmacies have had to close in some regions as their medicine-tracking system went offline; children with diabetic sensors cannot transmit glucose-level alerts to parents; and people are unable to book appointments, order medication, or use online banking services.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK Urges Social Media Platforms to Strengthen Age-Verification

• The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and internet regulator, Ofcom, have sent letters to major social media companies urging them to enforce stricter protection for children, including stronger age verification measures, on their platforms after lawmakers rejected a blanket ban for under-16s.

• Context:

  • Earlier this month, UK lawmakers voted down a proposal in a piece of child welfare legislation that would have banned social media for children under 16.

  • The decision comes as countries across Europe, including Spain, France, and Denmark, consider plans to implement similar bans after Australia became the first country to prohibit social media access to minors under 16.

• The Letters:

  • The ICO published an open letter on March 12, including remarks from its CEO, Paul Arnold, calling on platforms to use “viable technologies” to identify children and prevent them from accessing content.

  • The ICO letter called on social media platforms to use facial age estimation, digital ID, or one-time photo matching to strengthen age verification.

  • Arnold said measures such as “self-declaration” can be “easily circumvented” and put “under-13s at risk by allowing their information to be collected and used unlawfully.”

  • Ofcom, among other demands, has also asked companies, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, to submit reports on what measures they have in place to keep children off their platforms by April 30.

• Industry Response:

  • A Meta spokesperson told CNBC that it already uses AI systems to detect users’ age based on their activity and conduct facial age estimation, adding that it also has a separate teen account with built-in protections.

  • TikTok said that since January, it has rolled out enhanced technologies and specialist moderators across Europe to detect and remove accounts that belong to anyone under 13.

  • The company also uses facial age estimation, credit card authorization, or government-approved ID to confirm users’ ages.

  • Snapchat said it is investing and working on its safety efforts, adding that it strongly supports age-verification at the app-store level, “rather than patchwork checks by individual platforms.”

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Georgia Adopts Legislative Package Restricting Foreign Cooperation and Public Criticism

• On March 4, the Georgian parliament adopted a legislative package of amendments that expand state control over foreign funding, introduce criminal sanctions for cooperation with foreign entities or donors, and criminalize public criticism of the government’s legitimacy.

• The package includes amendments to the Law on Grants, the Law on Political Associations, the Criminal Code, and the Administrative Offenses Code.

• Targeting Extremism:

  • The amendments have implemented an “extremism” provision against acts that “systematically” question the government’s legitimacy.

  • Violators of this provision could face up to three years in prison, while organizations could face heavy fines or even forced closures.

• Restricting Foreign Funding:

  • The definition of what constitutes a “grant” that needs government approval has expanded to include technical and free-of-charge assistance and grants transferred from a foreign organization to its domestic branches.

  • The list of entities considered “grant recipients” has also expanded to include foreign-based organizations working on Georgia-related issues.

  • Violators can face fines, 300-500 hours of community service, or up to six years in prison under the new law, with harsher penalties in certain cases.

  • The legislation also applies retroactively, meaning unused grants that were received before the law’s enactment will require new government approval, and recipients will be barred from using the funds if permission is denied.

• Restricting Foreign Cooperation:

  • Individuals who have worked in foreign-funded organizations will be prohibited from political party membership for eight years.

  • Penalties are also introduced for individuals who engage in “external lobbying,” with potential prison sentences reaching up to six years, and for businesses “publicly carrying out such political activity that is not related to its principal entrepreneurial activity.”

» Hungary Journalists Forcibly Removed While Covering Campaign Event

• In the past week, four journalists from independent outlets have been forcibly forcibly removed or told to leave while reporting on public campaign events held in support of the ruling Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

• The incidents occurred shortly before Hungary’s parliamentary election in April.

• Incident 1:

  • On March 10, two journalists from the online news platform Telex were forcibly removed from a campaign event in the village of Csakbereny by the local mayor.

  • The journalists had planned to ask Zslot Semjén, the country’s deputy prime minister and the leader of the Christian Democratic People’s Party, questions.

  • When the pair entered the event, the mayor seized their camera, covered the lens, then physically pushed them toward the exit, grabbing one of them by the arm, and security guards prevented them from re-entering the venue.

  • The incident follows the hours-long detention of two Telex reporters in January 2026, who were waiting outside a film studio to question Orbán after being barred from asking questions at his yearly conference.

• Incident 2:

  • Days later, on March 15, two journalists from HVG, an independent weekly, were interviewing participants at a pro-government rally in Budapest when one of them, Noémi Martini, was approached by an event organizer who demanded they stop their work and leave the area, alleging they were blocking the road.

  • Martini was surrounded and pushed by security guards until she left the main rally, though other journalists from other media outlets were permitted to report freely from the demonstration.

» Zimbabwe Issues Arrest Warrant Over Journalist’s Speech on Country’s Press Freedom Crisis

• The Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Law and Order section has issued an arrest warrant against Blessed “Dhara” Mhlanga, digital editor and head of broadcasting of Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), following his remarks on media repression at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.

• Details:

  • Mhlanga was one of the panelists in a presentation titled “Silenced for Reporting: Zimbabwe’s War on the Press,” where he argued that the government was targeting watchdog journalists in its legal system.

  • The Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Zhemu Soda, condemned his remarks, adding that the government has “put in place legal frameworks designed to protect our hard-won sovereignty from those who seek to undermine it through foreign platforms.”

  • Following the Minister’s statement, authorities issued an arrest warrant against Mhlanga for “willfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe by actively participating in meetings, communication or cooperation with foreign governments or their agents” under Section 22A of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.

  • Mhlanga is also facing prosecution for charges of “transmitting data messages that incite violence or damage to property,” over a broadcast interview with Blessed Geza, a late war veteran and member of the ruling party Zanu PF, in which Geza criticized the government’s plans to extend the presidential term limits in its Constitution.

  • He was expected to appear in court on March 9 for the continuation of the trial, but his attorneys have told the court he is currently seeking medical treatment in South Africa.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 ICE Arrests Nashville Journalist, Court Orders Justification

— 🇪🇸 Spain Takes First Step in Legislative Package Targeting Online Hate Speech

— 🇦🇱 Albanian Court Rules TikTok Ban Unconstitutional

— 🇦🇺 Two Protesters Arrested in Australia Hours After Antisemitism Law Took Effect

— 🇧🇾 Belarus Sentences Five More Journalists to Prison in Accelerating Crackdown

First of All 🇺🇲

» ICE Arrests Nashville Journalist, Court Orders Justification

• A federal judge has given U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) until midnight on Thursday, March 12, to file a written justification of its arrest and continued detention of Estefany Maria Rodriguez Florez, a Nashville Spanish-language reporter.

• The Arrest:

  • Rodriguez, a reporter for Nashville Noticias who has reported on ICE activities, was detained on March 4.

  • In addition to petitioning her immediate release, Rodriguez’s attorneys have filed a First Amendment claim, asking the court to enjoin immigration officials from taking any enforcement actions in “retaliation against her past speech or to chill her future speech.”

  • She is accused of illegally overstaying her visa, which her attorneys deny, adding that she was not served a warrant at the time of her arrest.

  • On March 6, government attorneys filed an image of a wrinkled administrative warrant dated March 2, with the “certificate of service” section listing the name and location of the person served by the warrant blank.

• Background:

  • Legal filings from Rodriguez’s attorneys claim that after arriving in the U.S. from Colombia on a tourist visa, she worked under a valid work permit for five years and has filed a petition to adjust her status to that of a lawful permanent resident with her husband, who is a U.S. citizen.

  • Rodriguez had received death threats for her crime coverage in Colombia, and filed a claim for political asylum before her visa expired. Asylum seekers must be in the U.S. to apply.

  • She received a notice from ICE in January to appear for a meeting, but it was cancelled due to an ice storm that affected the Nashville region.

  • She visited ICE offices on February 26 for her rescheduled appointment with her husband and attorney to learn more about its purpose, but her lawyers claim that officials found no record of the appointment.

  • The meeting was rescheduled for March 17, though officials have declared her a flight risk for missing two appointments.

  • “ICE’s arbitrary actions serve to punish her for her criticism of ICE,” Rodriguez’s attorneys wrote in their petition.

» WSJ Report: Government Campaign Targets ICE Critics with Public Accusations of Assault

• A Wall Street Journal investigation chronicles a campaign by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) targeting U.S. citizens who criticize Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

• On social media, DHS has publicly accused citizens of attacking federal officers, even when such charges were never filed or dropped.

• Background:

  • Of the 279 people accused on X by government officials in the past year, 181 were U.S. citizens, nearly half of whom were never charged with assault.

  • Despite no formal charges, accounts from Trump administration officials and departments have posted allegations against individuals, including their names, mugshots, and, in some cases, even the individuals’ home and workplace addresses.

• Charged Individuals:

  • Even though some individuals have been charged, none have been convicted at trial. 15 of those publicly accused have pleaded guilty, 10 of them to lesser charges, while another 51 remain pending.

  • Federal prosecutors in cities whose immigration operations have drawn nationwide attention have said that the Justice Department has pressured them to pursue assault charges, even if the evidence is contradictory or the case fails to appear worthy of prosecution.

  • In cases where videos proved charges to be false, some publicly accused individuals had to endure death threats, secure defense attorneys, shoulder the cost of bail, or take days off work to appear in court.

» Lawsuit Claims Administration Unlawfully Targets Noncitizen Social Media Academics

• ​​A new lawsuit, filed by Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, alleges that the Trump administration is engaging in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by denying visas to and deporting noncitizens who work on or study social media platforms, fact-checking, or other activities the government considers “censorship” of Americans’ speech.

• Details:

  • The lawsuit, filed by Knight First Amendment Institute and the legal nonprofit Protect Democracy on behalf of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research (CITR), asks a federal judge to declare the policy unconstitutional and direct the government to abandon it.

  • The complaint details anonymous accounts from members of CITR, including university professors and expert researchers, who have left the country out of fear or have self-censored their work on social media.

  • The Department of Justice said that if the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe a person’s “presence or activities’ would “have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” their removal is consistent with the First Amendment.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Anthropic Sues Pentagon Over Alleged Viewpoint Retaliation

• Anthropic has filed two federal lawsuits against the Trump administration, claiming that Pentagon officials illegally retaliated against it for its position on AI safety.

• Details:

  • Last week, the Defense Department designated the company as a “supply chain risk,” a status usually reserved for foreign adversaries that pose a national security risk, and not American companies.

  • The designation places the company on an effective blacklist by prohibiting Pentagon suppliers from using the company’s AI model in their work with the Defense Department, Claude.

  • On social media, President Trump announced that all federal agencies would stop using Anthropic’s tools.

  • The move came after CEO Dario Amodei announced that he would not allow Claude to be used for autonomous weapons or citizen surveillance.

  • Anthropic has filed two lawsuits alleging the administration violated its First Amendment rights and exceeded the scope of supply chain risk law.

• What’s Next?

  • According to the Financial Times, the administration is working on new government guidelines for civilian AI contracts that would require AI companies to allow “any lawful” use of the models.

  • They would also mandate that contractors provide “a neutral, non-partisan tool that does not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas such as diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

  • AI companies would be required to disclose whether their models have been “modified or configured to comply with any non-U.S. federal government or commercial compliance or regulatory framework,” which is reportedly intended, in part, to challenge compliance with the EU Digital Services Act.

» Albanian Court Rules TikTok Ban Violated Free Speech

• Albania’s constitutional court has ruled that an almost year-long government ban on TikTok violated freedom of expression and press freedom.

• Details:

  • Following the fatal stabbing of a teenager during a fight linked to a dispute on social media, the Albanian government blocked TikTok in March 2025.

  • The ban was challenged by the Albanian Journalists Association, an investigative NGO, for breaching constitutional rights to free speech.

  • The government suspended the TikTok ban in early February, but judges insisted the case should proceed because it was of “public interest.”

  • The court found that the interruption “constitutes a restriction of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

  • Enforcement of the ban raised questions about its effectiveness after Albanian users reported barely noticing it, since the app remained accessible via VPNs.

» Kenya Court of Appeal Nullifies ‘Fake News’ Sections of Cyber Law

• The Court of Appeal of Kenya has struck down provisions in the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act that criminalized the publication of “false, misleading or fictitious information” online, declaring them unconstitutional.

• Fake News Provisions:

  • The contested provisions, Sections 22 and 23, were introduced as part of the 2018 cybercrime law and sparked legal challenges from civil society, who argued that they had been increasingly used to arrest journalists and dissidents.

  • The measures have been linked to several high-profile arrests, including journalist Peter Maseke Mwita, who was detained for several days and faced a possible 10-year prison sentence for refusing to disclose the sources of information he had shared in a WhatsApp group.

  • In a landmark ruling, the judges found the provisions were vague, overly broad, and open to abuse, rendering them unconstitutional.

• However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo said significant reforms are still needed for the Act, “particularly to provisions providing for lengthy prison terms for the ill-defined offense of ‘cyber harassment’ and sections that threaten citizens’ privacy rights.”

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Spain Announces ‘Hate Speech Footprint’ Tool, First Step in Legislative Package Targeting Online Speech

• Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced the launch of a “hate speech footprint” tool to measure the presence, evolution, and reach of hate speech on Spanish digital platforms.

• Details:

  • The tool, called ‘HODIO,’ will be used by the Spanish Observatory against Racism and Xenophobia, and will combine quantitative analysis and expert review based on academic criteria.

  • The results will be made public, Sánchez said, so that “everyone knows who is stopping hate, who is turning a blind eye, and who is profiting from it.”

  • The announcement comes after Sánchez unveiled a proposed legislative package detailed in a previous Free Flow, which would impose criminal liability on platforms for “failing to remove illegal or hateful content.”

  • The package also targets algorithmic curation and minors’ social media use.

  • “The digital environment cannot be a space without rules,” Sánchez said as he announced HODIO, “today, social media is a failed state.”

» UK Introduces New, Working Anti-Muslim Hate Definition

• The UK Labour Party has announced a new definition of anti-Muslim hate that encompasses violence, harassment, and prejudicial stereotyping in the wake of record levels of hate crimes against Muslims.

• Background:

  • In February 2025, the government set up a working group to come up with a definition of anti-Muslim hatred or Islamophobia, though religious discrimination is already illegal under the Equality Act.

  • Ministers say the new definition is a working, non-statutory one, meaning it is advisory rather than legally binding. The Labour Party is urging workplaces, schools, councils, and other public and private bodies to adopt it.

  • The government will also appoint a special representative on anti-Muslim hostility to engage with communities and facilitate understanding of the definition.

• Critique:

  • The new definition moves away from the word “Islamophobia” and towards “anti-Muslim hostility,” but adds that portraying criticism or ridicule of a belief, even “in a manner that some of its adherents might find disrespectful or scandalous,” is still legal speech.

  • The Free Speech Union is preparing a pre-action letter to send to Communities Secretary Steve Reed, seeking judicial review, claiming that the definition is “vague,” “subjective,” and “weaponized to silence legitimate criticism of the Islamic faith and Muslims.”

  • The adoption would also intersect with legislation already enacted by Parliament, which breaches public law doctrine, FSU argues.

» UN Special Rapporteur Warns of ‘Erosion of Rights’ in Sweden

• Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has warned of the “gradual erosion of rights” of activists in Sweden, especially the right to peaceful assembly.

• Details:

  • Lawlor said she was “alarmed” about reports of threats, hate speech, stigmatization, and harassment of human rights defenders.

  • Environmental and climate activists are reportedly facing a heightened risk of prosecution for engaging in protests, while school-aged children, students, and journalists speaking out on the ongoing war in Gaza have been allegedly stopped or faced intimidation.

  • The news follows a July 2024 report by Amnesty International naming Sweden among the 21 European countries where the right to peaceful assembly was under attack.

  • Sweden was identified as a country in which activists are required to pay to organize and participate in peaceful assemblies, which could chill dissent, despite strong legal protections.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Two Protesters Arrested in Australia Hours After Antisemitism Laws Took Effect

• Just a few hours after new Queensland antisemitism laws went into effect, two pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested outside the state parliament building.

• The Act: Under the act, uttering banned phrases, including “from the river to the sea” and “globalize the intifada,” is punishable by up to two years in prison if doing so would cause “menace, harassment, or offense.”

• The Arrests:

  • Liam Parry, part of the Students for Palestine group and leader of the protest, said, “I’m not sure if everybody here [knows] the history of the different slogans that the government is trying to ban us from saying, so [in] the interests of education, I want to explain [it] to you.”

  • He denied that “from the river to the sea” was terroristic or antisemitic, and explained how it is a call for the freedom and dignity of people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

  • He discouraged others from chanting the slogan, but when protesters began marching, he was arrested and later released from the Brisbane watch house the same evening.

  • The second person arrested was towards the end of the march, who witnesses described as wearing a shirt that said: “from the river to the sea.”

  • Both protesters have been charged, according to a police spokesperson, and Parry must appear in court on April 8 for the charge of reciting, distributing, publishing, or displaying prohibited expressions.

» AFP Survey Reveals Tightened Restrictions on Journalists Covering War in the Middle East

• A survey of Agence France-Presse (AFP) chiefs, working in the international news agency’s Middle East region, revealed that journalists sharing content on the ongoing conflict are facing arrests, questioning, and increased restrictions.

• Gulf Powers Arrest Over Sharing War-Related Content:

  • In Qatar, the interior ministry announced that more than 300 people have been detained, while Bahrain’s interior ministry reported four arrests for sharing images and misleading information related to Iranian attacks.

  • In Kuwait, the interior ministry said it had arrested two individuals for sharing video clips that “mocked” the army, and a third for including images of “banned terrorist organizations’ leaders on his profile.”

• Journalists Questioned in Iran:

  • Although imposed internet blackouts have limited user-generated content posted within Iran, interviews with people who have fled the country or with contacts in the country have indicated journalists are being stopped and questioned by security forces, with the risk of detention.

  • Even journalists with permission from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, known as Ershad, which usually regulates the press, have still been subject to questioning and detention.

  • AFP’s Middle East photo chief, Jewel Samad, said Iran’s intelligence ministry warned that if someone takes “photos of sensitive places or damaged buildings and areas or records the locations of centres with a GPS device or mobile phone and marks the places, they could be an agent of the American-Zionist enemy.”

  • The ministry also called on people to inform authorities if they witnessed anyone taking such photos.

• Restrictions Tighten in Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia:

  • Although coverage of air defenses intercepting incoming missiles during the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran was permitted, it has since been prohibited in a tightening of restrictions on content related to the war.

  • Other bans include live broadcasts of the Israeli skyline when incoming missile or drone warning alarms are sounding and filming at impacts or near security sites (though coverage of civilian damage is permitted as long as exact locations are withheld).

  • The army’s chief censor also sent guidelines directly to Israeli media outlets, barring journalists from disclosing information about military planning and preparations, air defenses, and impact sites and locations.

  • In Lebanon, journalists are facing restrictions imposed by the Iranian-backed Shia militia, Hezbollah, which has prohibited reporters from accessing Beirut’s southern suburbs, where it has a hold on power.

  • Meanwhile, the Saudi Royal Court’s Media Service has pressured reporters to disclose the identities of their anonymous sources, and Jordan’s Media Commission has threatened criminal prosecution over the publication of any videos or information related to defense operations.

» Belarus Sentences Five More Journalists to Prison in Accelerating Crackdown

• Belarus has accelerated its crackdown on journalists, jailing five more, and leaving as many as 28 media workers in prison as of this month.

• Details:

  • On March 6, Tsina Palynskaya, a journalist who conducted surveys for an independent Belarusian analytical centre later designated as an “extremist formation” by Lukashenko, was sentenced to two years.

  • Days earlier, regional journalists Uladzimir Yanukevich and Andrei Pakalenka were sentenced to 14 and 12 years, respectively, on charges of high treason, as reported in a previous Free Flow.

  • Pavel Dabravolsky, a journalist who had left Belarus in 2021 after serving a 15-day prison sentence for participating in protests against the falsified re-election of Alexander Lukashenko, was detained several months after returning home in 2024 and has remained behind bars. On March 9, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for high treason.

» North Macedonia Appeal Court Upholds Defamation Ruling Against Investigative Reporting Organization

• North Macedonia’s Court of Appeal has upheld a defamation verdict against the Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL) for producing a documentary aired in 2021 on the public broadcaster, Macedonian Radio Television.

• Details:

  • Kočo Angjušev, a businessman and former Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, filed a defamation claim following the documentary about a joint investigation by IRL and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

  • The suit was initially dismissed in 2021, but following a plaintiff appeal, the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial in 2022.

  • Though no new evidence was presented, a 2023 Basic Civil Court decision ruled against IRL. This sparked pushback for classifying IRL as “non-media” and “members of a group,” rather than professional journalists.

  • The verdict also suggested that the state open a misdemeanor proceeding to determine the legality of the organization’s work.

  • The Court has formally upheld the verdict, though it has not published its reasoning, and IRL has announced its intent to appeal.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 NY Considers Banning Chatbots from Giving Medical, Legal Advice

— 🇲🇾 Malaysian Federal Court Ruling Reverses Landmark Free Speech Case

— 🇬🇧 UK Law to Regulate “Offensive” Material on Streaming Platforms

— 🇦🇪 UAE Threatens Prosecutions Over Social Media Posts of Iranian Airstrikes

— 🇧🇾 Belarusian Journalists Convicted for Treason

First of All 🇺🇲

» Justice Department Sought Dismissal of Case Targeting Law Firms, Then Reversed Course

• On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss its appeal of lower-court rulings, which found that the Trump administration’s executive orders targeting four law firms were unconstitutional.

• The following day, the DOJ then informed the court that it would not give up and would continue to pursue the appeal.

• Context:

  • The cases stem from a series of executive orders that President Trump signed in March and April of 2025, targeting four different law firms over certain hires and legal work.

  • The orders threatened the firms’ clients, access to federal buildings and officials, and employees’ security clearances.

  • The government’s backtracking comes only a month after a similar reversal, when the administration increased the damages it sought from Harvard University to $1 billion, after The New York Times reported they were agreeing to abandon a $200 million demand in negotiations with the school.

• Firms Under Fire:

  • Perkins Coie was targeted by the orders because of its representation of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, and its hiring of a research firm that retained Christopher Steele, a former British spy.

  • WilmerHale and Jenner & Block had employed lawyers who worked on the DOJ’s investigation into foreign interference in the 2016 election.

  • Susman Godfrey represented Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News concerning the network’s false claims about the 2020 election.

  • Paul Weiss had previously employed Mark Pomerantz, who oversaw an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into Trump’s finances prior to his presidency.

  • The charges against Paul Weiss were dropped after the firm pledged to support White House initiatives with tens of millions of dollars in pro bono work.

  • Some of the firms had also been involved in litigation against aspects of the President’s second-term agenda.

• In Court:

  • As a result of the firms’ lawsuits against the administration, four federal judges found that the orders violated the First, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.

  • According to court filings, the Justice Department decided to drop its legal defense of the orders on March 2.

  • Less than 24 hours later, the DOJ said it was its “prerogative” to pursue the appeal.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» New York Considers Banning Chatbots from Giving Legal, Medical Advice

• The New York state legislature is considering a new bill that would prohibit AI chatbots from providing legal and medical advice and allow users to sue chatbot owners who violate the ban.

• Details:

  • Senate Bill S7263 is part of a proposed legislative package to regulate chatbots and would prohibit them from delivering “substantive response, information, or advice” that violates professional licensing laws or constitutes the unauthorized practice of law.

  • Chatbots would also be required to provide explicit notice to users that they are interacting with an AI system, though the notice does not provide immunity from liability.

  • Users would be allowed to recover civil damages and attorney’s fees from chatbot owners who fail to comply with the ban.

» FTC Incentivizes Use of Age-Verification Technology by Reducing Potential Liability

• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that certain website and online service operators that collect, use, and disclose personal information for the sole purpose of determining a user’s age via age-verification systems will not be subject to enforcement actions under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA).

• Context:

  • The COPPA Rule requires operators of commercial websites or online services directed to children under 13 to provide notice of their information practices to parents and obtain consent before collecting, using, or disclosing the child’s information.

  • At an FTC workshop, questions were raised about how some age-verification systems’ data collection processes could violate COPPA.

  • Amid growing state calls to limit minors’ access to social media through age verification, the agency has issued a policy statement stating that it will not bring enforcement actions under the COPPA rule against operators of general and mixed-audience sites and services that collect information solely for age verification.

  • Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said the statement “incentivizes” operators to use age-verification technologies to empower parents to protect their children online.

  • The Commission indicated that it intends to review the COPPA Rule to address age verification, and the statement will remain effective until the final amendments are published or withdrawn.

» Federal Judge Blocks Virginia Law Limiting Minors’ Social Media Use to One Hour Per Day

• U.S. District Judge Patricia Toliver Gilles issued a preliminary injunction on February 27, blocking enforcement of a Virginia law requiring social media platforms to limit users under 16 to 1 hour of daily use per platform.

• Details:

  • The law, which took effect on January 1, required platforms to set default time limits, with parents able to adjust them, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • Gilles agreed to halt the enforcement of the law while a lawsuit challenging it on constitutional grounds proceeds.

» UAE Threatens Prosecutions Over Social Media Posts of Iranian Airstrikes

• Following Iranian air strikes on February 28 that hit key infrastructure across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UAE has reminded influencers that “spreading rumors or unverified information is punishable by law.”

• Details:

  • The UAE Media Council has enforced mandatory licensing for social media influencers since mid-2025, and has reminded everyone that they could be punished for posting false information.

  • The UAE Public Prosecution released a statement that anyone who posted or shared footage from “unknown sources” could face fines of 200,000 AED ($54,450 USD) and a minimum one-year prison sentence.

• In Dubai:

  • On Saturday, the Dubai Media Office also warned against reposting “old videos and images of past fires in Dubai,” adding that “publishing or republishing such material exposes the perpetrators to legal accountability.”

  • Dubai Police also issued a public advisory on March 3 that read “Think before you share—spreading rumors is a crime.”

• Across the Middle East:

  • Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior announced that at least two individuals have already been arrested for “misusing social media platforms” after they broadcast live content and video clips of Iranian strike interceptions.

  • Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior urged residents to refrain from recording aerial threats and authorities in the line of duty, and that noncompliance may entail “legal measures.”

  • The Qatari Ministry of Interior stressed that individuals should not circulate “rumors,” images, or videos of the aftermath to “avoid legal liability.”

» Malaysian Federal Court Ruling Reverses Landmark Speech Case

• A February 6 court ruling in Malaysia’s Federal Court reverses a landmark 2025 decision that would have removed the words “offensive” and “annoy” from content listed as illegal under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA).

• Details:

  • Prior to 2025, Section 233 of the CMA criminalized any online communication that is “obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.”

  • In Heidy Quah Gaik Li vs. Government of Malaysia (2025), the Court of Appeal ruled that the words “offensive” and “annoy” infringed on free expression rights guaranteed by the constitution.

  • Malaysia’s Federal Court has now partially overturned the ruling, agreeing that there was no basis to prosecute Quah on the grounds that her post was “offensive” and made “with the intent to annoy,” but that the words in Section 233 of the CMA were not unconstitutional.

  • The ruling said that the problem of unwarranted prosecutions under Section 233 can be addressed by “reading down” the section, which applies only to cases where there is an express intent to annoy another user or body of users.

» Computer Scientists Call for Global Pause on Online Age-Verification

• As countries around the world advance rules and regulations on minors’ access to social media, computer scientists warn that age-verification systems pose serious risks to security, privacy, and freedom, and have asked for a global pause.

• Details:

  • An open letter, signed by 371 security and privacy academics from 29 countries, advised governments to halt plans to roll out age checks “until the scientific consensus settles on the benefits and harms” the technology brings.

  • Current plans, the letter says, “Would require all users — minors and adults — to prove their age to converse with friends and family, read news, or search for information; well beyond what has ever happened in our offline lives.”

  • The letter comes as companies, including OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord, have implemented age-checks in anticipation of new mandates requiring them.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK Law Would Impose ‘Enhanced Regulation’ on Streaming Platforms

• The UK government is set to implement another measure under the Media Act 2024 that would allow Ofcom, the regulatory body that already oversees television and radio broadcasting in the country, to exercise enhanced power over streaming platforms.

• Details:

  • Under the new measure, Ofcom would be able to accept viewer complaints and investigate streaming platforms.

  • It will also include a new video-on-demand standards code that sets rules on accuracy and impartiality and protects audiences from material deemed “harmful or offensive.”

  • The new standards code will apply to “Tier 1” services, or any video-on-demand platform with more than 500,000 users, including streamers such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+.

  • If Ofcom determines there is a breach of the code, it has the power to take action.

  • New rules will not apply to video-sharing platforms like YouTube, which are already subject to the UK’s Online Safety Act.

» UK High Court Rejects Bid to Overturn Quran Burner’s Acquittal

• The UK’s High Court dismissed an appeal filed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to challenge the acquittal of Hamit Coskun, whose criminal case began after he burned a Quran outside London’s Turkish consulate.

• Details:

  • Coskun was convicted last June of a religiously aggravated public order offence after he was attacked with a knife for holding a flaming copy of the Quran and shouting “Islam is a religion of terrorism” and “Quran is burning.”

  • After appealing his conviction, the Southwark Crown Court overturned the ruling.

  • The CPS brought an appeal against the reversal to the High Court, which found that the Southwark Crown Court had not “relied on any immaterial factor” or “left any material factor out of account.”

  • “In England, I hoped that I would be free to speak about the damage of sectarian politics and Islamism,” Coskun said, “I am relieved that after a year, the courts have ruled that I am free to do so.”

» Civil Society Calls on UK Regulator for Clarification About Palestine Action Online Content

• After the UK High Court found the government’s ban on Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws to be unlawful, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow, human rights organizations, academics, and writers have called on Ofcom, the country’s internet regulator, to clarify what the ruling means for online platforms pending the Home Secretary’s appeal.

• Details:

  • Judges have decided that Palestine Action’s proscription would remain in place pending the appeal, though Metropolitan Police said they would no longer arrest protesters who express support for the group.

  • However, it is less clear for platforms with duties to remove terrorist content under the Online Safety Act what steps to take in the interim.

  • Civil society has asked Ofcom to clarify whether platforms are still expected to remove Palestine Action content, how new duties to remove terrorist content will be implemented, and whether content can be restored if the appeal is lost.

  • A spokesperson for Ofcom said they’ve provided “detailed guidance to help platforms decide whether content is illegal under UK law” and that if the appeal fails, codes of practice “state that companies should reverse their decisions where appropriate and possible.”

» European Court of Justice Rules Hungary’s Silencing of Radio Station Unlawful

• The European Court of Justice has ruled that the Hungarian law that allowed it to yank the broadcast license of Klubradio, a Budapest commercial news and talk radio station, over “minor irregularities” in its programming schedule, is disproportionate.

• Details:

  • The station, which was known for airing opposition voices, had paid fines for failing to comply with mandated quotas requiring a minimum number of radio stations’ works to be produced both in Europe and domestically.

  • However, after Klubradio’s seven-year license expired in 2020, Hungarian regulators refused to renew it, citing failures to provide monthly data on broadcasting quotas and concerns about the station’s finances.

  • The court ruled that the law used to take the radio station off the air and refuse license renewal was at “odds with the principle of proportionality.”

  • To comply with the ruling, Hungarian lawmakers must amend the media law to ensure that future licensing decisions are proportional, transparent, and non-discriminatory.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Belarusian Journalists Convicted for Treason

• A court in Belarus has convicted two independent journalists, Uladzimir Yanukevich and Andrei Pakalenka, on charges of high treason.

• Details:

  • The pair were arrested in December 2024 following searches of their editorial offices and homes.

  • They were convicted of aiding “extremist activities” in August 2025 and sentenced to a work-release program at designated factories.

  • Now, Yanukevich, who founded and edited Intex-Press and BAR24, was given a 14-year prison sentence, while his colleague, Pakalenka, faces 12-years in prison.

  • The proceedings were held behind closed doors in the Regional Court of Brest, and the details of the charges remain unclear, though state television aired a report alleging the journalists were linked to the German Embassy.

  • The arrests come during a broader crackdown on expression in Belarus under President Alexander Lukashenko’s three-decade rule, including the arrest of more than 65,000 people during protests over the 2020 election, the closure and outlawing of hundreds of media outlets and NGOs, and the imprisonment of 28 independent journalists.

» UK Sanctions Georgian TV Channels for ‘Disinformation’

• In a sanctions package targeting 297 entities to mark the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK has sanctioned two television channels in Georgia, which it claims are deliberately spreading misleading information about the war.

• Details:

  • The UK has accused the channels Imedi and Postv of promoting false narratives about the war that destabilize Ukraine or threaten its territorial integrity.

  • Imedi was accused of spreading falsehoods by calling Ukraine’s government “illegitimate” or a “puppet” of the West.

  • The sanctions include a freeze on assets and properties owned by the broadcasters in the UK, and bar their owners from running other companies in the UK.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

—🇺🇲 DHS Sued for Surveillance of Legal Observers

—🇩🇪 Germany Launches Nationwide Raids Over Online Hate Speech

—🇦🇺 Australia Police Seize Anti-Facist Posters from Canberra Bar

—🇬🇷 Greek Bill Would Ban Social Media for Minors Under 15

—🇷🇺 Russia Moves to Ban Telegram, Floats Terrorism Investigation

First of All 🇺🇲

» Lawsuit Accuses DHS of Using Surveillance Tech to Track Legal Observers

• A class action lawsuit filed in a Maine federal court accuses the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem of violating the First Amendment by using surveillance technology to chill constitutionally protected monitoring and recording of government activity.

• Background:

  • The complaint alleges that DHS officers scanned the faces and license plates of legal observers during Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Portland, ME, on January 21 and January 23.

  • The plaintiffs — Colleen Fagan and Elinor Hilton — claim officers threatened to place them on a “domestic terrorist watchlist” and warned they would come to their homes.

  • The lawsuit seeks an injunction barring DHS from using facial recognition and license plate readers to target legal observers.

  • DHS has denied maintaining a “domestic terrorist” database but acknowledged monitoring incidents involving “threats, assaults and obstruction” of its officers.

  • The complaint references similar reports in other states, where legal observers allege ICE agents appeared at their homes after scanning their faces or vehicles.

  • DHS’s inspector general is reportedly investigating ICE’s use of facial recognition and personal data following lawmakers’ concerns about its deployment against legal observers.

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The Digital Age

» Russia Moves Closer to Banning Telegram, Floats Terrorism Probe of Founder

• Russia appears to be laying the groundwork for a potential ban of Telegram, escalating pressure on the messaging platform by signaling a terrorism-related investigation into its founder, Pavel Durov.

• Background:

  • Two Russian newspapers reported that the Federal Security Service (F.S.B.) is investigating Durov for allegedly aiding and abetting terrorism. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri S. Peskov confirmed that F.S.B. research informed the reports.

  • The move follows increased throttling of Telegram (as reported in a previous Free Flow), with Russian authorities accusing the platform of failing to prevent its use by terrorists and criminals.

  • Russian state media claim Telegram has become a key tool for Ukraine and NATO intelligence services and accuse it of facilitating attacks and unrest inside Russia.

• What’s at Stake:

  • Telegram has become a cornerstone of online expression in Russia, with more than 100 million monthly users relying on the app for news, commentary, and battlefield communication.

  • Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has steadily tightened control over the digital sphere—blocking Facebook and Instagram, restricting YouTube, and pressuring platforms to comply with state censorship demands.

  • Authorities are reportedly pushing users toward a Kremlin-approved “super app,” MAX, which lacks Telegram’s encryption protections.

» California Gov. Newsom Backs Social Media Age Restrictions

• In the context of a nationwide push to regulate minors’ access to social media, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has endorsed state legislation requiring social media companies to implement age-verification procedures to prevent teens from creating accounts.

• A Growing Pattern:

  • While efforts to limit kids’ access to social media have primarily been led in red states, Newsom’s endorsement signals early signs of bipartisan momentum.

  • Florida has already passed legislation prohibiting social media accounts for children under 14, while efforts to implement similar restrictions in Utah have been temporarily blocked, and attempts in Texas and Alabama were halted.

  • Laws that require mobile app stores and developers to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for each purchase have passed in Texas, Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama, while a similar bill, the App Store Accountability Act, cleared a House subcommittee in December.

  • The upswing in state action comes as Congress considers federal proposals, including the Kids Off Social Media Act, which would ban social media for kids under 13.

  • Countries like Australia, Canada, France, and Malaysia have already enacted, proposed, or are considering similar legislation.

» Virginia to Begin Enforcing 1-Hour Limit to Minors’ Use of Social Media

• Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones announced that the state will begin enforcing a law requiring social media companies to limit minors’ use to an hour a day this week.

• Details:

  • The law requires companies like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat to set a default time limit of 1 hour for users under 16, unless a parent consents to a longer or shorter time limit.

  • Companies found in violation of the limit will be notified and have 30 days to comply or face up to $7,500 in civil penalties for each violation.

  • It was set to take effect on January 1 but was delayed due to an ongoing lawsuit brought by NetChoice, a trade association representing social media and tech companies.

  • Jones said his office will start enforcing the legislation as the case proceeds, and has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

» Colorado Lawmakers Push for Age-Verification in OS Systems

• Colorado lawmakers have introduced SB26-051, a bill that would require operating systems, such as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, to verify device owners’ age, allowing third-party apps to access that information to determine whether a user is an adult.

• Details:

  • The legislation would mandate that operating systems use device owners’ birthdates or ages to sort them into age brackets that can be shared with app developers.

  • If app developers have “clear and convincing information that a user’s age is different than the age indicated by an age signal,” they are required to adhere to the primary indicator or face penalties of up to $2,500 for each negligent violation, and up to $7,500 for violations found to be intentional.

  • The bill would remove pressure to mandate age-verification mechanisms in apps and centralize age-checking through the OS.

  • The proposed law mirrors California’s AB 1043 bill, which is set to take effect next January.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Germany Launches Nationwide Raids Over Online Hate Speech

• On February 25, German authorities carried out a coordinated nationwide crackdown on alleged illegal online speech, including searches and device seizures tied to social media posts.

• Details:

  • For example, prosecutors in Kiel are investigating a 46-year-old man from Rendsburg-Eckernförde for allegedly posting a xenophobic and violent comment in response to a video of the May 2024 Mannheim knife attack, in which a police officer was fatally injured. Authorities seized his mobile phone pursuant to a court-approved search warrant.

  • The investigation was part of a nationwide “day of action” against hate postings, coordinated by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

  • Law enforcement authorities across all 16 federal states reportedly acted on approximately 140 investigations.

  • According to the BKA, more than half of the cases fall under the category of right-wing politically motivated crime (PMK), with others involving left-wing, religious, foreign ideological, or other political motivations.

  • Underlying charges include “incitement to hatred,” “use of symbols of unconstitutional or terrorist organizations,” “rewarding and condoning criminal offenses,” and “insult.”

  • In some cases, suspects were summoned for questioning; in others, police conducted home searches and seized smartphones and digital evidence.

  • German authorities explicitly stated that one goal of the operation was to “sensitize” suspects—some repeat offenders—to the fact that “crimes on the Internet also have real consequences.”

» UK Fines Reddit $19.5M Over Age-Verification Failures

• The UK’s information regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has fined Reddit, a social platform, £14.47M (19.5M USD) over allegations that it “failed to apply any robust age assurance mechanism,” making their use of children’s data unlawful.

• Context: The UK’s Online Safety Act requires platforms that host potentially harmful content deploy effective age-verification processes to prevent minors’ access.

• Age-Verification on Reddit:

  • Reddit prohibits children under 13 from opening an account, which was enforced by users self-declaring their age.

  • The ICO said that relying primarily on users’ self-declaration as a form of age verification “presents risks to children as it is easy to bypass,” and that it will face “further regulatory scrutiny.”

• The Fine:

  • The ICO alleged that, because Reddit’s age-verification systems were not rigorous enough, it was unlawfully processing the data of children under 13, “potentially exposing them to inappropriate and harmful content.”

  • UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said that “Children under 13 had their personal information collected and used in ways they could not understand, consent to, or control,” which led to the fine.

  • Reddit said it will appeal the fine, and that the ICO’s insistence that it collect more private information beyond its current measures on UK users is “counterintuitive” and contradicts the company’s commitment to user privacy.

• After the Fine:

  • After the fine, the platform began using Persona, an age-verification system that relies on users’ uploaded selfies or government IDs, to verify UK users seeking access to restricted content.

  • The third-party age-verification system sparked privacy concerns among users of another social platform, Discord, after they discovered that its privacy policy states it may obtain users’ personal data from government records.

  • Questions have also been raised about the effectiveness of age-verification technology itself, and NIST’s Face Analysis Technology Evaluation found that even leading facial age-estimation algorithms have a mean absolute error of 1.88 to 2.7 years for people aged 13 to 24.

» Greece Moves to Ban Social Media for Under-15s

• The Greek government is preparing legislation that would ban children under 15 from accessing social media, relying on an existing age-verification app known as “Kids Wallet.”

• Background:

  • The system would use “Kids Wallet,” a parental-control app already deployed to prevent minors from purchasing tobacco and alcohol.

  • Social media platforms would be required to integrate the app, which generates a barcode verifying age eligibility, into their registration process.

  • The proposal is being coordinated by three ministries — Justice, Digital Governance, and Health — under the direct oversight of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

  • The proposal has been delayed until early March, but Mitsotakis has indicated an announcement is imminent.

  • At the AI Summit in India on February 19, Mitsotakis endorsed growing momentum among EU countries to restrict minors’ access to social media, calling protection from online harms and “digital addiction” a “top priority.”

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» U.S. Guts Funding for Global Internet Freedom Program

• The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has largely gutted funding for Internet Freedom, a program managed by the State Department and the Agency for Global Media that, for nearly two decades, has supported grassroots technologies to evade internet controls imposed by oppressive governments worldwide.

• Details:

  • The program seeks to support small groups abroad developing advanced circumvention technologies that can operate even under powerful censorship regimes.

  • The technologies have allowed communication in Iran during recent anti-government protests and internet shutdowns, and provide groups in states with stringent surveillance and censorship regimes, such as Myanmar and China, access to the worldwide web.

  • Over the past year, however, Internet Freedom’s main granting office issued no funds to these small groups in 2025 amid downsizing and program closures.

  • The Open Technology Fund, a nonprofit that collaborates with the government to direct half of Internet Freedom’s funding to these groups, won a lawsuit in December to restore the program’s funds, though the administration is currently appealing the ruling.

  • The substantial cuts come as censorship technology becomes cheaper and more accessible, making it easier to build “digital iron curtains.”

» Former Canadian School Trustee Fined $548K for Hate Speech

• Barry Neufeld, a former school trustee for the city of Chilliwack, has been ordered by the British Columbia (B.C.) Human Rights Tribunal to pay $750,000 CAD ($548 USD) to local teachers’ association members who identify as LGBTQ+ for publishing anti-LGBTQ+ content.

• Details:

  • Neufeld previously served as a school trustee, an elected official who represents community interests in the public education system, for more than 10 years.

  • He criticized a 2017 decision by the B.C. government that directed school boards to update codes of conduct to address bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

  • The tribunal found six of his publications, including Facebook posts, a speech at a gathering, a widely-circulated email, and comments at a school board meeting and in the media, threatened the security of LGBTQ+ children and families.

  • “Mr. Neufeld invoked negative and insidious stereotypes about LGBTQ people, especially trans people, which denied their inherent dignity and, in some cases, reflected the hallmarks of hate against them as a group,” the tribunal said in its decision.

  • It noted the purpose of the hefty award was to compensate for the harms of discrimination, and added that although in some cases mandatory training is a sufficient remedy, “given Mr. Neufeld’s clearly entrenched views,” they are not persuaded that such a remedy would be beneficial.

  • The tribunal issued a second decision ordering Neufeld to pay another $10,000 in punitive costs for improper conduct, including “flagrant disregard for the Human Rights Tribunal and its process,” during the complaint.

» Australian Police Seize Anti-Fascist Posters from Canberra Bar

• Police in Australia’s capital seized protest art posters depicting world leaders in Nazi uniforms, briefly shutting down a local venue while investigating whether the display violated new federal hate symbol laws.

• Background:

  • On February 19, officers from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Policing declared Dissent Cafe and Bar in Canberra a crime scene after receiving a complaint about five posters displayed in the venue’s window.

  • The posters — created by protest collective Grow Up Art — portrayed figures including U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Elon Musk in Nazi uniforms.

  • Authorities seized the posters to determine whether charges would be laid under federal hate symbol legislation passed earlier this year in the wake of the Bondi stabbing attack.

  • Venue owner David Howe described the works as “an anti-fascist statement” and said he would have complied had officers explicitly requested he remove them.

  • Less than 24 hours later, the posters were returned and reinstalled — this time overlaid with the word “CENSORED” in red.

  • After a week, Howe received notice that he would face no charges over the incident, though he said he received “no assurance” from the police that similar incidents would not occur in the future.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Justin Hayes is the Director of Communications at The Future of Free Speech and the Managing Editor of The Bedrock Principle.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 DHS Seeks to Unmask Anti-ICE Social Media Accounts

— 🇷🇺 Russia Scrubs YouTube and WhatsApp Domains

— 🇬🇧 UK Ban on Palestine Action Ruled Unlawful

— 🇮🇷 Iranian Security Raids and Arrests Protesters

— 🇦🇺 SnapChat CEO Slams Australia’s Social Media Ban for Minors

First of All 🇺🇲

» DHS Uses Subpoenas to Unmask Anti-ICE Social Media Accounts

• The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly sent hundreds of subpoenas to tech companies seeking to unmask anonymous accounts criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or describing the location of agents in recent months.

• Details:

  • The subpoenas demand that tech companies turn over the names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and other identifying data behind the accounts.

  • Four government officials and tech employees privy to the requests told the New York Times that Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta have received hundreds of such subpoenas in recent months.

  • Government officials also said that Google, Meta, and Reddit had complied with some of the requests, though tech companies can choose whether or not to provide the information.

  • Some of the companies notify the people whom the government has requested data on and give them 10 to 14 days to fight against the subpoena in court.

» Stephen Colbert Says CBS Declined to Air Interview with Political Candidate, Citing FCC ‘Equal Time’ Concerns

• Stephen Colbert, host of the “Late Show,” said CBS declined to air his interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico following pressure from the Federal Communications Commission to enforce its “equal time” rule.

• Details:

  • The “equal time” rule requires broadcast networks to provide comparable airtime to legally qualified political candidates and their opponents.

  • However, “bona fide” news interviews have historically been exempted from the requirement. Interviews on daytime and evening talk shows have also been exempted.

  • The FCC has not formally eliminated the exemption, though FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested in a January 21 letter that the exemption should no longer apply to programs “motivated by partisan purposes.”

  • Colbert said that while the FCC has not formally enforced a change, CBS “is unilaterally enforcing it as if he had,” adding that the network “clearly did not want him to talk about this.”

  • The interview was aired on “The Late Show” YouTube channel and featured Talarico, who is running for the U.S. Senate, discussing the FCC crackdown.

  • In a statement, CBS News said the show was “not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview” and that the “show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule.” It also “presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.”

» Judge Blocks Pentagon Action Against Sen. Mark Kelly, Calls Speech ‘Unquestionably Protected’

• A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has granted Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) a preliminary injunction against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from pursuing penalties over a social media video where Kelly and other lawmakers reminded U.S. military personnel they can “refuse illegal orders.”

• Background:

  • All the lawmakers who appeared in the November video had served in the armed forces or intelligence agencies, but Kelly was the only one facing potential disciplinary action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, under a disputed theory that retirees remain subject to the code.

  • In a January 5 letter of censure, Hegseth said Kelly had “engaged in a sustained pattern of public statements that characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse orders.”

  • Hegseth said the evidence was sufficient to lower Kelly’s retirement rank and pension, and that he could be subject to “criminal prosecution” if he continued to threaten order and discipline.

• Judge Richard J. Leon’s Ruling:

  • Leon said Kelly’s speech was “unquestionably protected,” and determined he was likely to prevail in his claim that Hegseth had retaliated against him for his speech.

  • Leon added that extending the limited First Amendment protections of active-duty military to legislators, who have heightened free speech protections, was constitutionally unsound.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Russia Scrubs YouTube and WhatsApp Domains

• Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, has begun removing banned and blocked websites from the National Domain Name System (NSDI), including YouTube, WhatsApp, and at least 13 other resources.

• The Removals:

  • Reports surfaced on February 10 that YouTube had disappeared from the domain system, with WhatsApp following a day later.

  • Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Windscribe, Apkmirror, Tor, have also been removed.

  • Media outlets, including BBC, Current Time, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and The Moscow Times, have disappeared.

  • According to Mikhail Klimarev, director of the Internet Protection Society, when users attempt to access a blocked website in Russia, they receive a response stating that “such a site does not exist.”

• Broader Context:

  • The news comes as the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, is preparing to review amendments to the country’s Law on Communications that would allow the Federal Security Service (FSB) to suspend communications nationwide.

  • The FSB would be able to order telecom providers to temporarily cut mobile internet access, fixed broadband connections, and telephone services “to protect citizens and the state from security threats.”

» Snap CEO Says Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban Is ‘Backfiring’

• In a Financial Times op-ed, Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc, the owner of Snapchat, warns that Australia’s under-16 social media ban is a “massive experiment with high stakes.”

• Background:

  • In December, Australia implemented a law barring anyone under 16 from using designated “social platforms,” including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • To comply, Snap has locked or disabled more than 415,000 Australian accounts it believes belong to underage users.

  • Other countries — including Germany, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and France — are considering similar measures.

• Spiegel’s Op-Ed:

  • Spiegel’s op-ed does not frame his critique in free speech terms, but instead questions whether the policy will achieve its stated child-safety goals and warns about unintended consequences.

  • Spiegel argues that the law might lead teens to migrate to lesser-known platforms with fewer safety precautions, encourage the incorrect verification of users' ages because automated age-estimation technology is imperfect, and harm adolescent well-being, according to research.

• Emmanuel Macron Responds: At an AI Summit in New Delhi, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed Spiegel and other tech companies’ complaints, saying that their invocation of free speech was “pure bullshit” and arguing that opaque algorithms undermine meaningful democratic choice.

  • Macron said: “Having no clue about how their algorithm is made, how it’s tested, trained and where it will guide you — the democratic consequences of this bias could be huge. Some of them claim to be in favor of free speech — OK, we are in favor of free algorithms — totally transparent. Free speech is pure bullshit if nobody knows how you are guided to this so-called free speech, especially when it is guided from one hate speech to another.”

» Hillary Clinton and Al Gore Call for Social Media Regulation

• In two recent interviews, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore spoke about the need for social media regulation.

• Hillary Clinton: In an interview with BBC News, Hillary Clinton praised the EU’s Digital Services Act:

  • “But remember, the European Union is the only serious regulator of technology in the world right now. [ . . . ] When we first started talking about putting seatbelts in the cars because we had so many deaths from car accidents, the car makers complained, drivers complained, everybody complained. Who wants to have these straps over their body? We should be free in our cars. And the regulators said, we’re going to save lives. Now, I don’t think Elon Musk should determine the future of either our children or civilization. Of course, he doesn’t like it, but the Digital Services Act that the European Union passed is the only comprehensive effort to try to rein it in.

• Al Gore: In a recent discussion at #BloombergGreen, Al Gore talked about the threat of social media to democracy:

  • “If you have social media that is dominated by algorithms, that pull people down these rabbit holes . . . these algorithms are the digital equivalent of AR-15s. They ought to be banned; they really ought to be banned. It’s an abuse of the public forum. But when people are pulled down these rabbit holes, you know what’s at the bottom of the rabbit hole? That’s where the echo chamber is. And if you spend too much time in the echo chamber, what’s weaponized is another form of AI, not artificial intelligence, artificial insanity . . . These devices are the enemies of self-government. And they’re the enemies of democracy.”

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK Ban on Palestine Action Ruled Unlawful

• The UK’s High Court of Justice has ruled that the government’s ban on ‘Palestine Action,’ a direct-action network, under anti-terrorism laws was unlawful.

• The Ban:

  • Judge Victoria Sharp, the president of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court, said, “The nature and scale of Palestine Action’s activities falling within the definition of terrorism had not yet reached the level, scale, and persistence to warrant proscription.”

  • More than 2,500 people arrested for supporting the group since its proscription are left in legal limbo after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced she would appeal against the ban.

  • In the meantime, London police announced they will discontinue arresting people for showing support for Palestine Action, though they will continue to gather evidence for potential future prosecution.

• Context:

  • Of the 2,500 arrested, most were accused of violating section 13 of the Terrorism Act for holding placards that read “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action,” and could face a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

  • Showing support for or being a member of a proscribed group carries a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment under section 12 of the Terrorism Act.

  • More than 500 of those arrested have been charged.

» Belgium Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Social Media Post

• Belgium has summoned the U.S. Ambassador, Bill White, after he accused the country of antisemitic prosecution in a post on X.

• Context:

  • Belgian authorities are investigating three men for allegedly performing circumcisions without certified medical training, according to national broadcaster VRT.

  • White posted on X that the investigation was “unacceptable harassment of the Jewish community” in Belgium, adding, “You must make a legal provision to allow Jewish religious MOHELS to perform their duties here in Belgium.”

  • Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot argued, “An ambassador accredited to Belgium has a responsibility to respect our institutions,” and “Personal attacks against a Belgian minister and interference in judicial matters violate basic diplomatic norms.”

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Iranian Security Raids and Arrests Protesters

• Iranian security agents have reportedly been raiding homes and workplaces in major cities and even rural areas to arrest individuals accused of participating in the ongoing nationwide protests calling for the end of the country’s theocratic rule.

• Details:

  • Detainees are often held incommunicado and prohibited from contacting family members or lawyers, leaving relatives in the dark.

  • The Committee for Monitoring the Status of Detained Protesters (CMSDP), an international activist group, said authorities have been using municipal street cameras, store surveillance cameras, and drone footage to track participants in protests to their homes or workplaces.

  • Dadban, a group of Iranian lawyers based abroad documenting detentions, said families have reported that authorities have moved to suspend bank accounts, block SIM cards, and confiscate the property of protesters’ relatives or people who publicly express support for them.

  • Human Rights Activists News Agency has estimated that the number of arrests exceeds 50,000, with 107 university students, 82 children as young as 13, 19 lawyers, and 106 doctors verified by the CMSDP.

  • The news comes as the death toll from the protests climbs above 7,000, according to some estimates.

» Turkish Court Sentences Woman to Over 12 Years in Prison for Involvement in 2013 Protests

• A Turkish court has sentenced Ayse Barim, a well-known talent manager, to 12 years and six months in prison on charges of aiding an attempt to overthrow the government.

• Context:

  • Barim was arrested last year as part of an investigation into the 2013 nationwide “Gezi Park” protests against plans to build a shopping mall in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square.

  • The protests swelled into hundreds of thousands protesting against the government, sparking a sweeping crackdown that left more than 8,000 injured, more than 3,000 arrested, and 11 dead.

  • Prosecutors alleged that Barim coordinated with the actors she worked with and asked them to support the protests, a claim Barim denies.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Justin Hayes is the Director of Communications at The Future of Free Speech and the Managing Editor of The Bedrock Principle.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 FTC Warns Apple on News App Bias

— 🇮🇳 India Reduces Time to Comply with Online Takedown Orders

— 🇪🇺 EU Says TikTok ‘Addictive Features’ Breached DSA

— 🇨🇳 Hong Kong Activist Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

— 🇹🇷 Turkish Journalist Faces Prison for Social Media Posts

First of All 🇺🇲

» FTC Warns Apple News App Bias May Violate Consumer Protection Laws

• In a February 11 letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson warned the company that it may be violating consumer protection laws by stifling conservative media on its news app.

• Details:

  • The letter from the FTC chair comes a day after the New York Post reported on a study by the Media Research Center, a conservative media criticism organization, alleging that Apple News’ aggregation did not include right-leaning outlets.

  • The FTC’s letter pointed to Section 5 of the FTC Act that prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” and requested the company to review whether its curation practices do not violate the terms of service it provides to consumers.

  • “Any act or practice by Apple News to suppress or promote news articles based on the perceived ideological or political viewpoint of the article or publication, if inconsistent with Apple’s terms of service or the reasonable expectations of consumers, may violate the FTC Act,” Ferguson wrote.

  • The letter qualified that the FTC “is not the speech police” and that the agency does not “have the authority to require Apple or any other firm to take affirmative positions on any political issue” or “curate news offerings consistent with one ideology or another.”

  • Apple News claims to be the top news app in the country and features a mix of content curated by editors, while other content surfaces via algorithmic recommendations.

» Grand Jury Declines Charges against Congressional Democrats’ Social Media Post

• A federal grand jury refused to indict six congressional Democrats targeted by the Justice Department over a social media post encouraging members of the military to reject “illegal orders.”

• Background:

  • On November 24, the Pentagon announced an investigation into the lawmakers’ “potentially unlawful comments,” as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • In the video, the group, who were also all military veterans or former members of the intelligence community, told military personnel that they “must refuse illegal orders,” following a series of proposals from President Trump.

  • Two sources told CBS News that the Justice Department sought to charge the group under a criminal statute that threatens a 10-year maximum prison sentence for anybody who “advises, counsels, urges, or in any manner causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military.”

» FIRE Sues FTC Following Investigation into NewsGuard

• The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission and its chairman, Andrew Ferguson, on behalf of NewsGuard, a news media rating service.

• The complaint was filed in response to the FTC’s demands for NewsGuard’s documents and records, as well as allegations that the organization was biased. The agency claims that the inquiry was part of an antitrust investigation.

• Background:

  • NewsGuard employs a team of journalists who review the reliability of news sites and assign a score, which is used by consumers, AI companies, search engines, news aggregators, brands, and researchers.

  • The FTC and Ferguson targeted the company, alleging it violated antitrust laws after it assigned Newsmax, a conservative-leaning website, a low score.

• The Lawsuit:

  • The suit claims the agency demanded all documents, including emails, texts, reporters’ notes, and subscriber lists, dating back to NewsGuard’s founding “under the guise of a supposed antitrust investigation.”

  • It also points to a provision added to a draft merger order between Omnicom and Interpublic Group that prohibits either from prescribing or relying on the service.

  • The added condition bars Omnicom from doing business with any entity that engages in the “veracity of news reporting or other politically or ideologically contested facts, such as their characterization as ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ ‘bias’ or similar terms.”

  • The suit claims that both the demand for NewsGuard materials and merger conditions “came at the urging of Newsmax.”

  • The FTC “is brazenly using its power not for any issue concerning trade or commerce, but rather to censor speech,” the suit read, adding that “the government’s legitimate role is not to decide ‘what counts as the right balance of private expression— to ‘un-bias’ what it thinks biased.”

» US Immigration Court Blocks Tufts Student’s Deportation over Op-Ed

• An immigration court has blocked the deportation of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish Tufts University graduate student who was detained in March 2025 after co-authoring an op-ed criticizing her university’s response to the war in Gaza.

• Details:

  • In a letter to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Öztürk’s attorneys wrote that the immigration court determined the Department of Homeland Security had not proven that she should be removed from the U.S. and terminated her removal proceedings.

  • The DHS has the option to appeal the court’s decision and may try to detain her again, according to her attorneys.

  • In a statement, the DHS argued, “Visas provided to foreign students to live, study, and work in the United States are a privilege, not a right — no matter what this or any other activist judicial ruling says.”

  • Öztürk was arrested while walking down a street and placed in an unmarked vehicle, and remained in a Louisiana immigrant detention center until May 2025. She’s currently back on the Tufts campus in Massachusetts.

» Drag Performances Face New Threats in Tennessee

• A recently filed bill, HB 884, equates Tennessee drag performers with burlesque dancers and would limit where they can perform or remove their clothing.

• Details:

  • The bill would expand a 2023 “anti-drag” law by automatically placing adult cabaret under the legal term “adult-oriented establishments.”

  • Adult-oriented establishments are currently defined as businesses that offer sexually oriented material, devices, paraphernalia, or sexual activities as their “principal or predominant stock or trade.”

  • The expanded legislation would consider any business that hosts “adult cabaret” performances, even sporadically, as “adult-oriented establishments.”

  • Businesses that host these events could potentially be denied a license if they are located within 1,000 feet of residences, churches, schools, or daycare centers.

  • For small businesses, the cost of a license alone could prevent them from hosting even a one-time performance.

  • House Rep. Chris Todd, who submitted HB 884, said the state “leads the nation in passing commonsense policies to protect children from dangerous left-wing social policies.”

  • The bill has already passed the House and awaits Senate consideration.

Our Take: In a statement posted to X, we wrote that “burdening this expressive conduct — presented to consenting adult audiences — through zoning and licensing regimes designed for entirely different activity raises serious concerns about overbreadth and content-based regulation.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» India Reduces Time to Comply with Takedown Orders to 3 Hours

• On February 10, India published amendments to its 2021 IT Rules that direct social media platforms to escalate scrubbing of AI-generated deepfakes and impersonations. It also compresses the time they have to comply with such orders.

• The Amendments:

  • Platforms have three hours to respond to official takedown requests and two hours for certain urgent user complaints, or they risk losing their safe-harbor protections enshrined in Indian law.

  • Social media platforms that allow users to upload or share audiovisual content must require disclosures on whether the material is synthetically generated.

  • Platforms must also deploy tools to verify these user disclosures, identify and label deepfakes, embed traceable technology in deepfakes, and prevent the creation or sharing of prohibited synthetic content.

  • Prohibited content has expanded to include deceptive impersonations, non-consensual intimate imagery, and material linked to serious crimes, which could result in increased penalties and enable platforms to disclose users’ identities to private complainants without judicial oversight.

  • The amended law will take effect on February 20, giving platforms 10 days to adjust their compliance and moderation systems.

» Russia Throttles Telegram Over Legal Violations

• On February 11, Russia’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced that Telegram — a messaging platform with over 60 million Russian users — would begin slowing its nationwide service.

• Details:

  • Roskomnadzor accused the platform of failing to address regulatory violations, though it provided no further details.

  • The Kremlin spokesperson said officials were in contact with Telegram representatives and that they would take further action “in accordance with our legislation” if the company fails to respond.

  • A day before the announcement, users reported sluggish traffic and delayed video and image downloads, though the app continued to work.

  • The news comes as officials continue promoting Max, a state-backed messaging platform that advances a push for a “sovereign internet” cut off from foreign influence.

  • The throttling has sparked backlash from the pro-war blogging community and the army, with both describing the app as an essential communications tool.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» EU Investigation Says TikTok’s ‘Addictive Design’ Breached DSA

• Following its two-year investigation into TikTok, the European Union has accused the company of breaching the Digital Services Act with “addictive design” features that led to compulsive use by children.

• The Preliminary Findings:

  • Thomas Regnier, a spokesman of the European Commission, said TikTok’s features, including infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommender systems, “pose major risks” to users’ well-being.

  • The commission determined that the company failed to put in place “reasonable, proportionate and effective” safeguards to prevent compulsive use.

  • Although TikTok has existing time-management controls, the Commission said these are easy to dismiss and that parental controls require “additional time and skills” from parents.

  • The Commission wants TikTok to disable “infinite scroll,” add more effective screen-time breaks, including at night, and change its algorithmic recommender system.

• What’s Next:

  • In a statement, TikTok argued the preliminary findings “present a categorically false and entirely meritless depiction of our platform.”

  • The company has said it uses multiple tools, including custom screen-time limits, sleep reminders, and teen accounts with parental controls that prompt users to switch off in the evenings.

  • TikTok has an opportunity to respond to the commission’s findings, but could face fines of up to 6% of its total annual revenue.

» Italian Cabinet Slated to Approve Proposal Expanding Police Power Over Protests

• Italy’s cabinet is set to approve a decree on February 12 that would expand police powers, including the ability to detain protesters without a charge for up to 12 hours.

• Details:

  • Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the rules are necessary following violent protests in the city of Turin over the eviction of anti-establishment activists occupying a community center.

  • Recent demonstrations over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s involvement in security for the 2026 Olympics have amplified tensions.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Hong Kong Activist Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

• The longest sentence since the enactment of China’s 2020 national security law was imposed on Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

• Details:

  • Lai was convicted of collusion with foreign forces, endangering national security, and conspiracy to publish seditious materials, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • He was arrested in August 2020 following widespread pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019, and has been serving a separate prison term over fraud charges for the past five years.

  • In 2021, police arrested Apple Daily employees and froze its assets.

  • Authorities insist Lai used reporting as a pretext to commit acts that threatened China’s security, and accused him of lobbying foreign governments to impose sanctions, blockades, and engage in hostile activities in Hong Kong.

» Two Chinese Journalists Detained for Alleging Corruption

• Two Chinese journalists, Qu Yingjiao and Liu Hu, have been detained after publishing a report that accused a southwestern Chinese official of corruption.

• Details:

  • The pair published a joint investigative report examining Pu Fayou, the Communist Party secretary of the Sichuan county of Pujiang, on WeChat.

  • The report has since been deleted from WeChat, and police announced an investigation into the journalists on suspicion of “making false accusations” and “illegal business operations.”

» Turkish Journalist Faces Up to 5 Years Imprisonment Over Social Media Posts

• Sedef Kabaş, a Turkish journalist, has been indicted on charges of “inciting crime” in her social media posts and faces prison sentences of up to five years.

• Details:

  • The indictment cites a social media post in which Kabaş warned elections could become “merely symbolic” and advocated for civil disobedience.

  • Kabaş was detained on January 26, but later released under judicial supervision, which includes an international travel ban and requires her to regularly report to a police station for the next four months.

  • Kabaş has a history of being targeted for “insulting the president,” including a three-year sentence in 2022 for remarks she made during a television program, and an ongoing trial from 2023 over 25 social media posts.

» Malian Authorities Arrest Journalist for Criticizing Niger Military Leader

• Malian authorities have arrested Youssouf Sissoko, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper L’Alternance, for criticizing the military leader of its neighboring country, Niger.

• Context:

  • Both Mali and Niger are ruled by military “junta” leaders who forcefully seized power and created their own security alliance.

  • Malian authorities have cracked down on journalists, banning the sale of the Pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique and several French media outlets, including France 24 and Radio France International, since January 2025.

• Sissoko’s Arrest:

  • On February 2, L’Alternance published an article questioning accusations made by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchani that the presidents of France, Benin, and the Ivory Coast supported extremist groups that attacked an airport in Niger’s capital, Niamey, last month.

  • Human Rights Watch reported that Sissoko was charged with “spreading false information and insulting a foreign head of state, among other offenses,” before he was detained in pretrial custody.

» Brazilian Woman Faces Up to 10 Years Imprisonment for Social Media Comments

• Isadora Borges, a Brazilian veterinary student, is facing criminal prosecution over social media comments where she claimed males cannot become female, with potential prison sentences ranging from 4 to 10 years.

• Details:

  • Borges made two posts on X in November 2020, one stating that transgender women “were obviously born male” and the other echoing remarks from a Sydney University emeritus professor that said “a person who identifies as transgender retains their birth DNA. No surgery, synthetic hormone, or change of clothes will alter this fact.”

  • In September 2025, Borges was charged with two counts of transphobia, with each count carrying a punishment of 2-5 years in prison.

» Russian Comedian Sentenced to Prison for War Veteran Joke

• Artemy Ostanin, a Moscow-based stand-up comedian, has been sentenced to almost six years for a joke he made about a war veteran who lost his legs at a show last year.

• Details:

  • Video footage of Ostanin telling a story about bumping into a disabled veteran on the metro, who he referred to as a “legless skater,” circulated on social media along with calls for the comic to be punished for insulting Russian soldiers.

  • The comedian was arrested last year and added to Moscow’s list of terrorists and extremists.

  • A Moscow court convicted him of inciting veterans of the “special military operation,” Moscow’s term for the war in Ukraine, and for inciting hatred and insulting religious feelings with a separate joke.

  • He was sentenced to five years and nine months in a “general regime penal colony.”

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Abigail Pope is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Vanderbilt University studying economics.

This Week at a Glance

—🇺🇲 ICE Using Technology to Target Protesters

—🇮🇷 Iranians’ Internet Access Faces Continuous Threats

—🇪🇸 Spain to Launch Sweeping Internet Crackdown

—🇮🇹 Italian Senate Approves Ban on Antisemitic Rallies

—🇬🇪 Georgia Legislative Proposal Threatens NGOs

First of All 🇺🇲

» ICE Using Technology for Identifying Immigrants to Target Citizen Protesters

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota are using facial recognition and other technologies designed to identify undocumented immigrants to also track citizens who have protested ICE’s presence, according to current and former Department of Homeland Security officials who spoke to the New York Times.

• Facial Recognition:

  • Local activist groups documented agents using Mobile Fortify, a facial recognition technology developed for Customs and Border Protection and used by DHS.

  • The agency has not disclosed the technologies it has deployed in Minneapolis, though Democratic senators have requested more information about its facial recognition software and called for suspending its use in cities.

» ICE Observer’s Global Entry Revoked

• Nicole Cleland, a Minnesota resident and volunteer with an ICE and Customs and Border Protection vehicle-tracking group, has had her Global Entry and TSA PreCheck privileges revoked after observing agents’ activity.

• Observation of ICE Agents:

  • On January 10, Cleland observed “a white Dodge Ram being driven by what I believed to be federal enforcement agents” and followed the vehicle “with the intent of observing the agents’ actions.”

  • Cleland followed the car for a short time from a safe distance before the Dodge Ram and two other vehicles driven by federal agents pulled over, blocking her path.

  • An agent approached Cleland and informed her that they had “facial recognition” and were recording her with body cams.

  • The agent also stated that they were giving Cleland a verbal warning for “impeding their work” and that, if she was found to be impeding again, she would be arrested.

  • Cleland separated from the agents and drove in the opposite direction.

• Global Entry Revocation:

  • On January 13, Cleland received an email notification that her Global Entry and TSA PreCheck privileges were revoked.

  • A notification letter on Cleland’s Global Entry site account said reasons for revocation can include “the applicant has been found in violation of any customs, immigration, or agriculture regulations, procedures, or laws in any country,” though they can’t always disclose the specific reason for revocation.

» Administrative Subpoenas Used to Investigate Online Speech

• The Department of Homeland Security has been using administrative subpoenas — which agencies can issue without a judge or grand jury — to investigate those engaged in online criticism.

• Details:

  • Both Google and Meta received a record number of subpoenas in the U.S. during the first half of 2025, when the Trump administration began its second term.

  • Google reported receiving 28,622 subpoenas, a 15% increase over the previous six months.

• Email Triggers Investigation:

  • One such subpoena targeted Jon, a 67-year-old retiree who sent an email to the Florida Attorney General urging against the deportation of an Afghan asylum seeker, “H.””

  • Five hours later, Jon received a message from Google that it had “received legal process from a Law Enforcement authority compelling the release of information” related to his account.

  • Then, federal agents showed up at his door to ask about the email.

• Targeting Anonymous Accounts:

  • Last week, DHS sought to unmask an anonymous Instagram account in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, which posted information about local immigration enforcement and raids.

  • The agency ordered Meta to turn over the personal information associated with the account, but withdrew its subpoena without explanation after the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the account owner, said the speech was legal and protected.

• Other Cases:

  • March: Two subpoenas sought information on a student to deport for participating in pro-Palestinian protests.

  • July: DHS demanded employment records from Harvard University, another college swept up in a crusade against ideological bias in academic institutions.

  • December: DHS requested personal information on around 7,000 workers in a Minnesota health system whose staff protested ICE intrusion in one of its hospitals.

» University of Illinois Student Group Under Investigation Over Social Media Post

• The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus is reviewing the Illini Republicans student group’s social media post under Title VI, after administrators said it “appears to glorify violence.”

• Details:

  • The post, which has since been removed, expressed support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and featured a cartoon image of an armed agent pointing a gun at a person on the ground with text that read “Only traitors help invaders.”

  • The caption referenced the fatal shootings of ICE protesters in Minnesota, and said, “Traitors such as Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good had voided their liberties the moment they decided they were above the law and popular opinion.”

  • A university spokesperson said, “hate and intolerance are not aligned with our university values,” and although student organizations are independent, they are required to follow campus policies.

Our Take: The investigation by the University of Illinois is steering into very murky First Amendment waters. As a public university, they are bound by the First Amendment, and under Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), the government may only restrict advocacy for violence when such speech is “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to produce” such action. However morally repugnant, the student group’s post doesn’t meet this standard. — Ashkhen Kazaryan

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Nationwide Internet Outages Continue in Russia

• Cellular internet outages have become routine across Russia as authorities justify the disruptions as necessary for defense against Ukrainian drones.

• What’s Happening:

  • Outages extend to regions far from Ukraine’s drone target sites in Russia, reaching as far as Kamchatka, which is 4,350 miles from the Ukrainian border.

  • Information during outages has been limited to websites on the “white list,” a registry of government-approved websites, though some reports claim that even those fail to load during blackouts.

  • The “white list” includes primarily government services such as the post office and weather information, as well as state-run media outlets, search engines, and social networks.

  • The blackouts follow bans on social media, including Instagram and Facebook, YouTube throttling, restrictions on messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram, and VPN shutdowns.

» Internet Access in Iran Faces Continued Threats

• Nearly 20 days after the Iranian government blocked the internet and international calls during a crackdown on anti-government protests, connectivity has been partially restored.

• However, the Iranian regime has advanced plans to “retire” access to the international internet completely, threatening what experts say is “a new age of digital isolation” for the country.

• Details:

  • The government has made strides toward implementing a system that restricts access to the international web exclusively to people with security clearance.

  • The process, known as “whitelisting,” makes SIM cards or other permissions that enable unrestricted internet access available to a small subset of users, while everyone else is limited to the national internet.

  • Whitelisting differs from blacklisting specific websites or apps by limiting access to domestic internet use only, allowing the regime to track users and approve or block sites.

• Crackdown on Alternatives:

  • Citizens had bypassed shutdowns to share content from the past 20 days using Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet, as mentioned in a post from Research Assistant Hirad Mirami on The Bedrock Principle.

  • The Iranian government has begun arresting those smuggling satellite terminals into the country and introduced prison sentences for possessing one.

  • For years, the U.S. government has funded VPNs in Iran, but the Trump administration’s foreign-assistance budget cuts reduced funding for these efforts.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Spain to Launch Sweeping Online Crackdown

• On February 3, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a sweeping legislative package targeting social media platforms, hateful content, and algorithmic curation, which will take effect next week.

• Announced Measures:

  • The legislation will change existing law to hold platform executives criminally liable for “failing to remove illegal or hateful content.”

  • It will also create a new criminal offense for algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content, Sánchez said, adding that “we will go after…the platforms whose algorithms amplify the disinformation for profit.”

  • A hate and polarization footprint system will “track, quantify and expose how platforms fuel division and amplify hate,” that will “provide the basis for undertaking future penalties.”

  • Minors under the age of 16 will also be prohibited from accessing social media through “effective age-verification systems— not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work.”

• Global Efforts to Ban Social Media for Minors:

  • In December, Australia became the first country to bar minors under the age of 16 from social media, targeting 10 platforms, as noted in a previous Free Flow.

  • Five European countries began testing age-verification systems in July 2025, as noted in a previous Free Flow, and both France, Denmark, and Norway have announced plans to ban access for users under 15.

  • Greece and the UK are also considering similar bans.

Our Take: In a post on The Bedrock Principle, Jacob Mchangama argued: “It’s particularly disappointing that such proposals come from Spain—a country that knows what it means to live under stifling top-down censorship, and understands the difference between a population whose ideas and information are tightly controlled and a population allowed to think and speak for itself.”

» French Prosecutors Raid X Offices, Summon Elon Musk For Questioning

• French prosecutors raided X’s French offices and summoned Elon Musk for questioning as part of an ongoing investigation into its chatbot, Grok, for generating explicit imagery.

• Details:

  • X owner, Musk, and former CEO Linda Yaccarino have been requested to attend “voluntary interviews” in April. Employees have also been summoned to appear as witnesses.

  • The investigation was opened in January 2025 after reports from a French lawmaker alleged that the platform’s biased algorithms likely distorted the operation of an automated data-processing system.

  • The probe widened in July after global outrage last month, when Grok generated sexualized deepfake images.

  • The charges extend beyond “complicity” in possessing and spreading pornographic images of minors and sexually explicit deepfakes to denial of crimes against humanity and manipulation of an automated data processing system.

• Raid Comes Amid UK Investigation:

  • The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office also said it was looking into the company’s processing of personal data and safeguards against generating “harmful manipulated images” the same day.

  • A separate investigation by the UK’s internet regulator, Ofcom, which began last month, is also progressing.

» Italian Senate Advances Bill Allowing Authorities to Ban Antisemitic Rallies

• The Italian Senate has approved a bill that would allow authorities to ban antisemitic rallies and incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism into legislation.

• Details:

  • If passed, the bill would make Italy among the first countries to criminalize antisemitic hate speech according to the controversial IHRA definition.

  • Banning demonstrations would be possible whenever there is an “assessment of a serious potential risk” of the use of “symbols, slogans, messages, and any other antisemitic act.”

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Proposed Georgia Legislative Amendments Quash NGO Independence

• On January 28, the ruling Georgian Dream Party Member of Parliament Irakli Kirtskhalia introduced a new legislative package that would expand government oversight of nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign funding, imposing lengthy prison sentences and heavy fines for violations.

• Background:

  • The proposal comes after several organizations re-registered abroad to continue operating, following a 2024 Foreign Agents Law that required them to register in Georgia as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power.”

  • Over the past year, dozens of media outlets and organizations have shut down under the mounting financial and legal pressure.

  • The new law would even apply to representative offices or branches of international organizations, even if the funds are sourced from their own parent organization abroad.

• The Amendments:

  • The proposed amendments would expand the definition of what constitutes a “grant” to include any money, service, or in-kind support transferred between individuals or organizations with the perceived intention to influence national policies, state institutions, or “any segment of society.”

  • Any organization registered abroad but conducting “substantial activities” in Georgia must receive permission to receive international funding.

  • Violations could result in substantial fines, 300-500 hours of community service, or prison terms of up to 6 years.

  • It would also bar anyone employed by an organization that receives more than 20% of its annual income from a foreign source from joining a political party for 8 years.

» North Koreans Executed for Watching South Korean TV

• Testimonies given to Amnesty International have revealed that North Koreans caught watching South Korean television shows are subject to public humiliation, years in labor camps, or even execution.

• Details:

  • The 2020 Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Act defines South Korean content as “rotten ideology that paralyzes the people’s revolutionary sense,” and mandates between 5 and 15 years for watching or possessing South Korean dramas, films, or music.

  • The death penalty can be prescribed for distributing “large amounts” of such content or organizing group viewings, but can be evaded by bribing officials, which sources say leaves the poor vulnerable.

  • One source said North Koreans will even sell their houses to escape “re-education” camps through bribes of $5,000 or $10,000 USD.

  • The government has also deployed the “109 group,” a specialized law enforcement unit tasked with cracking down on foreign media consumption through warrantless searches of homes, streets, and phones.

  • Sources also claim that schoolchildren are forced to watch public executions as part of their “ideological education.”

  • Still, sources maintain that South Korean media consumption is widespread, with young North Koreans using USB drives to smuggle in dramas and films from China.

» Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Arrested in Iran

• Mehdi Mahmoudian, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, has been arrested in Iran just weeks before the awards, and days after he had signed a statement condemning Islamic Republic leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the regime’s crackdown on demonstrators.

• Context:

  • Details on the charges against Mahmoudian have not been made available, though two other signatories were also arrested.

  • Mahmoudian was one of the writers of the Iranian drama “It Was Just an Accident,” directed by Jafar Panahi, that is up for multiple awards at the 2026 Oscars.

» Russian Ministry of Justice Lawsuit Seeks to Ban LGBTQ+ Organizations

• On February 2, the Joint Press Service of the Courts of Saint Petersburg in Russia announced that the Ministry of Justice had filed lawsuits to designate leading LGBTQ+ organizations as “extremist.”

• Details:

  • The lawsuit targets the Russian LGBT Network and Vykhod, based in Saint Petersburg.

  • Hearings will be closed to the public due to purportedly “secret documents” included in the lawsuit.

  • The case follows a declaration in November 2023 of the “international LGBT movement” as “extremist.”

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Ashkhen Kazaryan is a Senior Legal Fellow at The Future of Free Speech, where she leads initiatives to protect free expression and shape policies that uphold the First Amendment in the digital age.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

—🇺🇲 Border Patrol Kills Nurse Recording ICE Raid

—🇪🇺 EU Determines WhatsApp Subject to DSA Regulation

—🇧🇾 Radio Operators in Belarus Face Death Penalty

—🇧🇮 Burundi Journalists Sentenced to Prison

—🇰🇿 Belgian Football Fans Jailed in Kazakhstan for Borat Outfits

First of All 🇺🇲

» U.S. Border Patrol Kills Minneapolis Nurse Who Was Recording ICE Raid

• On January 24, border patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, while he was recording an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. This was the second fatal shooting of a U.S. Citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis this month.

• Details:

  • Verified videos appear to show Pretti holding a phone, directing traffic, and attempting to help a woman whom a federal agent had pushed to the ground.

  • He was then pepper-sprayed and wrestled to the ground by multiple agents before being shot ten times in less than five seconds.

• Official Response vs. Video Evidence:

  • Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Pretti “approached” officers “brandishing” a 9mm handgun and “arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.”

  • This statement came as video evidence posted to social media appeared to show another agent removing the gun from Pretti’s waistband and stepping away before shots were fired.

  • Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated Pretti was a lawful gun owner with a permit to carry, had no criminal record, and appeared to be “exercising his First Amendment rights to record law enforcement activity.”

  • As of January 28, the two agents who shot at Pretti have been placed on administrative leave.

Our Take: “Within hours of the killing of Alex Pretti [ . . . ] top officials attempted to shape the narrative,” Jacob Mchangama wrote at Persuasion. “As bystander footage spread across social media, the official narrative began to collapse. [ . . . ] This is what a free society should aim for: not a perfect public sphere without falsehoods (which has never existed), but a public sphere with enough openness, transparency, and decentralized checking power to ensure that lies—especially from the top—cannot become the permanent record.”

» FBI to Investigate Minneapolis Protestors’ Alleged Use of Signal Chats

• On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the launch of a criminal investigation into encrypted Signal group chats used by Minneapolis activists, after claims circulated by far-right online personality Cam Higby that he had “infiltrated” the chats and uncovered efforts to track federal immigration agents.

• Background:

  • Higby posted screenshots on X purporting to show Minneapolis anti-ICE organizers using Signal, the encrypted messaging app, to share sightings, vehicle descriptions, and license plates of possible ICE vehicles. His posts framed the activity as an effort to obstruct or endanger federal agents.

  • Higby promoted these claims on the podcast of right-wing media figure Benny Johnson, calling for federal action.

  • FBI Director Patel appeared on the same show and claimed the FBI had opened an investigation “as soon as” Higby made his social media posts.

  • While stressing that the FBI was not targeting peaceful protest, Patel argued, “You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm’s way.”

• Free Speech Concerns: Kevin Goldberg, Vice President of the Freedom Forum, told The Guardian that, based on the publicly shared material, he saw nothing obviously illegal and warned that observing and alerting others to potential dangers is generally protected speech. He cited Supreme Court precedent recognizing a right to organize privately, absent criminal conduct.

» FCC Says Late Night Talk Shows Not Exempt from Equal Time Rule

• Last week, the Federal Communications Commission said that late-night and daytime television talk shows interviewing political candidates must comply with the federal “equal time” rule, warning networks not to rely on a 2006 FCC Media Bureau decision that treated such interviews as exempt “bona fide news” content.

• Background:

  • For nearly two decades, broadcasters have leaned on a 2006 exemption granted to The Tonight Show to argue that candidate interviews on entertainment programs qualify as genuine news interviews and therefore fall outside equal-time requirements.

  • In a public notice, the FCC’s Media Bureau said it has seen no evidence that any current late-night or daytime talk show interview would qualify for that exemption and urged stations seeking certainty to file for a declaratory ruling.

  • The rules do not apply to so-called bona fide news programs and are typically in effect 90 days before a political candidate’s nomination via convention or caucus.

  • In September, FCC Chairman Brendon Carr said the FCC should consider reviewing whether “The View” runs afoul of equal time commission rules when covering rival political candidates.

  • After pressuring broadcasters to take Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air, Carr faced bipartisan criticism. (See our response from Ashkhen Kazaryan here).

  • Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized the recent guidance as an escalation in the FCC’s “campaign to censor and control speech,” adding, “The First Amendment does not yield to government intimidation. Broadcasters should not feel pressured to water down, sanitize, or avoid critical coverage out of fear of regulatory retaliation.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Lawsuit Against ‘Addictive’ Social Media Platforms Proceeds, TikTok and Snapchat Settle

• A lawsuit that accuses social media platforms of being addictive and harmful to children has proceeded to trial.

• While Snapchat and TikTok reached a settlement with the 19-year-old plaintiff, the trial will continue for Meta and YouTube.

• The Case:

  • The plaintiff, identified as “KGM,” claims that social media use from a young age caused her to be addicted to the technology, leading to depression and suicidal thoughts.

  • Their lawsuit alleges that the addiction and mental illness suffered were caused by design choices on behalf of companies that sought to make their platforms frequented by children to boost profit.

  • If the Los Angeles County Superior Court agrees, the ruling could sidestep the companies’ protection from liability for material posted by users on their platforms, as enshrined in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

• Industry Response:

  • Spokespersons from Meta and Google, YouTube’s parent company, have strongly disputed the allegations, citing safeguards they have implemented for children over the years.

  • “Recently, a number of lawsuits have attempted to place the blame for teen mental health struggles squarely on social media companies,” said a blog post from Meta, “But this oversimplifies a serious issue.”

• The Bigger Picture:

  • The case marks the beginning of a slate of lawsuits aimed at holding social media companies accountable for children’s mental well-being.

  • In June, a federal trial in Oakland, California, will involve school districts suing platforms over harms to children.

  • More than 40 state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against Meta, claiming its Instagram and Facebook features addict children to its platforms.

  • TikTok also faces similar lawsuits in over a dozen states.

» Report Shows Chinese Censorship of Mongolian Language and Content

• A report from the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center revealed a systematic campaign in China that uses surveillance, intimidation, platform shutdowns, and content takedowns to silence Mongolian language, music, and culture online.

• Background:

  • The data show an escalating crackdown on Mongolian-language internet use following a 2020 policy that replaced Mongolian with Mandarin Chinese in all subjects in schools across China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

  • The policy sparked protests across the region and led to a swift suppression that left 8,000-10,000 Mongolians in custody.

• Online Crackdown:

  • Nearly 89% of the 169 cultural websites written in Mongolian have been shut down, converted to Mandarin-only access, or stripped of Mongolian-related content, including discussions of Chinggis Khan.

  • Language-specific messaging apps designed to support Mongolian script have been restricted and shut down, including Bainuu, which had at least 400,000 users.

  • Mongolian music has been scrubbed from music apps.

• Pressure on Activists:

  • Activists and educators who posted about the issue online have been arrested, as well as undergone forced “re-education” and “confessions.”

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» EU Rules WhatsApp is Subject to DSA Requirements

• The EU has designated WhatsApp, Meta’s messaging app, as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act.

• WhatsApp joins the ranks of Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok and is therefore subject to the strictest set of Europe’s online safety rules.

• Details:

  • The decision focuses on WhatsApp Channels, where administrators can broadcast announcements to groups in the feed, and private messaging is explicitly excluded.

  • The EU’s threshold for very large online platforms is set at 45 million users in the continent, which WhatsApp surpassed in August, reporting approximately 51.7 million users.

  • Meta has been given four months to assess and mitigate systemic risks on the platform, including the spread of illegal content and threats to civic discourse, elections, fundamental rights, or health.

  • If it fails to address these systemic risks to users, it could face fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover under the DSA.

Our Take: The DSA’s systemic-risk obligations ask platforms to navigate a set of ill-defined and sometimes conflicting interests. So far, the European Commission has been cautious about sanctions that would directly restrict speech. But the risk of misapplication—through jawboning, enforcement overreach, or unintended self-censorship—is real and past practice has already shown some worrying signs. As DSA enforcement ramps up, free-speech advocates should watch these unprecedented provisions closely. — Jordi Calvet-Bademunt

» EU Launches Inquiry Into X Over AI Images

• The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into X under the Digital Services Act, focused on the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, and its creation of sexually explicit imagery.

• Background:

  • The formal inquiry was launched on January 26 and will focus on whether the company properly assessed and mitigated risks in relation to Grok’s deployment on X, including those related to the sharing of illegal content such as manipulated sexually explicit images.

  • After backlash erupted over the images, the company first restricted access to the tool to paid subscribers and subsequently announced that it had introduced measures to prevent Grok from allowing image editing in such contexts, including for paid customers.

  • A commission official said the measures did not address broader concerns about Grok and that the company lacked “effective mitigating measures.”

  • The investigation follows a separate probe from the UK’s internet regulator, OfCom, which announced its investigation in early January.

• The Commission has also extended an inquiry into X’s algorithmic recommendation system, after the company announced it would move to a Grok-based model for filtering information and content for users.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Radio Operators in Belarus Face Death Penalty

• The Belarusian government has detained three radio operators who face the death penalty after being accused of “intercepting state secrets.”

• Details:

  • The operators are among seven individuals detained who are allegedly associated with the Belarusian Federation of Radioamateurs and Radiosportsmen (BFRR), an amateur radio nonprofit club.

  • On state TV, Belarusian officials claimed the men committed “espionage” and “treason.”

  • Authorities reportedly seized more than 500 pieces of radio equipment and were accused on state TV of using the technology to spy on the movement of government planes, though no evidence was provided to support these claims.

» Burundi Journalist Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

• Sandra Muhoza, a Burundian journalist, has been sentenced to four years in prison for “undermining the territorial integrity of the nation and racial hatred.”

• Details:

  • Muhoza works for the online outlet La Nova Burundi and has been in detention since April 2024.

  • The charges concern information Muhoza shared in a private WhatsApp group about alleged arms distribution by the government.

  • She was originally convicted in December 2024 on the same charges, but an appellate court found the trial court lacked jurisdiction and overturned the conviction.

  • The case was remanded to a Ngozi court, which sentenced her to four years in prison, 27 months more than her original sentence, and ordered her to pay a fine of 200,000 Burundian francs, the equivalent of $67.

» Three Belgian Football Fans Jailed in Kazakhstan

• Three Belgian football fans have been sentenced by a Kazakh court to short jail terms for wearing mankini swimsuits that mimicked the film character Borat.

• Details:

  • The fans were detained during the Champions League match between Kairat Almaty and Club Brugge and sentenced to days of administrative detention for disrupting public order.

  • The men wore green swimsuits to the game, while chanting “Borat is ours” in Dutch.

  • Borat, the character, was a fictional Kazakh journalist who appeared in a satirical TV show and was later adapted into a 2006 film.

  • The movie was initially banned in Kazakhstan, though attitudes changed when the country’s then-foreign minister said he was “grateful” for the character, which was drawing tourists.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Justin Hayes is the Director of Communications at The Future of Free Speech and the Managing Editor of The Bedrock Principle.

Jordi Calvet-Bademunt is a Senior Research Fellow at The Future of Free Speech.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 Police Question Miami Resident Over Facebook Post

— 🇷🇴 Romanian Anti-Extremism Law Sparks Free Speech Concerns

— 🇬🇧 UK Cancels Visa-Free Entry of Right-Wing Influencer

— 🇮🇷 Deadly Crackdown on Protests in Iran Continues

— 🇲🇾 LGBTQ+ Event Cancelled After Pressure from Malaysian Government

First of All 🇺🇲

» Minnesota Officials Hit With Grand Jury Subpoenas for Statements ‘Impeding’ ICE

• Last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were placed under investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly impeding federal immigration enforcement by publicly criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in the state.

• On January 20, the pair, along with several other government officials in Minnesota, were issued grand jury subpoenas.

• Investigation:

  • An anonymous U.S. official told CBS News that “the investigation stems from statements that Walz and Frey have made about the thousands of [ICE] officers and Border Patrol agents deployed to the Minneapolis region in recent weeks.”

  • The investigation began during what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest recent immigration enforcement operation, which resulted in more than 2,500 arrests in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

  • State and local officials have repeatedly told protesters to remain peaceful as tensions heightened after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent.

  • Mayor Frey argued the investigation was an attempt to intimidate him for “standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets.”

• Subpoenas:

  • Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her were also among the subpoenaed in connection with the allegations.

  • Minnesota AG Ellison said that the subpoena targets records and documents related to his office’s work regarding federal immigration enforcement, shortly after his office sued the Trump administration over ICE’s tactics in the state.

» Police Question Miami Beach Resident Over Facebook Post

• After posting Facebook comments critical of Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, police visited the home of Raquel Pacheco to question her.

• What Happened:

  • Pacheco, a former candidate for the Miami Beach City Commission and the Florida Senate, had responded to a post from Mayor Meiner describing Miami Beach as a welcoming place.

  • Her comment criticized his positions and actions toward Palestinian and LGBTQ+ communities, and a reference to last March, when Meiner attempted to end a local cinema’s lease after it screened a movie from Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers he described as an “attack on the Jewish people.”

  • Pacheco recorded the interaction with police at her door, in which an officer told her they were looking for the commenter because the content posted could “probably incite somebody to do something bad.”

  • Officers were also heard saying, “We are just trying to prevent somebody else getting agitated or agreeing with the statement,” but that they were not judging whether her comment was true.

• Officials’ Response:

  • A day after visiting Pacheco, the police released a statement that the post was reviewed because it referenced an elected official and was made amid heightened concerns about antisemitism..

  • They insisted the assessment was made as a precaution against potential safety implications, and their visit was a “brief, consensual encounter.”

  • Mayor Meiner wrote, “[O]ur police department believed that inflammatory language that is false and without any factual basis was justification for follow-up to assess the level of threat and to protect the safety of all involved.”

Our Take: In a statement posted on X, we reiterated that the police’s claim that the comment could “probably incite somebody to do something bad” was not the standard for when speech falls outside the First Amendment. While Pacheco’s posts might be unkind or even untrue about the Mayor, they are all protected political speech, and certainly don’t merit a visit from the police.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Kentucky Senator Retreats from Defense of Section 230 After Claiming Defamation

• Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has published an op-ed in the New York Post claiming that YouTube, along with its parent company, Google, deserves to be sued over users’ defamatory content, despite his prior defense of internet liability protections enshrined in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

• The Op-Ed:

  • Paul claims to have believed that Section 230, the law that limits platforms liability over third party speech on the platform, was “necessary for the functioning of the internet.”

  • But after YouTube refused to take down a video falsely accusing him of taking money from Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Paul says he has come to “rethink Congress’s blind allegiance to liability shields.”

  • Paul argues that the companies’ “inconsistent moderation of truthfulness,” “conscious refusal to remove illegal and defamatory content,” and “complete lack of decency” have led him to pursue legislation against liability shields.

Our Take: If Section 230 protections are rolled back, the consequences could be profound. Some platforms will over-moderate to avoid legal exposure, removing lawful but controversial content. Others will under moderate, allowing harmful content to spread unchecked since any moderation decision could open them up to liability. We cannot and should not dismantle the legal foundation of online speech because it failed to protect one powerful man. — Ashkhen Kazaryan

» Judge to Reverse OSU Student’s Expulsion Over TikTok Video

• A U.S. District Judge has ordered Ohio State University to immediately reverse the expulsion of Guy Christensen, a political activist with over 3 million followers on TikTok, from its records after he was kicked out of the university last May for two videos posted while off-campus.

• The Videos:

  • After the May 2025 killing of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington D.C., Christensen posted a video condemning the shooting but soon after posted a follow-up video taking back his condemnation, stating, “I do not condemn the elimination of those two Zionist officials.”

  • He also said that the attack was “being used to weaponize violence against the movement,” but that “we will meet it with our own greater resistance and escalation…”

  • In another video, Christensen denounced Congressman Ritchie Torres’ position that the conflict in Gaza did not amount to genocide, as well as his ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israeli public figures, and the Zionist movement.

  • He argued Torres’ comments would “haunt [his] family for eternity as [he] will eventually, if [he’s] still alive, end up in a Nuremberg trials for all the elected officials in America who facilitated and protected this genocide.”

• The Case:

  • Christensen was notified of his expulsion on May 30, 2025, the same day it took effect, with no option for recourse.

  • The judge found that the same-day enforcement of the expulsion violated due process by leaving Christensen with no recourse to defend himself.

  • OSU officials argued that Christensen’s use of words such as “resistance” and “escalation” amounted to inciting violence.

  • The U.S. District Court found that his videos contained no specific call to action and that he had a history of advocating nonviolent protest.

  • The ruling emphasized that the First Amendment protects unpopular viewpoints and required the university to reverse Christensen’s disenrollment while the broader lawsuit proceeds.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Romanian Anti-Extremism Law Sparks Free Speech Concerns

• Protests have erupted in Bucharest as a response to Romania adopting a law that targets “extremism” and introduces criminal penalties for promoting antisemitism, xenophobia, radicalization, and hate speech offline and online.

• About the Law:

  • The law states that initiating, establishing, joining, or supporting a fascist, legionary, racist, or xenophobic organization is “punishable by imprisonment from 3 to 10 years and the prohibition of certain rights.”

  • It specifically targets denying, “contesting, approving, justifying, or obviously minimizing, by any means, in public, the Holocaust or its effect,” with prison terms of up to 3 years.

  • Under the law, distributing such material is “punishable by imprisonment from one to five years and the prohibition of certain rights,” and penalties will increase by half if the content is distributed through an IT system.

• Public Reaction:

  • Demonstrators call the legislation the “Vexler Law,” a reference to MP Silviu Vexler, who also serves as president of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania and proposed the law.

  • The bill was initially adopted in June 2025, before President Nicuşor Dan referred it to the Constitutional Court, claiming the definitions around fascist, legionary, racist, or xenophobic material were not precise enough, as included in a previous Free Flow.

  • The Court rejected Dan’s objections, and the law was readopted in December 2025, triggering renewed public debate.

Our Take: Natalie Alkiviadou previously wrote that the President’s referral of the law to Romania’s Constitutional Court was “one of the few gestures toward accountability in a continent where the legal consensus is tilting against speech.” In reference to a similar law proposed in Australia, Jacob Mchangama and Samantha Barbas recently argued, “Laws that promise safety by policing words may satisfy a public appetite for action, but they do not stop violence. What they do is corrode democratic culture and hand extremists the grievance they crave.”

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» UK Cancels Visa-Free Entry of Dutch Right-Wing Influencer

• Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a Dutch anti-immigration influencer, appears to have had her authorization for visa-free travel to the UK revoked after authorities determined her “presence in the UK is not considered to be conducive to the public good.”

• Details:

  • On January 13, Vlaardingerbroek posted an image of what appears to be a British government notification cancelling her UK electronic travel authorization (ETA), which was later reposted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

  • She claimed that the ETA termination came just days after she posted that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was an “evil, despicable man” in reference to the UK’s plan to ban X.

  • Vlaadingerbroek now must apply for and obtain a UK visa before making any further attempts to travel, and may be denied entry.

  • The influencer has far-right ties, including addressing the 2024 Conservative Political Action conference in Hungary and speaking at Britain’s largest far-right protest in London with the words “Generation Remigration” across her t-shirt, an allusion to forced mass deportations.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Deadly Crackdown on Iranian Protests Continues, Authorities Air Coerced Confessions

• In last week’s Free Flow, we detailed the deadly crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran that have left the death toll climbing above 2,500.

• This week saw continued escalation, with a continued internet blackout, widespread detentions, random searches and seizures, increased military and police presence, and televised coerced confessions.

• Detentions and Violence: Since the protests erupted on December 28, over 20,000 people have been detained, and the death toll continues to surge.

• Coerced Confessions:

  • Residents of Tehran report armed forces stopping and searching cars randomly, and asking people to unlock their phones to check their social media and photo galleries for evidence of their presence at protests.

  • Iranian state media has aired at least 97 confessions from protesters, many expressing remorse for their actions and referencing Israel or America.

  • Iran alleges the confessions prove foreign plots behind the protests.

  • The Human Rights Activists News Agency claims that testimony from prior detainees reveal the confessions follow psychological or physical torture.

  • Coerced confessions have been used in the past during hearings for serious security-related offenses that carry the death penalty, which has resulted in executions carried out by hanging.

» ‘Glamping with Pride’ Event Canceled After Pressure from Malaysian Authorities

• On January 13, Jejaka, a Malaysian LGBTQ+ activist NGO, cancelled its two-day “Glamping with Pride” event under pressure, including investigations, threats, and public and official scrutiny.

• Investigations and Threats:

  • Police received at least five reports related to the program’s advertisement, which led to investigations under Section 504 of the Penal Code for intentional insult to provoke a breach of the peace, and under Section 223 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities.

  • Public comments from authorities and political leaders heightened scrutiny of the event and pressure to cancel it.

• Public Comments:

  • A joint statement from the state of Selangor’s Islamic Religious Council and the Mufti, or Muslim scholar, of Selangor said that the state Sultan, or ruler, “firmly rejects any LGBTQ-related activities organized” within the state.

  • It added that this includes festivals, parades, celebrations, or promotions of LGBTQ+ lifestyles, as well as the establishment of associations, clubs, organizations, or NGOs related to LGBTQ+ activities.

  • Senlangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari added that while “glamping” activities are not prohibited, permits will not be issued to events involving “LGBTQ+ elements,” and urged authorities to take action if organizers persisted.

  • Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah himself ordered “firm action” against any activities linked to the retreat days before the event.

  • In the statement and on social media, the Selangor Royal Office suggested that such rhetoric could invite “wrath and curse” upon the state.

• Jejaka released a statement that it would cancel its event, citing the creation of an environment “in which reckless rhetoric, misinformation, and fear-mongering made it unsafe for people to gather.”

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Ashkhen Kazaryan is a Senior Legal Fellow at The Future of Free Speech, where she leads initiatives to protect free expression and shape policies that uphold the First Amendment in the digital age.

This Week At A Glance 🔎

— 🇮🇷 Thousands Killed in Iranian Protests Amid Internet Blackouts

— 🇬🇧 U.K. Threatens to Ban X, Sparks Criticism from U.S.

— 🇦🇺 Australia Accelerates Crackdown on Antisemitism, Hate Speech

— 🇺🇬 Uganda Blocks Internet Services Ahead of Election

— 🇵🇱 Poland President Vetoes Digital Services Act

First of All 🇺🇲

» Arizona Senator Sues Defense Secretary for Speech Retaliation

• Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon after Hegseth said they were taking steps to downgrade Kelly’s military retirement rank and pay because of his “seditious statements.”

• Context:

  • Hegseth is referring to a video featuring Kelly and other retired service members urging military personnel not to comply with illegal orders, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • On January 5, Hegseth announced that the Department of War had initiated retirement-grade determination proceedings, which would result in a reduction in his retired grade and pay.

  • Kelly’s lawsuit alleges that Hegseth’s actions violate Kelly’s First Amendment rights and seeks a court order declaring them unlawful.

  • While speaking on the Senate floor, Kelly said, “If Pete Hegseth succeeds in silencing me, then he and every other secretary of defense who comes after him will have license to punish any retired veteran, of any political persuasion, for the things that they say.”

• Meanwhile, Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who also appeared in the video urging resistance to illegal orders, told the New York Times that federal prosecutors are investigating her as well, noting that she received an interview request from Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

» FBI Probes Anti-ICE Protesters Following Minneapolis Shooting

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reportedly investigating the “organizers and funders” of anti-ICE protests following the death of an unarmed woman shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis.

• The Investigation:

  • FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency “is investigating paid protest campaigns throughout the country, including organizers, protesters, and funding sources, that drive illicit activities.”

  • Patel’s remarks were published on the pro-Trump media outlet, Just the News.

  • The Just the News article also claimed that the protests appear to be organized by a financial network linked to the Chinese Communist Party, though no evidence was provided.

  • In an interview with Steve Bannon, Just the News writer John Solomon said Patel told him that organizers and funders of the anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis are “under criminal investigation for impeding lawful law enforcement activities and endangering public safety.”

  • The news follows viral footage of Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen who was fatally shot by an ICE official through her car windshield and car doors.

» FBI Searches Washington Post Reporter’s Home for Obtaining Classified Materials

• The FBI searched the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter for the Washington Post, as part of an investigation into a government contractor who has been accused of illegally obtaining classified materials.

• The Accused Contractor:

  • Navy veteran and system administrator Aurelio Perez-Lugones has been charged with “unlawful retention of national defense information.”

  • The complaint accuses Perez-Lugones of searching databases containing classified information without authorization and printing or taking screenshots of the material.

  • Investigators had searched Perez-Lugones’ house in Maryland when they found a document marked “SECRET” in the basement and another labeled the same way in a lunchbox in his car.

  • The complaint does not mention any ties between Perez-Lugines and Natanson.

• Hannah Natson:

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X that the Pentagon requested the search “at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor.”

  • Agents seized Natanson’s phone, work, personal laptops, and smartwatch to uncover her sources, despite telling her she is not the focus of the probe.

  • Former top Department of Justice spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said Bondi had rescinded regulations that protect journalists from subpoenas, and that “The reporter is NOT the ‘leaker’.”

Our Take: We should all be paying attention as more details about this case emerge. What we already know is very alarming, because even in leak investigations, the First Amendment and longstanding precedent require the government to proceed with extreme restraint. The chilling effect on free speech and the escalation of tension between the US government and the free press should be deeply concerning to everyone who values the First Amendment. - Ashkhen Kazaryan

» Texas Teacher Union Sues Over Investigations of Kirk Posts

• The Texas branch of the national labor union American Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT) announced that it is suing the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over its investigations into hundreds of educators’ social media posts in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

• Details:

  • The lawsuit seeks a judicial order to halt TEA’s investigations and to retract the policy requiring districts to report educators for inappropriate social media posts.

  • Four anonymous educators are included in the lawsuit as having been reported to the TEA.

  • Three of these educators are still teaching, while one was terminated by their school board and received a settlement from the school district on their wrongful termination lawsuit.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Uganda Blocks Internet Services Ahead of National Election

• The Uganda Communications Commission has blocked internet service nationwide to prevent the “weaponization of the internet” and the spread of misinformation ahead of the country’s national election.

• Details:

  • In the upcoming Ugandan national election, President Museveni, who has led the country since 1986, will be seeking his seventh term.

  • Nyombi Thembo, the head of the Uganda Communications Commission, said in an interview, “People wanted to start using the internet to promote hate speech.”

  • Critics of the president argue that the decision is an attempt to rig the vote, although the incumbent Museveni is expected to secure another term.

  • The shutdown has also prevented people from contacting friends and loved ones on apps like WhatsApp and Instagram, using search engines, transferring money, or using ride-hailing apps.

• Increased Use of Internet Blackouts:

  • Uganda’s Internet blackout comes as several other African nations have used such measures as a tool of political control.

  • When Tanzanian authorities engaged in a brutal post-election crackdown on protests in October, the government imposed an internet shutdown that lasted several days and banned sharing videos of protests.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» U.K. Threatens to Ban X, Sparks Criticism from U.S.

• The UK has drawn criticism from members of the U.S. Department of State after it threatened to ban the American-based social media platform X over concerns of its chatbot, Grok, generating sexualized deepfakes.

• Context:

  • The UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, is currently investigating whether the social media platform X failed to comply with its Online Safety Act after its AI chatbot, Grok, was used to create and distribute sexualized images of real people, including children.

  • Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said Ofcom can invoke the full extent of its powers, which include financial penalties of up to $24 million or 10% of the company’s worldwide revenue.

  • In the most serious cases, Ofcom can seek a court order to block X from functioning in the U.K.

  • In a meeting with Labour lawmakers on January 12, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “If X cannot control Grok, we will [control it], and we’ll do it fast…”

• U.S. Response:

  • U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers said, “nothing is off the table” if X is banned in Britain, adding, “Let’s wait and see what Ofcom does, and we’ll see what America does in response.” ‘

  • U.S. House Rep. Ann Paulina (R-FL) said she was drafting legislation to sanction the U.K. if X is banned, and said the British government is seeking “the ability to curate a public square, to suppress political viewpoints it dislikes.”

  • X owner Elon Musk wrote that the UK government “just wants to suppress free speech.”

» Polish President’s Veto Stalls Country’s Implementation of Digital Services Act

• Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki vetoed national legislation aimed at implementing the Digital Services Act, Europe’s flagship social media law, arguing it was a form of “Orwellian” censorship.

• A Political Deadlock:

  • The veto prevents Poland’s national regulators from implementing the DSA law in the country, which was passed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose parliamentary majority introduced the legislation in Poland.

  • Tusk’s four-party coalition does not have enough votes to override Nawrocki’s veto.

• Nawrocki’s Criticism:

  • Nawrocki argued the bill would grant excessive power to government officials over online content and “resembles the construction of the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s novel 1984.”

  • He advocated for a revised draft that would achieve the DSA’s goals of protecting minors online while ensuring that independent courts handle disputes over online speech.

  • Thomas Regnier, the European Commission’s digital spokesperson, said Poland has faced ongoing infringement procedures, including a referral to the Court of Justice of the EU, for failure to designate and empower a Digital Services Coordinator as mandated by the DSA.

» President Macron Urges Strengthening Digital Services Act

• In a recent speech to ambassadors, French President Emmanuel Macron urged the EU to strengthen the Digital Services Act (DSA) in light of “sustained pressure from authoritarian regimes and the algorithms controlled by a powerful few.”

• The Speech:

  • The speech comes after Macron previously criticized the EU’s implementation of the DSA as being “way too slow.”

  • In his most recent speech, Macron insisted, “We are going to continue to pursue an agenda focused on the protection of our children and our young people – the Government has put forward a text and initiatives in this area – but also on the protection of the values and the European democratic space.”

  • The DSA and the Digital Markets Act, he argued, “are two regulations that need to be defended and consolidated, in addition to the European Democracy Shield.”

• Read More: Read our submission in response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the European Democracy Shield.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Death Toll from Iran’s Protest Crackdown Surpasses 2,500 Amid Internet Blackouts

• Activists say more than 2,500 people have been killed in a sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran, marking the deadliest unrest in decades.

• Background:

  • Protests over soaring inflation and the collapse of the Iranian currency began in December 2025 and have continued into the new year, as mentioned in last week’s Free Flow.

  • Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that the number of dead had climbed to at least 2,571.

  • Iranians made international calls for the first time in days amid internet blackouts and severed phone lines.

  • With ongoing blackouts, authorities are now hunting and confiscating Starlink satellite dishes in Tehran, which are currently the only means of getting information out about the scale of the protests and accessing the Internet.

  • The activist group said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated, and more than 18,100 people have been detained.

• What Witnesses Say:

  • Protesters, medical workers, and residents report security forces firing live ammunition, seemingly indiscriminately, into largely unarmed crowds.

  • Families retrieving bodies are reportedly pressured to sign statements blaming “terrorists” rather than state forces for the killings.

» Australia’s Accelerating Crackdown on Antisemitism Threatens Speech

• Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced an early end to the national parliament’s summer break to fast-track the passage of a legislative package targeting antisemitism following the fatal attack at a Jewish celebration in Bondi Beach on December 14.

• The announcement comes as institutions and states take their own steps towards navigating the aftermath of the mass shooting.

• Albanese’s Hate Speech Package:

  • Parliament will return ahead of schedule on January 19 to pass a series of hate speech laws detailed in last week’s Free Flow.

  • Albanese said while Australians are entitled to express different views about the Middle East, they are not entitled “to hold someone to account for the actions of others because they are a young boy wearing a school uniform going to a Jewish school or a young woman wearing a hijab.”

• NSW Expands Rules:

  • And, New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, has added to its blanket ban on public gatherings in designated areas following a terrorism incident.

  • The state’s premier, Chris Minns, unveiled new rules to curb “hate preachers” that allow authorities to cut off power and water to illegally operating prayer halls.

  • According to Minns, the move was prompted by challenges closing a Muslim prayer hall linked to a clergy member who a court found to have made statements intimidating Jewish Australians.

  • Mayor Frank Carbone of the Sydney suburb Fairfield, which has a large Muslim population, pushed back on the proposal, saying, “Freedom of speech is something that should always be allowed, as long as it is done in a peaceful way.”

• Institutional Crackdown:

  • Meanwhile, 180 authors have withdrawn from the Adelaide Festival, a prominent Australian arts event, after it disinvited Randa-Abdel Fattah, an Australian-Palestinian author, from its February Writers’ Week.

  • The Festival board said the decision was because “it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to programme her at this unprecedented time, so soon after Bondi.”

Our Take: Jacob Mchangama and Samantha Barbas recently wrote at MS NOW about the crackdown on hate speech in Australia: “Laws that promise safety by policing words may satisfy a public appetite for action, but they do not stop violence. What they do is corrode democratic culture and hand extremists the grievance they crave.”

» Complaints to Police Target Indonesian Comedian’s Religious Satire

• Indonesian stand-up comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono is facing multiple complaints filed with police following his new Netflix special Mens Rea, recorded in Jakarta in December 2025 before an audience of about 10,000.

• Details:

  • The show featured sharp satire aimed at Indonesia’s political elite, including President Prabowo Subianto, Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and former president Joko Widodo.

  • However, complaints were filed over his jokes about Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the country’s two largest Muslim organizations.

  • Groups claiming to represent youth wings of the NU filed complaints of public incitement and blasphemy, though NU and Muhammadiyah distanced themselves from the complaints, stressing the youth organizations were not officially affiliated.

  • The youth groups claimed that his jokes implied the organisations were received mining concessions in exchange for political support.

  • Jakarta police have said they will consult experts and pledged to protect artistic freedom during the investigation, and analysts note that criminal incitement requires actively urging criminal acts, which Pandji’s performance did not do.

» Bahrain Jails Opposition Leader Over Israel Criticism

• Bahraini authorities sentenced opposition figure Ebrahim Sharif to six months in prison and fined him 200 Bahraini dinars after he criticized Arab states’ normalization with Israel in a televised interview.

• Background:

  • Sharif, a prominent left-wing activist and head of the now-dissolved National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad), has been detained since November.

  • Prosecutors accused him of “spreading false news” and making “offensive remarks” after he condemned Arab governments for ties with Israel and their failure to support Palestinians.

  • Bahrain normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, a move that has drawn sustained domestic criticism—especially since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

  • Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy called the sentence a “chilling precedent,” warning it marks a further escalation in the repression of speech critical of government policy.

» Slovak Journalist Violently Attacked While Officials Blame His Public Criticism of Government

• After Slovak journalist and political commentator Peter Schutz was violently attacked in a shopping mall, two members of the Slovak government criticized and blamed his writing and public statements.

• Slovak Ministers Respond:

  • Although Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok condemned the violence, he added, “it must be noted that the public space [in Slovakia] has long faced polarizing and dehumanizing statements, which increase tensions in society. Not even an alleged attack on a commentator can diminish his responsibility for words that helped inflame emotions and divide the public.”

  • In a post on social media, Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba commented that Schutz was known for his “extremely aggressive statements toward people” and that violence should be condemned, “even with people who belong in the hands of the law,” even though the Slovak justice system “pretends that journalists are above the law.”

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Justin Hayes is the Director of Communications at The Future of Free Speech and the Managing Editor of The Bedrock Principle.

This Week At A Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 DOJ Orders “Antifa” Intelligence Dragnet

— 🇪🇺 EU Sanctions 12 People Over Russian “Propaganda”

— 🇦🇺 Australia Expands Hate Speech Restrictions to Target Antisemitism

— 🇺🇬 Uganda Bans Live Broadcasts of Riots Ahead of Presidential Election

— 🇻🇪 Venezuela Issued 90-Day Order to Hunt Supporters of US Military Operation, Journalists Arrested

First of All 🇺🇲

» DOJ Orders “Antifa” Intelligence Dragnet

• A December memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi directs all federal law enforcement agencies to deliver intelligence files on “Antifa,” short for “anti-fascist,” and “Antifa-related” activities to the FBI, which is tasked with creating lists of Americans and foreigners to investigate.

• Context:

  • Bondi’s memo implements a strategy outlined in President Trump’s “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence” memo from September 2025.

  • The September memo came a day after the fatal shooting at the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, directing them to investigate and disrupt groups that incite political violence, with a focus on “antifa” activity.

• Bondi’s Memo:

  • The memo cited the phrase “Hey fascist! Catch!,” which was inscribed on a bullet casing allegedly left behind by Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, and said “violence against what extremists claim to be fascism is the clarion call of recent domestic terrorism.”

  • “Anti-Americanism,” “anti-capitalism,” “anti-Christianity,” “opposition to law and immigration enforcement,” “radical gender ideology,” and “hostility towards traditional views on family, religion, and morality” were listed as some of the content that could be reasons for investigation.

  • By pooling together the surveillance tools of Joint Terrorism Task Forces that link local and state law enforcement with agents from the FBI, ICE, and other federal agencies, the memo claims the government will pursue people “with a willingness to use violence” to serve those beliefs, although it does not mention right-wing viewpoints or violent extremism.

Our Take: The DOJ’s approach dangerously blurs the line between investigating violent crime and policing beliefs. When the government decides to treat ideology and lawful information sharing as evidence of terrorism, they enter unconstitutional waters. History shows over and over again that expansive investigative schemes, based on vague ideological markers, lead to chilling of speech and discourage lawful political activity. — Ashkhen Kazaryan

» Matt Taibbi, Known for ‘Twitter Files,’ Sues Book Author and Publisher for Defamation

• Journalist Matt Taibbi, known for releasing the Twitter Files, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Eoin Higgins and his publisher, Bold Type Books (a division of Hachette), for claims made in Higgins’ book Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left.

• The book’s implication that Taibbi is “owned” by or “sold out” to Big Tech moguls like Elon Musk, Taibbi contends in an article posted to The Free Press, is the primary basis for the lawsuit. Taibbi calls the claim a “harmful lie.”

• The existence of the lawsuit was first made public in a Substack post by Higgins, who declined to comment on the suit other than saying, “I stand by my work.”

• Taibbi also claims that his lawsuit is actually protecting free expression:

  • The idea that it’s somehow anti-speech to use courts to address a falsehood is dead wrong. It’s true that the 1964 case New York Times Company v. Sullivan set an extremely high bar for proving libel, requiring plaintiffs to show that the defamatory statement was motivated by “actual malice” in the form of “reckless disregard” for the truth. Yet when a false claim meets that threshold, as I believe Higgins’s does, it’s vital to call it out and prevent rigorous speech and opinion from being overshadowed by malicious lies.

Our Take: This lawsuit tests a boundary between defamatory falsehoods and protected criticism. Accusations that a journalist has “sold out” or is “owned” by powerful interests are typically understood as rhetorical opinion and political critique, not verifiable statements of fact, particularly in the context of a book advancing an argumentative thesis. Expanding defamation law to cover such language would risk converting sharp commentary about media bias or influence into actionable libel, undermining the breathing space the First Amendment requires for robust debate about the press itself. This story also is a great example of the Streisand Effect. - Ashkhen Kazaryan

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Virginia Law Limits Minors’ Social Media Screen Time

• On January 1, a new Virginia law took effect that will require social media companies to limit kids’ use to 1 hour per day.

• Details:

  • Social media companies must verify account holders’ ages and restrict users under 16 to 1 hour per day on apps like Instagram or TikTok.

  • It allows parents to extend their kids’ time beyond the one-hour limit using parental controls.

» Judge Blocks Texas Law Restricting Minors’ Access to App Store

• A federal district judge has temporarily blocked a Texas law that would have restricted children’s use of app stores.

• Background:

  • Texas Senate Bill 2420 would have forced app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors to download apps or make in-app purchases.

  • The state of Texas has already appealed the ruling.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Poland Asks EU to Investigate TikTok Over AI Content

• Poland has asked the European Commission to investigate TikTok under the Digital Services Act (DSA) after AI-generated videos of young women dressed in Polish national colors calling for Poland to exit the EU gained popularity.

• Details:

  • Polish authorities claim the content is Russian disinformation and that the recordings contain Russian syntax.

  • In a letter to the Commission, Poland’s Deputy Digitalization Minister said the nature of the narratives, their distribution, and the use of synthetic materials violate the obligations imposed by the DSA.

  • The European Commission confirmed receipt of the letter, adding that under the DSA, very large online platforms must assess and mitigate systemic risk, including those stemming from AI.

» 10 People Found Guilty of Cyberbullying Brigitte Macron

• A Paris court has convicted 10 people of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron, France’s first lady, for spreading false claims that she is a transgender woman.

• Details:

  • The defendants were accused of making malicious online comments about Macron’s gender and sexuality, including equating the age difference between her and President Emmanuel Macron with “pedophilia.”

  • Several defendants reportedly said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted, and that their comments were intended as humor or satire.

  • The court handed down penalties ranging from mandatory cyberbullying awareness training to suspended sentences, and, in one case, a 6-month prison sentence.

» EU Sanctions 12 Individuals Over Russian ‘Propaganda’

• The EU has sanctioned 12 individuals and two entities linked to pro-Kremlin networks who have promoted pro-Russian propaganda.

• Details:

  • One of the sanctioned individuals is former Swiss army officer Jacques Baud, who the Official Journal of the European Union said acted “as a mouthpiece” for Russia and “makes conspiracy theories.”

  • So far, Switzerland has deferred to the EU on sanctions related to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which apply to more than 2,600 individuals and entities.

  • The Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs said it was aware a Swiss citizen was on the sanctions list, but that Switzerland joined the EU sanctions related to the war, but not EU sanctions targeting Russia’s “hybrid threats, non-military actions, including disinformation and propaganda, cyberattacks, election interference enacted in October 2024.”

» U.S. Revokes Visas of Five Europeans Who Favor Stricter Content Moderation Rules

• The State Department said it would deny visas to five Europeans accused of censoring “American viewpoints” online, sparking backlash among European officials.

• The Targets:

  • The move targets former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, who U.S. officials described as the “mastermind” behind the Digital Services Act, a law that enables the EU to impose multi-million-euro fines on large online platforms that fail to curb disinformation and hate speech.

  • Imran Ahmed, head of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, faces immediate deportation after he was identified as a “key collaborator with the Biden Administration’s effort to weaponize the government against U.S. citizens.”

  • Clare Medford of the Global Disinformation Index was also identified and accused of using taxpayer money to “exhort censorship and blacklisting of American speech and press.”

  • Two members of the Berlin-based nonprofit Hate Aid are also subject to visa bans.

• The Response:

  • The European Commission condemned the move and requested “clarifications” from the U.S., saying, “If needed, we will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures.”

  • Vice President JD Vance has been a frequent critic of Europe’s digital rules that open the door to censorship and said earlier this month that the EU should not be “attacking American companies over garbage.”

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Australia Expands Hate Speech Regulations to Target Antisemitism

• The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, has announced a package of legislative reforms aimed at combatting antisemitism after the Bondi attack on a Hanukkah event.

• New South Wales has moved faster, tightening protest and gun laws less than two weeks after the December 14 attack.

• The Albanese Legislative Package Includes:​​

  • Creation of a new federal offence of “aggravated hate speech” aimed at people, including preachers, who incite violence, with higher penalties than existing provisions.​​

  • A new, narrower federal offence for “serious vilification based on race” or promoting racial supremacy, sitting alongside existing racial vilification laws.​

  • Making “hate” an explicit aggravating factor in sentencing for online threats and harassment, intended to capture racially or religiously motivated abuse on digital platforms.​​

  • A regime to identify organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech, potentially exposing them to sanctions or loss of funding

  • Expanding the authority of the Home Affairs Minister, who oversees federal police and border control agencies, to reject or cancel visas for those who spread hate and division in Australia, or would do so if they entered the country.

• The NSW Legislative Package empowers police to impose a blanket ban on public gatherings in designated areas for up to three months after a terrorism incident, with extensions available in two‑week increments.

» Uganda Bans Live Broadcasts of Riots Ahead of Presidential Election

• On January 5, Uganda’s Ministry of Information Communication and Technology announced a ban on live broadcasting of riots, “unlawful processions,” and other violent incidents ahead of the January 15 presidential election, citing concerns about escalating tensions and spreading panic.

• The ministry also prohibited the dissemination of content deemed “inciting, hateful, or violent.”

• Background:

  • President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to extend his 40-year rule in the upcoming election, facing Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, who ran in the most recent 2021 election.

  • Over 400 people have been arrested across the country at rallies in support of Wine’s party, The National Unity Platform, according to international human rights group Amnesty International, and some attendees reported being beaten and tortured.

  • More than 50 people were killed during security force crackdowns before the 2021 election, after Wine’s supporters accused Museveni of stealing the election, which he denied.

» Venezuela Issued 90-Day Order to Hunt Supporters of US Military Operation, Journalists Arrested

• After the U.S. military operation to arrest and capture Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan government issued a 90-day state of emergency and ordered police to “immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States.”

• Details:

  • Members of The Colectivos, a paramilitary militia that supports Maduro, have been searching phones and cars for any evidence of people backing the U.S. military operation in Caracas while wearing masks and armed with Kalashnikovs, a type of assault rifle.

  • 14 journalists have already been arrested.

» Iranian President Directs Security Forces to Refrain from Target Protesters After Violence Draws International Attention

• Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran, ordered that security measures not be taken against demonstrators amid economic protests across the country, distinguishing between peaceful protesters and “rioters.”

• Details:

  • At least 35 people have been killed and more than 1,200 detained during nine days of protests focused on economic grievance, soaring inflation, and the collapse of Iranian currency.

  • U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran against violently suppressing protesters, claiming the U.S. is “locked and loaded” if peaceful demonstrators are attacked.

  • Israel’s President Benjamin Netanyahu told the country’s cabinet, “We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and their aspirations for freedom, liberty, and justice.”

  • Iran’s military chief, General Amir Hatami, warned the country would not allow itself to be threatened by outside powers.

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Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.

Ashkhen Kazaryan is a Senior Legal Fellow at The Future of Free Speech, where she leads initiatives to protect free expression and shape policies that uphold the First Amendment in the digital age.

Editors’ Note: Please be aware that The Free Flow newsletter will not be published for the next two weeks (December 25 and January 1) due to the upcoming holidays. It will return on Thursday, January 8.

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First of All 🇺🇲

» President Trump Sues BBC for $10 Billion for Defamation

• President Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking $10 billion in damages against the BBC, alleging that the broadcaster’s editing of his January 6, 2021, speech was defamatory and accusing it of deceptive and unfair trade practices.

• Background:

  • The edited speech appeared in a documentary called “Trump: A Second Chance?” and spliced together three quotes from two portions of the speech, delivered almost an hour apart, into what appeared to be a single quote where Trump urged supporters to march with him and “fight like hell.”

  • The edit excluded a quote from Trump that said he wanted protesters to demonstrate peacefully.

  • Trump threatened legal action against the broadcaster last month, as detailed in a previous Free Flow, which triggered the resignations of the BBC’s top executive and its head of news.

  • The lawsuit, filed in Florida, could face challenges given that the documentary was not shown in the U.S. and the deadline to bring the case in British courts expired over a year ago.

• BBC Response:

  • On October 24, the BBC issued a correction on its website that said;

    • “We accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.”

  • Lawyers for the BBC added that the broadcaster’s chair, Samir Shah, separately sent a personal apology to the White House.

  • In a letter to Trump’s legal team, however, BBC lawyers said they “strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”

  • Lawyers said that because the episode was not distributed to its U.S. channels, was restricted to UK viewers on BBC iPlayer, and did not harm Trump, as he was re-elected after, it weakens the defamation case.

  • It also claims the edit was not made with malice, was never meant to be considered in isolation apart from the hour-long program, and remains an opinion on a matter of public concern, which is protected under U.S. defamation laws.

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