Editors’ Note: Next week, the Free Flow will be on a hiatus. We will resume publishing the following Thursday, August 13.

Join Us! The 2026 Global Free Speech Summit returns on October 2–3 in Nashville, TN. Hosted by The Future of Free Speech and Vanderbilt University, this event will bring together global leaders, thinkers, and change-makers to confront the most urgent threats to freedom of expression and explore bold, resilient solutions. Guests will have the opportunity to attend networking receptions where they can exchange ideas with speakers and other guests.

🎟️ Spots are limited. Get your tickets here.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

• 🇪🇺 CJEU Ruling Threatens Liability Exemptions for Online Platforms

• 🇮🇳 India Orders GitHub to Restrict Content

• 🇺🇲 Judge Blocks SD Law Against Abortion Advertising

• 🇷🇺 Russia Labels Libertarian Party Foreign Agents

• 🇦🇺 Australian Protesters Challenge Ban on Pro-Palestine Slogans

First of All 🇺🇸

» Judge Blocks SD Anti-Abortion Advertising Law

• A federal judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of a South Dakota law against abortion advertising.

• Details:

  • The state prohibits the advertisement of any “article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing an abortion.”

  • Mayday Health, which runs an informational website about where people can access abortion pills, sued over the law.

  • U.S. District Judge Camela Theeler said the law is a content-based restriction and will have to meet a high bar to be constitutional.

» LA City Council Ban Sparks Speech Concerns

• Civil liberties groups submitted a joint letter to the Los Angeles City Council over its July 2025 ban on using the N-word and C-word during their meetings.

• Details:

  • The council said the words were “fighting words” and unprotected speech.

  • The groups intend to file a lawsuit if the ban is not repealed within 30 days.

  • The letter also argues against a policy barring individuals removed from meetings from attending future ones for a limited time period.

» NC National Guard Settles Free Speech Case

• The North Carolina National Guard settled a case brought by veteran Timothy Stanhope, who alleged it had violated his First Amendment rights.

• Details:

  • Stanhope made several posts on the Guard’s Facebook page criticizing leadership.

  • The Guard revoked his access to the page, removed his posts, and pressured him to retire.

  • The Guard settled the case and restored Stanhope’s access and posts on Facebook.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» India Orders Restrictions on GitHub

• 🇮🇳 India’s Ministry of Home Affairs directed GitHub to restrict content on the grounds that its open-source software could facilitate unlawful activity.

• Details:

  • GitHub operates Bitchat repositories that allow users to communicate amid internet shutdowns and avoid centralized networks’ restrictions.

  • The notice resembled the format of recent government takedown notices, but did not identify specific posts or messages with unlawful material.

  • Instead, it orders GitHub to restrict access to three Bitchat repositories within three hours because its software makes it possible to “circumvent lawful restrictions.”

  • The order comes as authorities crack down on student-led protests over alleged examination paper leaks, as mentioned in last week’s Free Flow.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» CJEU Ruling Threatens Online Platforms’ Liability Exemptions

• A recent judgment by the European Court of Justice threatens to remove liability exemptions for user-generated content for platforms with certain algorithms.

• Details:

  • The Court evaluated restrictions on Coyote System, a navigation service that notifies drivers about roadside checks.

  • It formulated a general test for when an intermediary is no longer considered a “neutral” host and exempt from liability over user-generated content.

  • It held that when an algorithm determines “under what conditions, how and in which order of priority” information is disseminated, the intermediary loses its liability exemption.

  • The Electronic Frontier Foundation argues the Court’s reasoning could apply to social media platforms’ recommendation algorithms, exposing them to liability and incentivizing them to remove too much content.

» EU Finds TikTok Violated Digital Services Act

• The European Commission found TikTok did not adequately protect children’s privacy rights on its platform by allowing adults to view minors’ accounts.

• Details:

  • Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said allowing children aged 13-15 to “easily” change their accounts from private to public is unacceptable.

  • Regnier argued the action exposed children to cyberbullying, grooming, and predators.

  • TikTok could face fines of up to 6% of its total annual revenue.

» EU AI-Label Mandate to Take Effect

• The EU will begin enforcing artificial intelligence transparency rules on August 2, requiring companies to label AI-generated content.

• Details: Companies must ensure their AI systems inform users when they are using AI, such as a chatbot, or when an image or text was created using AI.

» Italian Journalist Held Liable for Users’ Comments

• 🇮🇹 Italy’s Court of Cassation held journalist Fabio Butera liable for third-party users’ comments on his Facebook page.

• Context:

  • In a 2018 Facebook post, Butera criticized a news report by journalist Valentino Gonzato.

  • Gonzato filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Butera.

  • Lower courts found Butera’s post was not defamatory, but users’ comments on the post were, and ordered Butera to pay damages for failing to remove them.

  • Italy’s Court of Cassation, its highest appellate court, upheld the lower court’s reasoning.

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Russia Labels Libertarian Party ‘Foreign Agent’

• 🇷🇺 The Russian Ministry of Justice added the Libertarian Party of Russia (LPR) and 24 of its members to its list of foreign agents, barring it from participating in elections.

• Context:

  • Russia’s 2012 foreign agents law allows NGOs to be labeled foreign agents if they receive foreign funding and engage in political activity.

  • In 2022, it was broadened to include media organizations and individuals “under foreign influence.”

  • The registry lists LPR as having disseminated material of other “foreign agents” and “unreliable information” about Russian policies and the electoral system.

  • Designated foreign agents are subject to labeling and reporting rules and can face administrative or criminal liability, including fines, searches, and imprisonment.

» Australian Protesters Challenge Ban on Pro-Palestine Slogans

• 🇦🇺 A group of 7 pro-Palestinian activists filed a lawsuit against a Queensland law banning the slogans “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada.”

• Details: The suit follows the arrest of more than 20 people protesting the ban when it was passed in March, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» Egypt Detains Dozens Over Online Activism

• 🇪🇬 Since late May, Egyptian authorities have arrested at least 50 people part of a Gen Z online group criticizing the government and calling for change.

• Details:

  • The group, known as “Gen Z002,” was formed in October 2025 on Discord and hosts online discussions and live voice chats on political developments.

  • Those arrested are under investigation for terrorism-related and false news charges.

  • Some allege being forcibly disappeared for periods ranging from 6 to 40 days and being tortured.

» U.S. Embassy Concerned Over Georgia’s Hate Speech Department

• 🇬🇪 The U.S. Embassy in Georgia said it is concerned about the state’s new Hate Speech Department.

• Context:

  • The statement was a response to questions around the detention of journalist Vakho Sanaia, which was included in last week’s Free Flow.

  • The Department was created in June to detect statements that “violate/insult human dignity and contain hate speech.”

» Russian Editors Fined For Reporting on Former Official

• 🧑‍⚖️ A magistrate in Moscow’s Tagansky district fined two Russian editors for reporting on remarks made by Andrey Tsyganov, a former member of Roskomnadzor, the country’s communications regulator.

• Details:

  • Tsyganov called for the promotion of domestic heroes and said children were being raised on Western characters, including anime, toy cars, and Spider-Men.

  • The Daily Storm, a Telegram channel, reported on his remarks on February 24.

  • On March 2, the first deputy prosecutor general demanded that the post be restricted as material “aimed at destabilizing socio-political situations.”

  • RusNews reported on the remarks in March, adding that Tsyganov proposed substituting Western characters with war veterans.

  • A magistrate fined the heads of the two outlets 30,000 rubles ($385), arguing the editors failed to send an official inquiry to Roskomnadzor to verify the information.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

Isabella Dail is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a recent graduate from Princeton University with a bachelor’s in philosophy.

Join Us! The 2026 Global Free Speech Summit returns on October 2–3 in Nashville, TN. Hosted by The Future of Free Speech and Vanderbilt University, this event brings together global leaders, thinkers, and changemakers to confront the most urgent threats to freedom of expression and explore bold, resilient solutions. Guests will have the opportunity to attend networking receptions to exchange ideas with speakers and fellow guests.

🎟️ Spots are limited. Get your tickets here.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 New Rules Target Foreign Journalists’ Visas

— 🇦🇺 X Appeals Block on Footage of Aftermath of Bondi Beach Attack

— 🇬🇧 UK Report Labels Political Claims ‘Misinformation’

— 🇹🇳 Tunisian Journalist Jailed Over Social Media Posts

— 🇯🇵 Japan Bans Desecration of National Flag

First of All 🇺🇲

» New Rules Target Foreign Journalists’ Visas

• The Trump administration announced new visa rules that will cut the duration of foreign journalists’ visas from five years to 240 days.

• Details:

  • 🇨🇳 Visas for Chinese journalists will be shortened to 90 days.

  • The new rules will also introduce “clear, finite limits” on visas for exchange visitors and foreign students.

Our Take: In a statement, Jacob Mchangama argued, “Press freedom is enshrined in the Constitution, yet these policies treat journalists with suspicion, leaving foreign correspondents to weigh honest reporting against the risk of losing their ability to work in the country.”

» D.C. Circuit Upholds Pentagon Journalist Escort Policy

• In a case brought by The New York Times, the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that the Pentagon can continue enforcing its journalist escort policy in a split 2-1 decision.

• Details:

  • The decision pauses a district judge’s preliminary ruling suspending the policy, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • The majority found the policy did not constitute unlawful retaliation because The Times did not argue that the policy unfairly targeted it.

  • ✍️ Judge Bradley Garcia dissented, saying a “retaliatory government policy should not be immunized simply because it is broadly and evenly applied.”

  • The Times plans to continue litigation on the merits.

» DOJ Seeks Phone Records of Journalists and Their Families

• The Department of Justice is reportedly seeking the phone records of three journalists who covered security concerns over the Qatar-gifted Air Force One jet.

• Details:

  • The news comes after the department issued subpoenas to the reporters, summoning them to testify before a grand jury.

  • The New York Times reports the DOJ is seeking records from third-party communications companies, including those of two of the reporters’ spouses.

  • The DOJ insists that “reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» X Appeals Bondi Shooting Video Ban

• X has appealed a decision by the Classification Review Board that a video showing fallen and dying victims in the aftermath of the December 14 shooting on Australia’s Bondi Beach could not be shown in the country.

• Context: The Classification Review Board is a statutory body that guides Australia’s national classification of various content.

• Regulators’ Perspective:

  • Regulators claim that the video is too violent and that platforms are attempting to monetize harmful content.

  • Richard Lancaster, lead lawyer for Australia’s antisemitism royal commission, questioned: “whether X Corp has or ought to have a social license to operate in Australia.”

• X’s Perspective:

  • 🇦🇺 X said the decision violates Australia’s free speech protections and argued the film provides evidence “against anyone seeking to deny” or minimize the event.

  • It also noted that graphic depictions of historical events — the Holocaust, the Vietnam War, Australian special forces’ war crimes in Afghanistan — are permitted in Australian media.

» Meta Report Warns of Cross-Border AI Restrictions

• A Meta Oversight Board study found that AI systems are more likely to refuse to criticize restrictive governments or leaders.

• Details:

  • 💻 The study asked 10 large language models to give reasons to join a protest, write a critical pamphlet, or write a limerick.

  • The report said models responding to an Australia-based user were less likely to generate political criticism of leaders from places where such criticism is penalized.

  • A separate report from American universities found that models gave different responses to questions when asked in different languages.

  • Together, the reports indicate that speech restrictions and biases could be extending beyond the borders where they apply,

Our Research: For more, view our report that examines safeguards for freedom of expression in AI policies from six global jurisdictions, and measures openness of the world’s leading AI models.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» France Bans Social Media For Under-15s

• France’s Parliament passed a bill banning social media for children under 15.

• What’s Next:

  • In September, age verification will be required on all new accounts, and under-15s will be prohibited from opening accounts.

  • Beginning January 2027, users will undergo age verification for all existing accounts.

  • Social media platforms must use age-verification tools approved by the country’s privacy regulator.

» Digital Rights Groups Warn Over DSA Draft Rules

• 🚩 The Electronic Frontier Foundation and ARTICLE 19 have submitted joint comments to the European Commission on draft guidelines for the Digital Services Act’s trusted flagger mechanism.

• Details:

  • New guidelines could allow governments to suppress speech without securing a court order or providing a legal basis, according to the orgs.

  • The “trusted-flagger” mechanism requires platforms to prioritize illegal content flagged by designated organizations.

  • Under Article 9 of the DSA, national authorities can issue legally binding removal orders to platforms–but only with a legal basis, a legitimate aim, and evidence of necessity.

  • The draft guidelines would let police and prosecutors bypass those safeguards by designating them as trusted flaggers.

  • The organizations argue that combining those powers “creates a risk that platforms may treat trusted flagger notices as de facto removal orders.”

» UK Report Labels Political Claims as ‘Misinformation’

• 🇬🇧 A study commissioned by the UK government classified ideas, including “anti-LGBTQ+ narratives” and “electoral fraud claims,” as “misinformation.”

• The Report:

  • The study, conducted by a group of seven academics, urges the government to use psychology to prevent spreading narratives deemed potentially “misleading.”

  • Public communications and schools are encouraged to implement these methods to prevent the spread of “false” ideas.

  • The government said the report did not represent official policy.

• Categories of ‘Misinformation’:

  • Anti-LGBTQ+ narratives, gender ideology claims targeting institutions, Pride event misrepresentation, and transgender athlete controversies.

  • 🇪🇺 Electoral fraud claims and the “institutional delegitimization” of the EU.

  • False claims about migrant entitlements, arrival demographics, and criminal acts.

  • Content “associating minority communities with crime or cultural threat.”

» Georgian Journalist Jailed for Facebook Post

• Vakho Sanaia, a journalist and TV host, was sentenced to 14 days of administrative detention over Facebook posts flagged by Georgia’s Hate Speech Department.

• Details:

  • Sanaia was initially fined for posting about a lawmaker: “I hope no one called [Vladimer Bozhadze] d**k, because the law prohibits calling Lado d**k. I would also like to urge everyone not to call Lado a d**k.”

  • A subsequent post resulted in administrative detention: “I wrote a post saying, ‘Don’t call Papuashvili and Bozhadze d**k,’ and I was fined 6,000 lari. Am I missing something? Give them a call.”

  • Georgia’s recently formed Hate Speech Department can initiate administrative cases over public speech.

Our Take: This comes after the European Court of Human Rights upheld a fine against a Georgian man who criticized local public transportation. At Persuasion, Jacob Mchangama wrote, “The implication is stark: online speech, precisely because it travels further and faster, warrants more restriction, not less. That gets the logic of democratic accountability exactly backward. “

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Japan Bans Desecration of National Flag

• 🇯🇵 Japan enacted a law prohibiting the desecration of its national flag in ways that “cause extreme discomfort or sense of disgust to others.”

• Details:

  • Violators could face up to two years in prison or fines of up to 200,000 yen ($1,230 USD).

  • Legal experts warn the law’s vague wording criminalizes speech based on hurt feelings and could be turned against government critics.

  • Critics also note that flag desecration laws in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere come with clearer criteria and stronger free speech protections.

» Tunisian Journalist Sentenced to Prison Over Social Media Posts

• 🇹🇳Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki was sentenced to one year in prison over posts on social media criticizing conditions at a public hospital morgue.

• Details:

  • The Habib Bourguiba University Hospital filed a public lawsuit against Mekki in 2023 for saying its morgue exceeded its capacity.

  • A lower court dismissed the case, but an appeals court convicted him of “insulting others through public telecommunications networks.”

  • Mekki has been prosecuted three times since 2023 for remarks made online or in the media.

» Crackdown on New Delhi Education Protests Escalates

• Social media videos and accounts allege police in New Delhi threw stones, fired tear gas, and beat peaceful protesters.

• Details:

  • On July 20, protesters marched to the Parliament of India to demand the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Education Minister.

  • Demonstrators demanded accountability after alleged leaks of medical school entrance exam questions forced officials to cancel all results.

  • Protesters also seek compensation for families whose students committed suicide following the distress.

  • Amnesty International reports that police also installed barricades and suspended metro services and mobile internet to curb the protests.

» Cambodia Imprisons Journalist Over Water Shortage Report

• Cambodia sentenced journalist Luot Sophal to two years’ imprisonment for reporting that frontline soldiers lacked water.

• Details:

  • He was convicted on charges of demoralizing the armed forces and incitement to commit a felony.

  • Sophal was arrested after posting a video on his personal Facebook page in February discussing the shortage.

  • Authorities ordered him to delete the post and apologize while in custody.

  • Cambodia has punished critical coverage of its conflict with Thailand with sentences as harsh as 14 years for treason.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

Isabella Dail is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a recent graduate from Princeton University with a bachelor’s in philosophy.

Join Us! The 2026 Global Free Speech Summit returns on October 2–3 in Nashville, TN. Hosted by The Future of Free Speech and Vanderbilt University, this event brings together global leaders, thinkers, and change-makers to confront the most urgent threats to freedom of expression and explore bold, resilient solutions. Guests will have the opportunity to attend networking receptions to exchange ideas with speakers and fellow guests.

🎟️ Spots are limited. Get your tickets here.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇯🇵 Japan Mandates AI Labels for Social Media Content

— 🇪🇺 EU Pledges to Ban Social Media for Children

— 🇺🇸 Massachusetts Senate Passes Youth Social Media Bill

— 🤖 EU Preliminary Report Finds Meta Violated DSA

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Court Bans Investigative Report Ahead of Publication

First of All 🇺🇸

» Faculty Sue Texas Tech Over Requiring Approval to Teach Race and Gender

• Faculty unions have sued Texas Tech University System leaders over two memos from Chancellor Brandon Creighton that dictate curriculum disclosures and restrictions.

• Details:

  • 📑 The first memo requires professors to disclose whether course materials address race, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

  • 🛑 The second memo requires professors to stop teaching these subjects until they receive approval from the Board of Regents.

  • The new rules apply to five institutions within the Texas Tech System.

  • The American Association of University Professors and the Texas AAUP-AFT sued the chancellor and members of the Board of Regents.

  • The lawsuit claims the policies are unconstitutional, citing subject matter that will be removed from curricula under the new rules.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Japan Mandates AI-Labels for Social Media Content

• 🇯🇵 Japan has enacted new legislation that will require certain AI-generated or altered images and videos on social media to be clearly labeled.

• Details:

  • The legislation will take effect on March 1, 2027.

  • It applies to AI-generated or modified content that could reasonably be mistaken for being authentic, with exemptions for illustrations and animated material.

  • Platforms must take measures to curb the harmful effects of misinformation on elections.

  • 📃 The internal affairs and communications minister will set guidelines for the expected measures, and companies will publish annual reports detailing their efforts.

  • The law does not include criminal penalties.

» Massachusetts Senate Passes Youth Social Media Bill

• 📲 The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill that would disable certain social media features for minors.

• The Bill:

  • The bill amends House Bill 5366, which sought to ban under-14s from social media platforms and require parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds.

  • Under the new bill, social media platforms would have to set default settings for minors to limit “addictive” features and increase safety.

  • ⚙️ Defaults include: disabling algorithmic feeds, autoplay, and infinite scroll, notifications from midnight to 6 a.m., and sharing precise geolocation data.

  • ⚙️ It also requires platforms to notify users after one hour of daily use, with follow-up alerts every 30 minutes.

  • 🚸 Minors cannot change these settings, but adults can. Minors can change settings that limit posts and direct messaging to their social media “friends.”

  • Age assurance methods must allow users to remain anonymous or not rely solely on a government-issued ID.

  • The amendment to change age-verification requirements from opt-out to opt-in failed.

  • The House must pass the amended bill for it to head to the Governor.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» EU to Implement Social Media Ban for Children

• 📵 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised a draft law this fall that would ban social media for EU children.

• Details:

  • Her pledge followed an expert panel’s call to restrict social media and other platforms that have similar features, such as video games and AI chatbots, for under-13s.

  • Von der Leyen declined to specify a minimum age for the draft bill.

» EU Preliminary Report Says Meta Breaches Digital Services Act

• 🇪🇺 An EU preliminary report found that Instagram and Facebook’s “addictive design” has violated the Digital Services Act.

• Details:

  • The EU Commission said Meta failed to weigh the risks of design features that harm users’ physical well-being.

  • 📲 The features include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and personalized recommendation systems.

  • The Commission also accused Meta of ignoring data on how much time young people spend on its platforms at night and how different types of content lead to excessive use.

  • Since the investigation began, Meta introduced Teen Accounts that allow parents to block access to platforms at night and cap daily screen time at 15 minutes.

  • If the Commission’s findings are confirmed, Meta faces a fine of up to 6% of its total annual turnover.

» EU Commission Responds to Claims that Meta is Censoring Activists

• 🇪🇺 The European Commission has responded that it is “aware of the issue” and “in touch with relevant stakeholders” after an MEP asked what it will do about allegations that Meta censors progressive advocates.

• Details:

  • MEP Alexandra Geese filed a parliamentary question asking whether the Commission will launch formal proceedings to assess Meta’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA).

  • 🏳️‍🌈 Geese’s question stems from allegations that Meta is “censoring women, progressives, and LGBTQ accounts.”

  • Geese accused the platform of failing to meet DSA obligations to provide clear and specific reasons, effective and accessible internal complaint procedures, and risk assessments.

  • The Commission’s response noted that very large online platforms must assess systemic risks, including hindering freedom of expression and information.

  • It added that it cannot share details of its investigation, but that proceedings were opened in 2024 against Meta on suspicion that its platform’s recommendation systems penalized political content.

» Germany Advances Bill Criminalizing ‘Denying Israel’s Right to Exist’

• 🇩🇪 Germany’s upper house of parliament has advanced a bill that would criminalize publicly denying Israel’s right to exist or calling for its destruction.

• Details:

  • To trigger penalties, statements must encourage “a willingness to commit acts of antisemitic violence or arbitrary acts.”

  • Violators face up to five years in prison or a fine.

  • 🏛️ The bill now heads to the lower house of the national parliament.

» Swedish MEP Files Police Complaint Against Fellow MEP Over Hate Speech

• 🇸🇪 A Swedish MEP has filed a police complaint against a Danish MEP, accusing him of racist hate speech after she was targeted on social media.

• Context:

  • 💬 Danish MEP Kristoffer Storm responded online to a clip of Al-Sahlani addressing parliament, saying she “should go home.”

  • Al-Sahlani filed a police complaint against Storm for using racist and hateful speech against her.

  • 💬 Her complaint did not include a Finnish MEP, who responded to the clips with “cry more,” because police were unsure of how to handle the post.

  • The Finnish MEP said he planned to file a complaint over accusations that he threatened or made racist comments.

  • The Parliament’s services said they are looking into the incident, and Parliament President Roberta Metsola said her office would “take appropriate action” to prevent a repeat.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Ukraine Court Bans Investigative Report Ahead of Publication

• 🇺🇦 A Kyiv court issued a temporary injunction blocking the publication of a joint investigation by an independent Ukrainian outlet and NGO.

• Details:

  • The report, by Slidstvo.Info and the Anti-Corruption Action Center (CPK), concerned the business dealings of the brother of the head of the country’s State Investigation Bureau (DBR).

  • CPK sent questions to the siblings, after which Parkovyi-2 LLC, a company linked to the brother who was the subject of the report, requested an injunction.

  • 🏛️ The court found that publication could cause irreparable harm and disclose trade secrets.

  • ⚖️ It did not weigh the public interest of the reporting, as national law requires.

  • Slidstvo.Info maintains that the report was based on publicly available documents.

» Israel Wants to Enforce ‘Institutional Neutrality’ on Universities

• 🇮🇱 Israeli proposals seek to impose “institutional neutrality” on the country’s universities by barring them from taking political stances, organizing strikes, or halting teaching as a protest.

• Details:

  • 🎓 University presidents would also be barred from voicing views that might be perceived as political or could prompt them to do so.

  • Lecturers and students are exempt from the rules if their political activity is private, “not specific to the institution or done by virtue of their academic or administrative role, and does not harm the institution’s regular activity.”

» Report Reveals 1,500+ Rulings Under Russia’s Law Against ‘Discrediting’ the Army

• 🇷🇺 A report from the Regional Centre for Human Rights shows Russian occupation courts have issued at least 1,529 rulings under a 2022 law against “discrediting” the Armed Forces.

• Details:

  • 🔎 Law enforcement agencies monitoring social media comments, likes, and posts–some from years earlier—opened 80% of the cases.

  • The report also detailed procedural violations, noting that proceedings in some cases lasted less than a minute.

  • 🇺🇦 One woman faced administrative charges for selling yellow and blue pillowcases at a market, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

» Russian SpongeBob Viewers Suspect Rainbow Removed Under LGBTQ+ Propaganda Law

• 🇷🇺 Russian viewers suspect that the removal of a rainbow in an episode of the animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants, is due to the country’s ban on LGBTQ+ propaganda.

• Details:

  • 🌈 In the original episode, a rainbow appears over SpongeBob’s head as he discusses the fun of using one’s imagination–a scene that has become a viral meme.

  • Now, the episode shows only a blurred yellow arc.

  • Viewers suspect the change was made to comply with Russia’s ban on “any action or the spreading of any information that is considered an attempt to promote homosexuality.”

» Turkish Comedian Sentenced Over Ottoman Joke

• 🇹🇷 An Istanbul court issued a suspended five-month sentence to comedian Tuba Ulu after her sexually explicit joke about Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent circulated online.

• Details:

  • Ulu was charged under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes public denigration of a group based on race, class, gender, religion, sect, or region.

  • The law calls for six months to a year in prison, but prosecutors sought three years for “insulting historical, national, and moral values.”

  • Ulu will not go to prison unless she commits another offense within the supervision period.

Share

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

Join Us! The 2026 Global Free Speech Summit returns on October 2–3 in Nashville, TN. Hosted by The Future of Free Speech and Vanderbilt University, this event will bring together global leaders, thinkers, and change-makers to confront the most urgent threats to freedom of expression and explore bold, resilient solutions. Guests will have the opportunity to attend networking receptions where they can exchange ideas with speakers and other guests.

Spots are limited. Get your tickets here.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 Federal Judge Suspends Pentagon’s Journalist-Escort Policy

— 🇰🇷 South Korean Disinformation Amendment Sparks Censorship Concerns

— 🇪🇺 ECJ Says Individuals Can Be Criminally Liable for Sharing RT Content

— 🇫🇷 French Prosecutors Launch Hate Speech Probe Against Paraguayan Senator

— 🇹🇿 Tanzanian Authorities Arrest Dozens Ahead of Planned Protests

First of All 🇺🇸

» Federal Judge Suspends Pentagon’s Escort Policy for NYT Journalists

• U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman issued a preliminary ruling ordering the Defense Department to halt its policy requiring journalists to be escorted in the Pentagon.

• Context:

  • The New York Times brought the case, taking its second legal action against the Pentagon in five months over newly enacted press restrictions.

  • The escort policy was enacted in March, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow, after Friedman struck down earlier restrictions.

  • Friedman ruled the Defense Department violated the First Amendment and blocked enforcement while the Times’ lawsuit proceeds.

  • Friedman did not specify whether journalists from other news organizations would also get relief from that policy.

» Homeland Security Agents Attempt to Warn Man Over Email to Former ICE Head

• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents tried to give a warning notice to a man for potentially violating the law after he sent an email to the former head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons.

• Context:

  • In a January 26 email, David Streever compared Lyons to a Nazi and said he would be tormented by his own conscience.

  • On June 23, two HSI agents left a warning notice at Streever’s home with his wife for him to sign.

  • The notice said that ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility is requesting he “remove/or discontinue” the behavior.

  • Streever, who was in Finland when agents visited his home, returned to the U.S. two days later and stayed at a hotel near JFK airport.

  • Hotel staff told him that a Department of Homeland Security agent had come to see him and left a business card.

• What’s Next:

  • The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed a lawsuit asking the court to find that Streever’s email was protected speech and to bar further action against him.

  • The suit also cites similar actions by HSI agents and asks the court to declare that such warning notices are “sufficient” to chill protected speech.

  • A statement from DHS said anyone who assaults or threatens officers “will face consequences.”

» University Threatens Diplomas Over Silent Protest

• Florida International University (FIU) threatened to withhold diplomas from students who stood up during a March event to reveal the slogan “ICE OFF FIU” on their shirts.

• Details:

  • Students silently stood at the event while the school president was speaking.

  • Emails obtained by news outlets show school officials admitting the students’ actions “did not disrupt the event.”

  • Months later, the school told students they must make a two-minute “video reflection” on their actions to receive a diploma, citing policies on “student conduct” and expression.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Supreme Court Declines to Block Texas Age-Verification Law

• The Supreme Court denied petitions to block enforcement of a Texas law requiring app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors who download apps or make in-app purchases.

• Context: In June, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the law can take effect, suspending a district court’s ruling that it was unconstitutional.

» South Korean Disinformation Amendment Sparks Censorship Concerns

• An amendment to South Korea’s Act of Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection that targets disinformation has sparked censorship concerns.

• Details:

  • The amendment took effect July 7, and allows courts to impose damages of up to five times the harm caused by “false and manipulated” information online.

  • Courts may also fine anyone up to 1 billion won (approximately $660,000) for repeatedly sharing such content.

  • Platforms with at least 1 million users per day are subject to the law.

  • The People Power Party (PPP) argued that the law empowers the government to decide what is false or hateful and risks causing citizens to self-censor.

  • PPP said it will file a constitutional complaint. The law can be paused only if the Constitutional Court grants a temporary suspension before a final ruling.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» ECJ Says Individuals Can Be Criminally Liable for Sharing RT Content

• The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) ruled that individuals can face criminal liability for sharing content from Russia Today TV.

• Details:

  • In 2022, EU sanctions prohibited the broadcasting of RT channels.

  • Three individuals in Germany are accused of posting RT Germany content on a website.

  • A German court asked the ECJ whether individuals who finance websites solely through user donations can be considered “operators” and subject to sanctions.

  • The ECJ concluded that the sanction restrictions apply to official broadcasters and the owners and administrators of public websites.

  • The ruling emphasized the restrictions apply to all materials regardless of content, duration, format, or the source of the website’s funding.

» ECtHR Says Suggesting Soccer Referees are Corrupt or Criminal Not Protected Speech

• The European Court of Human Rights ruled that while criticism and insults directed at soccer referees are protected speech, suggesting officials are corrupt or criminal is not.

• Details:

  • The ruling involves cases brought by Porto soccer club concerning a series of punishments imposed by Portuguese authorities and courts.

  • The punishments were tied to attacks and “conspiracy theories” spread by Porto’s media outlets against named referees.

  • The ECtHR ruled against Porto in the majority of the cases. It said Porto’s “accusations of corruption and match manipulation” were made “without a minimal factual basis.”

  • However, it deemed a 2019 article that said a named referee had “a problem with impartiality” and a career “full of untenable decisions” to be permissible value judgments.

  • The ECtHR said that Portuguese punishments for these remarks violated free speech protections and ordered payment of damages.

» French Prosecutors Launch Hate Speech Probe Against Paraguayan Senator

• French prosecutors launched an investigation into aggravated public insult and incitement to hatred over Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla’s social media posts about a French soccer player.

• Details:

  • After Paraguay’s loss to France at the World Cup, Amarilla mocked France captain Kylian Mbappe’s origins, upbringing, education, and appearance on X.

  • The Paris prosecutor’s office can investigate statements made abroad if the victim is a French national.

  • Amarilla could face penalties of up to one year’s imprisonment and a €45,000 fine for her remarks.

  • Yet questions remain how the French government would enforce a potential conviction in this case.

» EU Parliament Shields Encrypted Chats from CSAM Bill

• The European Parliament voted to exclude end-to-end encrypted apps, such as WhatsApp and Messenger, from a bill that allows platforms to scan for child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

• Details:

  • The original bill exempted platforms from certain obligations under EU privacy law, allowing them to scan private messages for CSAM.

  • Parliament rejected a proposal to extend the bill in March, and the rule expired in April.

  • Parliament President Roberta Metsola forced the bill back onto Parliament’s agenda with no changes.

  • Her party attempted to use a rare procedure that requires an absolute majority vote to amend or reject the bill.

  • However, a majority of MEPs voted to amend the bill to exclude end-to-end encrypted communications services.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Tanzanian Authorities Arrest Dozens Ahead of Planned Protests

• Tanzanian authorities arrested dozens of people accused of recruiting youth to join planned anti-government protests.

• Details:

  • On June 26, Tanzania banned political rallies as protesters planned to demonstrate against last year’s election and the detention of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

  • Army spokesperson Sylvester Mangure asked the public to report anyone recruiting or organizing protesters.

  • Police spokesperson David Misime said, “Strong action will be taken against anyone who participates in the unlawful riots being mobilized through social media.”

» Pakistan Supreme Court Dismantles Press Office

• Pakistan’s Press Association of the Supreme Court sent a letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after its press room was vacated and dismantled last month.

• Details:

  • The press room was vacated on June 15, leaving journalists without a workplace in the Court.

  • Journalists tried to set up a temporary workspace with chairs and sofas, while some worked outside in extreme heat.

  • The letter reports that the registrar’s office ordered the furniture confiscated, leaving journalists to carry out duties on the ground.

  • The Association demands a working environment for court reporters and the addressing of restrictions on media access.

» Iran’s Parliament Protests State Broadcaster

• Iran’s parliament is protesting against the country’s state broadcaster after a pre-recorded interview with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was abruptly cut.

• Details:

  • A statement from parliament’s media office said the cut portion included the most sensitive political issues in the interview.

  • It also said the broadcaster should have coordinated with them if it chose not to air parts of the interview.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 Justice Department Issues, Withdraws Subpoenas Against Reporters

— 🇦🇺 Australia to Strengthen Enforcement of Social Media Ban for Under-16s

— 🇧🇪 Belgian Police Detain Journalists at US Embassy Event

— 🇺🇬 Ugandan Government Shuts Down Multiple Independent News Outlets

— 🇭🇰 Two Hong Kong Booksellers Arrested for “Seditious Publications”

First of All 🇺🇸

» Justice Department Issues, and Then Withdraws Subpoenas Against Reporters

• The Justice Department issued and then withdrew subpoenas that sought to compel reporters at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal to testify before a grand jury.

• Details:

  • Reporters from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post received grand jury subpoenas, which were later rescinded, though the reasons for the withdrawal are unclear.

  • The subpoenas are part of a larger crackdown by the Trump administration on media leaks.

  • Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that “reporters are not our targets,” but that “we’re not going to stop investigating people who work in this administration who think it’s OK to leak classified information.”

  • The subpoenas come after an April 2025 decision by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to revoke policy that protected journalists from having their phone records secretly seized during leak investigations.

  • The move gave prosecutors the power to use subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants to unmask sources who make “unauthorized disclosures” to journalists.

  • In January of this year, the Trump administration searched a Washington Post reporter’s home and seized her electronics as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» Maryland Student Journalists Sign Open Letter Against Prior Restraint Policy

• Around 150 student journalists from high schools in Montgomery County, Maryland have signed an open letter questioning the legality of a policy from a leaked memo, that would require all student articles to receive administrative approval ahead of publication.

• Details:

  • Previous guidelines allowed prior restraint only in narrow categories permitted by the New Voices state law (such as unlawful content).

  • Free speech organizations have come out in support of the students, including the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) and Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

  • Jonathan Gaston-Falk, an SPLC attorney, argued that “A vague memo that confuses administrators, chills reporting, and muddies rights protected by established Maryland law cannot stand.”

  • After hearing students’ testimony, Montgomery County Board of Education Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor said that while “students have a right to appeal decisions that are made… we do also have a responsibility and that responsibility we are going to follow as adults in compliance with the Maryland New Voices Act.”

» California Professor Wins Job Back After Firing for Pro-Palestine Activism

• Sang Hea Kil, a tenured professor at San Jose State University, has won her job back after being fired last year for participating in pro-Palestinian campus protests.

• Details:

  • An arbitrator reduced her termination to a one-month suspension and ordered the school to reinstate her with backpay.

  • She was terminated despite the recommendation of a faculty committee that reviewed the incident and advised against dismissal.

  • Kil filed a lawsuit against the state university system, alleging it had violated employment law and the First Amendment.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Australia to Strengthen Enforcement of Social Media Ban for Under-16s

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the government is planning to strengthen laws barring under-16s from social media platforms.

• Details:

  • The move is a response to evidence that the ban, which came into effect in December as mentioned in a previous Free Flow, has failed to keep under-16s off social media.

  • A British Medical Journal study found that 85% of a group of Australian 12 to 17-year-olds were using restricted platforms

  • Fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars on platforms that do not take reasonable steps to remove children’s accounts have also failed as a deterrent. .

  • Albanese told Parliament that the government is considering options to strengthen the ban’s enforcement, and that the government is asking whether “laws are as strong as possible” and whether eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has “every power at her disposal.”

» Democratic Project 2029 Calls for Child Social Media Ban & Online Safety Rules

• The first proposal to be released by Democrats working on Project 2029, a policy plan ahead of the 2028 presidential election, calls for a ban on social media for kids under 16 and stronger privacy protections.

• Details:

  • The proposal, “Kids Over Clicks,” calls for lawmakers to ban social media platforms for kids under 16 and implement safety measures at the system’s design level.

  • It also proposes updating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to exempt AI firms from liability shields for their systems’ outputs.

  • Other recommendations include cellphone bans in schools and a campaign to discourage giving kids smartphones until the age of 14.

» Second Circuit Clears New York Online Hate Speech Law

• The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has concluded that a New York law requiring social media companies to deter hate speech does not violate the First Amendment because platforms aren’t required to adhere to the state’s definition of “hateful conduct.”

• Details:

  • In its order certifying questions to the state court, the Second Circuit said that if companies can comply with the law without fully adopting the state’s definition of hateful conduct, the law survives constitutional scrutiny.

  • The law defines hateful conduct as content that is used to humiliate or incite violence against a group based on race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

  • It does not require platforms to explain or publicize their reporting mechanisms with reference to the law’s definition, just that the mechanism be clear and accessible to users.

  • Judge Anthony Cannataro said the statute requires that a company’s disclosure must include only how it will respond to reports of hateful content, rather than compelling networks to specifically address hateful content.

  • The decision will affect how the Second Circuit proceeds with a lawsuit brought by legal expert Eugene Volokh and video site Rumble Inc. against the state, challenging the law as unconstitutional.

» Federal Judge Blocks Nebraska Age-Verification Law

• A federal judge has blocked Nebraska’s Parental Rights in Social Media Act, also known as LB 383, which would have required all users to undergo age verification for social media account creation and required minors to have parental consent to create an account.

• Details:

  • In a case brought by NetChoice, a tech trade association, the judge partially granted an injunction to stop the law from going into effect in July.

  • Judge John Gerrard said the provisions likely violate the First Amendment rights of both the users and the platforms.

  • “On the whole, the law is not tailored to solve the identified problem,” Gerrard wrote. “LB 383 too broadly restricts minors’ ability to access and engage in protected speech, even where speech does not pose the identified risk of harm.”

  • Gerrard, however, allowed a provision requiring companies to create a dashboard for parents to access and monitor children’s posts, interactions, and private messages, to be enforced.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Czech Bill Targets Funding for Czech Television & Radio

• A Czech bill that would allocate funding for Czech Television (CT) and Czech Radio (CRo) to the state budget, rather than through the current monthly license fee that households and businesses pay, has sparked concern among experts.

• Details:

  • The change would reduce each outlet’s annual budget to its level before the previous government increased the license fee last year, cutting CT’s 2027 budget by about €41 million and CRo’s by €16 million.

  • The government argues that most EU states have moved away from the license fee model and the country is merely joining the majority.

  • Vaclav Stetka at the European New School of Digital Studies warned that the cuts represent an act of “cultural vandalism” and that “the political elite has never accepted the independence of public media.”

  • The International Press Institute said they had not seen proposals for legislative safeguards to protect the outlets from political influence over future funding decisions.

  • The legislation will take effect next year if approved by both houses of parliament and signed by the president.

» Belgian Police Remove Journalists from US Embassy Event

• Brussels police removed two journalists after they tried to question U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White at an embassy event they were invited to

• Details:

  • Video shows European Correspondent reporter Samuel Dempsey asking White a question before a member of the ambassador’s team cuts him off.

  • Dempsey and editor Julius Fintelmann said local police then surrounded them, questioned them about their outlet’s political agenda, and escorted them from the event—despite the U.S. embassy having officially invited them.

  • Brussels-Ixelles police confirmed their involvement in addressing an “active threat” on behalf of the embassy’s protocol unit.

  • When the European Correspondent later sought comment, White replied: “Both of you are losers.”

» Irish Regulator Adds to ‘Trusted Flaggers’ List

• Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, has granted three additional organizations “trusted flagger” status under the EU Digital Services Act, allowing them to notify online platforms of illegal content for takedown.

• Details:

  • The added organizations include the Irish Internet Hotline, the Irish Music Rights Organization, and the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland.

  • Platforms must prioritize notices from trusted flaggers and decide on content takedown without undue delay.

  • The new accreditations will remain valid for three years, and can be reviewed or revoked after the period expires.

» Poland Passes Anti-SLAPP Legislation

• On June 19, Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a law against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

• Details:

  • The law, titled the Act on Special Protection Measures in Civil Proceedings for Persons Participating in Public Debate, will provide safeguards to journalists and media outlets against vexatious lawsuits.

  • It includes early dismissal mechanisms for SLAPP lawsuits, detailed definitions to identify SLAPPs, the introduction of security deposits for claimants, and a reversal of the burden of proof on the claimant in such cases.

  • Defendants are not allowed to seek compensation within the same proceedings and must file a separate legal claim for damages.

» Hungary Passes Public Media Reform Law

• Hungary’s new Tisza government seeks to restore independent public service broadcasting through a law amending the governance structures of public media and media regulatory bodies.

• The Law:

  • The law establishes a new Press Fund to support community and minority media, as well as a multi-year funding model for public media.

  • The International Press Institute has urged the government to ensure the legislation is followed with further reforms that target transparency around state advertising, media ownership, and media concentration.

» ‘Citizen Vigilante’ Director Says Germany Banned Movie Over its Messages

• Uwe Boll, the director of action thriller “Citizen Vigilante” starring Armie Hammer, said the film was banned in Germany for its extreme violence and alleged anti-migrant message.

• Details:

  • The film begins with a mother being stabbed to death by migrant criminals in front of her sons, who then dedicates himself to delivering justice to criminals and corrupt officials who protect them. The character primarily targets migrants, though not exclusively.

  • Boll said the country’s ratings board declined to classify the film, leaving audiences to import Blu-ray copies from abroad in order to watch it.

  • He said he challenged the decision in court but lost, claiming authorities argued the film incited violence against migrants.

  • Since the ban, the film has been posted on X for 48 hours, attracting 5 million views, and has been shared by Elon Musk, garnering more than 10.5 million views.

  • The plot was inspired by a 2016 Hamburg case in which a group of teenagers walked free with suspended sentences after raping a 14-year-old girl and leaving her dead.

» Oxford University Reported for Alleged Free Speech Failures

• Free speech advocates have reported Oxford to the Office for Students (OfS), England’s independent regulator of higher education, after the university canceled several lectures.

• Details:

  • Associate Professor Michael Foran canceled his talks on “gender critical and gender identity belief” after protests interrupted opening events.

  • Faculty have said that the canceled lectures will be rescheduled for the next academic year.

  • Groups like the Alumni for Free Speech (AFFS) have criticized the response, arguing that the university should not have allowed protestors in the lecture space, per OfS guidelines.

  • AFFS believes that protestors should face discipline, the university should draft an apology, and that a free speech officer should be appointed.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Canada Passes Combating Hate Act

• Canada’s Combating Hate Act, or Bill C-9, which strengthens prosecution of hate crimes while removing a long-standing protection for expressing religious beliefs, has received Royal Assent and is set to take effect July 18.

• Details:

  • The law bans promotion of terrorism and hate symbols, which include Nazi signs and any flag or symbol of designated terror groups.

  • It also criminalizes intimidation or blocking access to places of worship and increases penalties for offenses motivated by hate.

  • Bill C-9 also removes a section of the Criminal Code that exempts persons who express an opinion on a religious subject or based on a religious text “in good faith.”

Our Take: In a guest post at The Bedrock Principle, Josh Dejaas, the Interim Litigation Director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, warned that “C-9 is just the latest in a series of laws restricting free expression that Canada’s Liberal government has passed or proposed. A worse one may be on the way”

» Turkey Bans Protests Ahead of NATO Summit

• Turkish authorities have begun enforcing a blanket ban on all protests in Ankara, the capital, ahead of the NATO Summit on July 7 and 8.

• Details:

  • On June 22, the Ankara governorate issued a statement announcing special security measures ahead of the Summit.

  • On June 25, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that 225 people had been linked to ISIS and leftist groups and detained under the measures.

  • 135 of the arrested individuals were referred to court with requests for pre-trial detention.

  • Turkish authorities argue the ban and detentions are necessary to ensure public order and counter alleged terrorist threats ahead of the Summit.

» Hundreds Arrested in Kenya as Families of Deadly 2024 Protest Victims Demand Compensation 2 Years Later

• Police in Kenya have detained hundreds of people and deployed tear gas, as families of those killed in 2024 anti-government protests marched to the Parliament building to demand transparency regarding their compensation.

• Details:

  • In 2024, at least 60 people protesting tax increases were killed while police opened fire outside the Parliament building in Nairobi.

  • On June 15 of this year, families of the victims gathered to protest what they said was a lack of transparency regarding compensation that was promised by the government.

  • President William Ruto said their protest would be allowed, but warned against attempts to “shut down the country,” adding that the government would protect schoolchildren and workers.

  • Protesters barricaded Parliament and highways to Nairobi. Police arrested 335 individuals, with journalists and witnesses claiming that ordinary Kenyans were among those detained.

» Uganda Military Head Shuts Down Independent Media Stations

• Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and head of the country’s military, has announced that NTV Uganda and The Daily Monitor, both part of the Nation Media Group, will be shut down.

• Details:

  • Kainerugaba announced the shutdown in a June 27 social media post on X, and added that “In Uganda, I DO NOT believe in a free press! The press should be guided by cadres of the revolution,” Kainerugaba added.

  • The Daily Monitor reported that armed soldiers were gathered outside its offices in the capital Kampala.

  • A senior NTV reporter said that the military shut down the station’s studios and offices, and those who were working in the building were ordered to leave.

  • The stations went off air the following day, and Kainerugaba said they will not reopen without his permission.

» Hong Kong Police Arrest Booksellers for Selling ‘Seditious’ Publications

• Hong Kong police arrested two people on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving funds from foreign political organizations.

• Details:

  • Police investigations reveal the pair are suspected of displaying seditious items and selling seditious publications, including materials that incite hatred against the city’s government, judiciary, and law enforcement agencies.

  • They are also suspected of receiving funds from foreign political organizations, though the statement did not specify which foreign orgs were involved.

  • The bookstore was accused of “soft resistance” by a pro-Beijing newspaper last year, which highlighted the store’s plan to sell jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai’s biography.

  • Police arrested the owner and staff of another bookstore in March for selling seditious publications, including Lai’s biography, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow. The sellers were later released on bail.

» Russian Opposition Politician Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison

• Maxim Kruglov, a former lawmaker in Moscow’s city legislature and the deputy leader of Russia’s Yabloko party that opposes the Ukraine war, was convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail for “spreading lies about the Russian army.”

• Details:

  • Kruglov was arrested in October on charges stemming from two Telegram posts concerning war-time casualty data and events in Bucha, where Russia alleges that Ukrainians staged a massacre.

  • He pleaded not guilty and rejected prosecutors’ claims that political hatred motivated his posts, arguing his career had been devoted to improving life in Russia.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 ABC Enlists Audience in Battle With FCC

— 🇵🇰 Pakistani Activist Sentenced to Life for ‘Provactive Speech’

— 🇮🇳 Telegram Sues Over India Block

— 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Parliament Restricts Press Access to Legislature

—📱Texas Urges Supreme Court Against Halting Age-Verification Bill

First of All 🇺🇸

» ABC Enlists Audience in Fight Against FCC Licensing Review

• Disney’s local ABC stations aired messages notifying viewers of its ongoing battle with the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission over the commission’s early review of their broadcast licenses, which asked them to submit public comments in support.

• ABC vs. FCC:

  • The move comes after the FCC ordered an early license review of ABC-owned television stations in April, a day after Trump pressured the network to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a controversial monologue, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

  • FCC Chairman Brendan Carr insists that the early-renewal order is the result of a separate investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at Disney, ABC’s parent company.

• Details:

  • The ads urge viewers to contact the FCC by scanning a QR code linking to the agency’s public comment page and align with the FCC’s public comment period to demand that Disney reapply early for its stations’ license renewals.

  • The public comment period will precede any court battles between Disney and the FCC, and while the actions involving The View and the local stations are separate proceedings, the company has said they involve the same free speech principle.

» Thousands of Americans Submit Comments to FCC on ‘Equal Time’ Rule Inquiry into The View

• Over 40,000 public comments have been submitted to the FCC over its inquiry into whether The View should be exempt from the agency’s “equal-time” rule, which requires broadcast stations to provide equal airtime to all legally qualified candidates in a particular race.

• Background:

  • In February, the FCC accused ABC’s The View of violating the equal time rule over Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s appearance on the show.

  • The agency opened a request for comment in May on whether the show is a “bona fide news interview program” and is exempt from the rule.

  • ABC also sent a legal letter accusing the Federal Communications Commission of attempting to threaten broadcasters and limit political discourse, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

Our Take: We, alongside the ACLU, Center for Democracy & Technology, and National Coalition Against Censorship, submitted a public comment to the FCC urging it to reaffirm that The View qualifies as a bona fide news program.

“The First Amendment does not permit the government to decide which interview programs qualify as legitimate journalism based on their viewpoints or perceived political leanings,” said Ashkhen Kazaryan, the lead author of the filing. “For 40 years, the FCC has deferred to broadcasters’ good-faith news judgments. Abandoning that principle now would chill political coverage and invite government scrutiny of editorial decisions that the Constitution places beyond the government’s authority.”

» Texas ICE Protesters Sentenced to At Least 50 Years Imprisonment on Terrorism Charges

• A group of protesters has been convicted of terrorism charges and received sentences of at least 50 years in prison over a July 4 protest at the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas.

• The Protest:

  • The demonstrators planned to set off fireworks outside the facility for detainees to hear, as an expression of solidarity.

  • A few protesters separated from the main group and vandalized cars in the parking lot, a guard shack, slashed tires on a government van, and broke a security camera.

  • The incident comes after the Trump administration designated “Antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization in a September executive order and assigned federal agencies to “investigate,” prosecute, and “disrupt” protesters engaging in “anti-capitalism,” “anti-fascism,” and “anti-Americanism” in a memo days later.

• In Court:

  • The defendants denied ties to antifa, short for “anti-fascist.”

  • Prosecutors also focused on the cache of guns that several defendants owned and brought to the protest, though all the firearms were legally purchased, and only one person, Benjamin Song, fired a weapon, hitting an officer in the shoulder. He was sentenced to 100 years.

  • 6 protesters were convicted of riot, providing material support to terrorists, and explosive charges, with 5 sentenced to 50 years in prison and one sentenced to 70 years, with an additional conviction of corruptly concealing a document or record.

  • Several of the defendants, including Elizabeth Soto and her husband, Ines Soto, were not involved in the group that planned to bring firearms; they arrived separately at the protest and left the grounds when facility guards asked. Soto was among those sentenced to 50 years.

» Former Employee Sues EPA for Firing Over Petition Signature

• Elin Warn Betanzo, a former employee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has filed a lawsuit against the agency, alleging she was fired for signing a petition critical of the Trump administration’s environmental policies.

• Details:

  • Warn Betanzo, a drinking water expert who played a significant role in exposing the Flint water crisis, joined hundreds of EPA employees in July 2025 to sign the “EPA Declaration of Dissent,” a petition to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin criticizing recent agency policies.

  • The petition also alleged that the recent policies undermined the EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment.

  • Two days later, she and 144 other signatories were suspended despite warnings from the EPA’s own lawyers that retaliation over the petition would likely violate the First Amendment.

  • Betanzo was the only member removed from the council before the end of her term, a move the agency had not done since at least 2000.

  • The agency said it had a “zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting the administration’s agenda.”

  • Her lawsuit accuses the EPA of violating the First Amendment and Whistleblower Protection Act, among other violations, and asks a judge to reinstate her to the advisory council, clear any disciplinary records related to the petition, award lost pay and damages, and block enforcement of the agency’s “zero tolerance” policy against speech.

» Judge Frees Jordanian National from ICE Custody Amid Political Speech Retaliation Claims

• Salah Sarsour, a Jordanian national and lawful permanent resident, was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after a federal judge found that the evidence supported a reasonable inference that his detention was, at least in part, motivated by his political speech.

• Context:

  • Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, was arrested on March 30 outside his home.

  • An April 2 statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that he had previously been convicted in an Israeli military court for attempting to illegally possess weapons and ammunition and for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the homes of members of Israel’s armed forces.

  • DHS also claimed he made false statements during the immigration process and had ties to terrorist organizations.

  • Although the DHS argues his original visa application was denied because of his prior convictions, Sarsour entered the U.S. in 1993 and became a lawful permanent resident 5 years later.

• In Court:

  • U.S. District Judge James Hanlon concluded that Sarsour presented evidence that supported a reasonable inference that his pro-Palestine advocacy was “at least a motivating factor” in his detention.

  • The ruling does not resolve Sarsour’s immigration case or whether he will be deported, but it releases him from custody while his First Amendment case against the government is litigated in court.

  • Hanlon noted that authorities had known about Sarsour’s Israeli convictions for decades and had reviewed them while allowing Sarsour to maintain his resident status after more than 30 years in the U.S.

  • The judge noted that while the government argued that foreign policy concerns justified the detention, those interests do not forego First Amendment protections.

The Digital Age 🤖

» Telegram Challenges Block in India

• Telegram, a messaging app, has sued Indian authorities over an order blocking its use until June 22 to prevent exam fraud.

• Details:

  • The order, which took effect on June 16, was a response to Telegram channels claiming to have exam copies of a national medical entrance test that was canceled last month.

  • The test was canceled despite millions having sat for the exam due to allegations of leaked papers.

  • Telegram’s court filing to the Delhi High Court argued that the order was issued “on the impermissible premise that misuse by a subset of users justifies blocking of an entire platform,” citing constitutional and access-to-information concerns.

  • The restriction was issued under a provision in India’s IT law that allows the government to block access to internet apps in the “interest of sovereignty and integrity of India.”

  • India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government would counter Telegram’s position in court and that it has repeatedly asked the platform to fix its systems.

» Texas Urges Supreme Court Against Halting Age-Verification Bill

• Texas officials have urged the Supreme Court to deny emergency petitions seeking to stop the state’s law requiring app stores to verify users’ ages.

• Details:

  • The emergency petitions were filed by Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), a student advocacy organization, and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a tech trade association.

  • They aim to halt the Texas App Store Accountability Act, which would require app stores to verify all users’ ages and require parental permission for minors under 18 to download apps or make in-app purchases.

  • In its emergency application, SEAT argued that the law lets government officials regulate online speech under the guise of stopping children from accessing harmful content, and restricts minors’ access to news, community forums, and creative expression platforms.

  • In a separate emergency appeal, the CCIA warned, “Under SB2420, before a Texan may download the Wall Street Journal— or even a weather app or calculator — he must first verify his age.”

  • “And any Texan under 18 must link his account to a verified parent’s account (another verification hurdle) and obtain express parental consent for any app download or any in-app purchase — every audiobook, every movie, and so on—without any possibility of blanket consent,” the CCIA added.

  • A lower court had found that, because the state could not show a compelling interest in restricting every category of speech covered by the act or adequately connect its goals to the law’s mandates, it failed strict scrutiny.

  • The lower court enjoined the law enforcement before the Fifth Circuit paused the injunction, ruling that the law regulates commercial activity and not speech.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» Scotland’s Parliament Announces Building Restrictions for Reporters

• Scottish officials have designated an area in the Parliament where journalists must remain after First Minister’s Questions (FMQs), restricting access to public spaces where they previously questioned politicians.

• Details:

  • Journalists generally had broad access to the outside of chambers, where they could question or “doorstep” politicians following debates, major announcements, or FMQs.

  • Now, the media’s movement is restricted to the designated area after FMQs.

  • The parliamentary bureau said it had made the decision “following feedback from a range of building users and discussions with all parties.”

  • The Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association (SPJA) said that the change “represents a significant departure from established parliamentary practice.”

  • “It creates a physical and symbolic barrier between elected representatives and those tasked with holding them to account,” the SPJA added.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Australia’s Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Adopts IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

• The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), the country’s regulator of health professionals, has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which critics argue blurs the line between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel.

• Details:

  • The definition will be used in the agency’s regulatory work, including investigations of complaints lodged against registered health professionals.

  • The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) argued APHRA’s decision risked silencing political expression about Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon, citing testimony from healthcare workers since October 2023 that revealed “fear of professional consequences for speaking publicly about Gaza and Palestine.”

  • APHRA Chief Executive Justin Untersteiner said the agency is aware of the potential “weaponization of the notifications process” and will view notifications with a framework.

  • It will also establish an advisory panel of practitioners to improve the process and “strengthen safeguards.”

» Pakistani Activists Sentenced to Life Imprisonment Over ‘Provocative Speech’

• Mahrang Baloch, an activist who has spent years campaigning against enforced disappearances in Balochistan, a Pakistani province, has been sentenced to life in prison over accusations of inciting a mob that fatally attacked a paramilitary soldier.

• Details:

  • Baloch began campaigning after her father was allegedly taken by security service officers in 2009 and found dead two years later. She leads an organization called the Balochistan Unity Committee (BYC).

  • She was convicted of murder and terrorism alongside Sibghatullah, a fellow activist, after prosecutors claimed the pair had incited a mob at a 2024 protest in Gwadar.

  • 30-40 people struck one of the soldiers’ vehicles with sticks and stones, according to a security official, who said Baloch had given a “very provocative speech.”

  • The official added that paramilitary soldier Shabbir Ahmed was beaten to death after he was separated from the other soldiers.

  • An anti-terrorism court in Quetta sentenced the pair to life imprisonment and ordered they pay a fine of 200,000 rupees ($719) to Ahmed’s heirs.

» Bangladesh Journalists Charged Over Reporting on State Minister

• Six journalists in Bangladesh have been charged, and one has been jailed over their reporting about the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, Mir Shahe Alam..

• Details:

  • The complaint, filed by Bogura Press Club Treasurer Tanvir Alam Rimon, accuses journalists, all employees of the Daily Agrajatra Pratidin, of false and defamatory reporting.

  • The complaint also accused the paper’s acting editor, who was jailed, Md. Rezanur Islam, of trying to extort 2 million taka ($16,400) from Rimon and Alam.

  • Islam was arrested on June 18, while efforts to arrest the other journalists remain ongoing, according to police.

  • The State Minister Alam has expressed regret over the arrest and urged others not to pursue action on his behalf.

» Turkey Reverses Order to Shut Down Private University

• Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has reversed his decision to close Bilgi University, a private foundation university, following backlash from students and faculty.

• Details:

  • On May 22, Erdogan ordered the university’s closure under a law that allows for private institutions to be closed if “the expected level of education and training… is insufficient.”

  • Students stayed overnight to protest the closure, and the number of demonstrators reached the hundreds before the order was reversed.

• Context:

  • In September 2025, the state seized Can Holding, the university’s corporate owner, in a criminal investigation into alleged fraud and money laundering, and placed the conglomerate’s companies under the management of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund.

  • 10 detention orders were also issued, three of which included Bigli principals.

  • According to Yaman Akdeniz, a professor at the university’s Faculty of Law, no one had heard about Can Holding when it took over the university. “We knew that they were close to the government; they owned many things, and they didn’t interfere with academia.”

  • Akdeniz added that there is no indictment for the alleged crimes yet, and that “Unofficially, some say this is a way to pressure the family into selling the university.”

  • Although Erdogan has reversed his order, Akdeniz notes that he doesn’t expect many students and or their families to choose to attend the university next year, and that could mean it has only a few years left.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

Isabella Dail is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a recent graduate from Princeton University with a bachelor’s in philosophy.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 Anthropic Pulls Plug on New AI Models after U.S. Order

— 🇨🇦 Canada Proposes Ban on Social Media for Under-16s

— 🇬🇧 UK Proposes Social Media Ban for Under-16s

— 🇮🇳 Mumbai Mayor Calls for Ban on Stand-Up Comedy

— 🇷🇺 Exiled Russian Artist Killed in Poland in Suspected Execution

First of All 🇺🇸

» FTC Sues Transgender Health Group for ‘Deceptive Claims’ on Youth Gender Medicine

• The Federal Trade Commission and four states have filed a lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) over making “deceptive claims” in its health care guidelines for transgender children.

• Details:

  • WPATH is a nonprofit professional and educational organization whose members include psychiatrists, surgeons, pediatricians, endocrinologists, and primary care doctors. The organization does not provide direct medical care to patients.

  • “The FTC filed a lawsuit against WPATH alleging that the organization made false and unsubstantiated claims regarding the necessity, effectiveness and safety of puberty blockers, hormones and sex-change surgeries,” FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson said in a press release.

  • In a statement, WPATH said, “The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is not a medical provider and has no place interfering with the process of individualized medical decision-making.”

  • The suit comes after the FTC probed WPATH and other physician organizations that created guidelines for gender-affirming care earlier this year.

  • WPATH, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society sued the agency separately, arguing the probe was retaliatory. A federal judge ruled in their favor.

  • WPATH noted in its statement that a federal court has already ruled against this effort from the FTC when it blocked the investigation: “WPATH is in a strong position to prove that the FTC is acting out of pure retaliation as part of the federal government’s relentless and targeted campaign to undermine gender-affirming care by attacking the First Amendment rights and the independence of professional medical organizations.”

» Anthropic Pulls Plug on Top AI Models after US Order to Limit Foreign Nationals’ Use

• Anthropic has announced it will “abruptly disable” its most advanced AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, for all users, following a directive from the Trump administration to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, claiming the order violates principles of fair and fact-based regulation.

• Context:

  • Earlier last week, Anthropic unveiled Claude Fable 5, which has a new tier of capability it calls “Mythos-class” that experts claim could accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks if in the wrong hands.

  • Anthropic claims it worked with the U.S. government, among others, on safety ahead of the model’s launch, and that rival models demonstrated similar capabilities.

  • Yet, on June 12, the company said it had received an export control directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all foreign nationals due to national security concerns, though specific details were not provided.

• Anthropic’s Response:

  • Anthropic claims the directive stems from the government’s belief that there is a method to bypass, or “jailbreak,” a safeguard that prevents Fable 5 from being used to identify software vulnerabilities and unearth minor bugs in code.

  • However, it argues that the U.S. has provided only “verbal evidence of a potential narrow, non-universal, jailbreak,” and that that should not “be cause for recalling a commercial model deployed to hundreds of millions of people.”

  • In response, the company announced it must terminate all customers’ access to the models to ensure compliance, and that it is working to restore access as soon as possible amid what it believes is a “misunderstanding.”

• The tension follows an earlier battle between the AI company and the government after Anthropic refused to allow the U.S. military to use its models for domestic surveillance and for fully autonomous weapons systems, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.

Our Take: “Software and the publication of model components are expression,” Ashkhen Kazaryan argued in an X thread. “When the state restricts a general purpose information tool by invoking national security without particular demonstrated harm, it is doing exactly what the First Amendment exists to stop — a prior restraint on expression justified by speculative risk.

» Supreme Court Declines High School Student’s ‘Defund Planned Parenthood’ Poster Case

• On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a free-speech appeal from a former Indiana high school student who was barred from hanging anti-abortion club flyers reading “Defund Planned Parenthood” on school walls, leaving in place a lower-court ruling that the school could restrict the content.

• Details:

  • The case began in 2021, when a freshman identified as E.D. founded a chapter of Students for Life of America at Noblesville High School.

  • An assistant principal refused to approve two proposed meeting flyers featuring the phrases “Defund Planned Parenthood” and “I am the Pro-Life Generation,” telling her the posters could list only the club’s name, meeting date, time, and location.

  • A federal district court ruled for the school in 2024, finding the flyers “could reasonably be perceived to bear the imprimatur of the school,” and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit upheld that decision.

  • The Seventh Circuit agreed: “This is not a case about tolerating private student speech. To the contrary, E.D. was permitted to wear her pro-life shirt to school and hand out her flyers to students at the activities fair. Instead, it is a case about whether the school must lend its resources (here, literally its walls) — and, by extension, its authority — to disseminate student messages.”

  • The district court had applied a 1988 Supreme Court decision in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, which held that a school can exercise “editorial control over the style and content of student speech in school-sponsored expressive activities so long as their actions are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.”

  • Justice Samuel Alito criticized the denial, writing that the Court should “clarify the relationship between” the 1988 decision and its other government-speech rulings.

» Federal Judge Blocks Texas AG’s Lawsuit Against Fundraising Platform

• A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against ActBlue, a Democratic fundraising platform, over its donation practices, arguing Paxton infringed on its free speech rights.

• Context:

  • Paxton alleges that ActBlue told Congress in 2024 that it had stopped accepting donations via gift cards and foreign prepaid debit cards, and later quietly resumed accepting gift-card donations, thereby misleading consumers about its fundraising processes and violating state law.

  • The lawsuit argued that the group’s actions facilitated illegal campaign contributions by anonymous foreign nationals and that it should be forced to pay penalties and be barred from accepting gift card donations.

  • ActBlue filed a federal case, claiming Paxton was retaliating after the group had made fundraising announcements about James Talarico, Paxton’s opponent in the race for a U.S. Senate seat.

• In Court:

  • U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns issued a preliminary injunction, arguing that the lawsuit was an attempt to suppress ActBlue’s political speech.

  • “The truth is plain and captured in Paxton’s own declarations: The lawsuit was filed in retaliation for (and in an attempt to suppress) ActBlue’s efforts to fund Talarico’s campaign,” Stearns wrote.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Canada Proposes Social Media Ban for Under-16s, Expansion of Enforcement Powers

• Proposed Bill C-34 in Canada, also known as the Safe Social Media Act, would ban social media for kids under the age of 16, unless a social media company can prove that it has working safeguards in place for children.

• At the same time, the government has unveiled Bill C-36, also known as the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act (PPCDA), which would reform existing privacy laws to transfer authority from Canada’s privacy commissioner to an incoming Canadian Digital Safety Commission (CDSC).

• Bill C-34:

  • The law would require companies to block users under 16 from creating accounts, though they may seek an exemption if they can demonstrate guardrails in place to protect children from bullying or harmful content.

  • Companies would also be required to remove sexually explicit content that victimizes children and adults, including AI-generated deepfakes, within 24 hours.

  • Although AI chatbots are not included in the social media ban, they will face additional regulations, such as mandated notices directing users to help when prompts explore suicide ideation, self-harm, or criminal activity.

  • The bill would also create the Canadian Digital Safety Commission, which could take up to 18 months to establish after the bill becomes law, and have new powers under another recently proposed law, Bill C-36.

• Bill C-36:

  • Bill C-36 transfers the authority to oversee privacy in the private sector from Canada’s privacy commissioner to the CDSC, and grants it new powers, including the ability to issue platforms binding orders and monetary penalties of up to $10 million or 3% of companies’ global revenue.

  • Officials claim that a privacy and data commissioner will be appointed to the CDSC and will enforce both the PPDCA and the Safe Social Media Act.

  • Among a number of changes, Bill C-36 would allow individuals to request that companies delete their personal information and remove deepfake images or videos from commercial platforms such as social media.

» Florida Sues TikTok, Claiming It Flouts State’s Social-Media Law for Minors

• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a civil lawsuit against TikTok, asking a state court to declare the company a public nuisance for failing to comply with a 2024 law requiring parental consent for teens aged 14-15 to use social media apps.

• Details:

  • Florida’s 2024 law, which took effect in November 2025, requires 14- and 15-year-olds to obtain a parent’s consent to have social media accounts and bars children 13 and under from apps with addictive features such as endless scrolling, push notifications, autoplay video, and live streaming.

  • Uthmeier, in a first lawsuit brought under the law, alleges that TikTok does not require the parental consent required by the law and misrepresents the maturity of its content.

  • Uthmeier said TikTok faces “potentially billions in damages” and asked the court to impose a $50,000 fine per violation.

» Illinois Governor Intends to Sign Social Media Age-Verification Law

• Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has said he intends to sign House Bill 5511, or the “Child Social Media Safety Act,” designed to protect children on online platforms — despite experts’ concerns about its constitutionality.

• Details:

  • State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, a sponsor of the bill, said she believes the law will allow parents to control the content shown to children through a one-time, device-level age verification.

  • Pritzker is slated to sign the legislation into law soon, and it could face challenges in federal court.

» NY Senate Passes Bill Requiring Publishers, Broadcasters to Label AI Content

• The New York State Senate and Assembly have passed companion bills as part of a legislative package called the FAIR News Act that would require publishers and broadcasters to disclose and label AI-generated content.

• Details:

  • The bill would require outlets to disclose content that is “substantially composed, authored, or otherwise created through the use of generative artificial intelligence.”

  • Labels of such content would be required to appear at the top of a print or digital story or at the beginning of audio or visual content.

  • The Attorney General is empowered to determine what content is “substantially created” by AI and requires labeling.

  • Failures to disclose could result in a $1,000 fine for the first infraction and $5,000 for subsequent violations.

  • State Sen. Patricia Fahy has claimed her bill is not aimed at mainstream news outlets or commercial television newsrooms, but rather targets “fly-by-night” digital outlets that distort, pirate, or misrepresent content from legitimate outlets using AI.

  • However, the press release issued by her office applies to “news organizations operating in New York” and makes no distinction between legitimate and rogue outlets.

  • The bill is now headed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK Proposes Social Media Ban for Under-16s

• A proposed UK law would bar children under 16 from social media platforms and extend restrictions to gaming sites, to block children from accessing “harmful functions” such as livestreaming and the ability to communicate with strangers.

• Details:

  • The ban would apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, though under-16s would still have access to messaging services like WhatsApp.

  • People under 18 would be banned from having AI “romantic companions,” though the details of the restriction and its enforcement are unclear.

  • Tech companies that fail to comply could face fines.

  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he hopes to have the regulations passed by lawmakers in late December and for them to take effect by the spring of 2027.

Our Take: “Although framed as a child-protection measure, the proposal would affect far more than teenagers,” Jeff Kosseff wrote at The Bedrock Principle. “By requiring intrusive age verification and limiting access to online platforms, it risks undermining privacy, anonymous speech, and freedom of expression for everyone.”

» UK Appeals Court Upholds Terrorism Ban on Protest Group Palestine Action

• Britain’s Court of Appeal has ruled that the government’s proscription of the activist group Palestine Action as a “terrorist” organization under the Terrorism Act 2000 was lawful, overturning a February High Court finding that the ban was unlawful and disproportionate.

• Context:

  • Since the group was banned in July 2025, more than 3,000 arrests have been made for displaying support for it.

  • Lawyers representing Britain’s Interior Minister, Shabana Mahmood, had argued at an April hearing that the claims the ban would significantly curtail free expression were “overstated and incorrect.”

  • Chief Justice Sue Carr cited the fact that the group’s activities have caused injury and property damage, and “at no stage has Palestine Action suggested that its terrorist activities were either a mistake or an aberration.”

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Exiled Russian Artist Killed in Suspected Execution in Poland

• Semyon Skrepetsky, a 44-year-old Russian artist known for creating unflattering caricatures of President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead in Poland in a parking lot near his home near Poland’s border with Belarus.

• Details:

  • Skrepetsky had lived in Poland for 5 years after escaping Russia, fearing arrest for his activism.

  • His paintings often depicted Putin with a bovine nose or hugging pigs, many times alongside Russian officials, world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Xinping, and even Elon Musk.

  • Marcin Kozak, a spokesman for Poland’s prosecutors’ office, said that according to current information, Skrepetsky fell to the ground after an unidentified man fired two shots at him. Then, the perpetrator fired three more shots before fleeing the scene.

  • Police detained two Belarusian men near the Belarusian Consulate after the shooting for suspected execution.

» Tunisian Court Sentences Government-Critical Journalist To Prison In Absentia

• A Tunisian court has sentenced Khaoula Boukrim, journalist and founder of the news website TUMEDIA, to four years in prison in absentia under a 2022 cybercrime law.

• Details:

  • The ruling is the latest move against critical voices under President Kais Saied, following the jailing of several media figures earlier this year, including Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies.

  • Boukrim had fled to Paris in December 2025, after she was informed that two separate judgments had been issued against her under Decree-Law 54, a cybercrime law aimed at combating misinformation and online abuse.

  • According to Reuters, rights groups argue that the law has increasingly been used to prosecute critics and curb free speech.

» Mumbai Mayor Calls for Ban on Stand-Up Comedy Shows

• In Mumbai, India, Mayor Ritu Tawde has called for a ban on stand-up comedy shows after the Maharashtra Cyber, the state’s cybercrime and cybersecurity agency, launched an investigation into a comedy show that allegedly featured obscene and objectionable content circulating online.

• Details:

  • Content from the program, hosted by comedian Pranit More, began circulating on social media and allegedly contained offensive remarks concerning women, consent, and deceased persons.

  • Authorities claim the content was contrary to accepted societal norms and subject to provisions of criminal law.

  • The Maharashtra Cyber registered a First Information Report (FIR), which automatically initiates a formal police investigation, against comedians Pranit More, Himanshu Jangra, Sejal Pawar, and other individuals associated with the show.

  • Speaking about the show, Tawde said, “As the Mayor, I oppose this; it does not befit our Indian culture…Stand-up comedy shows should be banned. I will write a letter to the Chief Minister.”

» Azerbaijan Rearrests Exiled Journalist After Forced Return From Georgia

• Azerbaijan rearrested Afgan Sadigov, editor-in-chief of the online outlet Azel.TV, after he was arrested in Georgia in 2024 over an Azerbaijani extradition request alleging extortion, without evidence.

• Details:

  • Sadigov had applied to the European Court of Human Rights to halt his removal on the grounds that his rights in Azerbaijan would be violated, and the court suspended his transfer.

  • On April 1, Azerbaijani authorities terminated the criminal prosecution behind the extradition request. Georgian courts subsequently lifted the restrictions on Sadigov.

  • On April 4, Georgian authorities detained Sadigov on an administrative charge of “insulting a police officer on social media” and deported him to Azerbaijan.

  • Georgian authorities claimed that the ECtHR’s suspension of Sadigov’s transfer was no longer relevant since Azerbaijan had dropped the charges.

  • In Azerbaijan, authorities prevented him from leaving the country, telling him the case against him was active despite official documentation showing it had been closed.

  • Sadigov was detained on June 8, and his lawyer reports that an Azerbaijani court had ordered the case reopened.

» Pakistan Detains YouTube Journalist Over Kashmir Protest Coverage

• Pakistani authorities have arrested journalist Sohrab Barkat over his coverage of protests in Kashmir on his YouTube channel.

• Details:

  • The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) accused Barkat of violating the country’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which criminalized the dissemination of “fake or false” information.

  • The NNCIA cited a June 5 report by Barkat, which they say promoted the views of a local protest movement called the Jammu Kashmir Join Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

  • JAAC was banned by Pakistan-administered Kashmir under anti-terrorism laws on the same day.

  • Bakarat appeared in court and was remanded in custody for three days.

  • This follows his earlier detention from November 2025 to March this year, which carried no charges and is linked to his journalism, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

Isabella Dail is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a recent graduate from Princeton University with a bachelor’s in philosophy.

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 Trump Seeks to Revive $475M Defamation Suit Against CNN

— 🇬🇧 White House Opposes UK Social Media Ban for Under-16s

— 🇨🇳 China Suppresses Tiananmen Square Anniversary Remembrance

— 🇩🇪 German Court Says Google Liable for AI Overviews

— 📱FCC Targets “Burner Phones”

First of All 🇺🇸

» Trump Tells Supreme Court He Will Seek to Revive $475 Million CNN Defamation Suit

• President Donald Trump has reportedly told the U.S. Supreme Court that he plans to ask the Justices to revive his $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over the network’s use of the term “Big Lie” in reporting on his claim that the 2020 election was rigged against him.

• Context:

  • Trump sued CNN in 2022, accusing the network of smearing him by frequently using “Big Lie” to describe his theory that Joe Biden’s 2020 victory was the result of mass voter fraud, and of harming his reputation by hosting guests who compared him to Adolf Hitler.

  • The case was dismissed in July 2023 by U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal, who said that while the network’s statements were “repugnant,” they were not “defamatory.”

  • “This case involves political speech of the highest order,” Singhal wrote, “The First Amendment has its fullest and most urgent application precisely to the conduct of campaigns for public office.”

  • The ruling was upheld by a three-judge federal appeals court panel in November 2025.

  • According to a request docketed by the Justices, Trump’s lawyers have now asked the Court for a 60-day extension to August 15 to file his petition for a review of the lower court’s dismissal of the case.

  • The filing indicated Trump also wants the Justices to weigh in on when a jury, rather than a judge, should decide whether an allegedly defamatory statement would be viewed by the public as opinion or fact.

» Press-Freedom Groups Demand Charges Be Dropped Against Journalists Arrested at Newark ICE Protests

• More than a dozen national and statewide press organizations have demanded that authorities drop charges against at least three journalists arrested while covering protests outside Newark, New Jersey’s Delaney Hall immigration detention center.

• Details:

  • Protests at Delaney Hall, the state’s largest immigration detention center, have been ongoing since May 22.

  • After authorities enforced an emergency curfew around the facility, they began “kettling” crowds, or surrounding and containing groups before making arrests.

  • Despite state guidelines that exempt journalists from the curfew, three were arrested on May 31, and one was reportedly charged with felony rioting and resisting arrest.

  • The allegations directly challenge state officials’ statements that journalists at Delaney Hall were not arrested, detained, or injured during operations.

• Broader Context:

  • According to the organizations, the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker is investigating at least three arrests, 38 assaults, and five incidents of equipment damage involving journalists covering the Delaney Hall protests.

  • The Tracker is also investigating an Essex County Prosecutor’s Office sergeant after they were charged with stealing an injured photojournalist’s gear.

  • Photographers report being pepper-sprayed and struck with batons by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while reporting.

  • A WNBC television crew claims state police removed them from their marked news vehicle and directed them into an area where tear gas was deployed.

» Hawaiian Think-Tank Sues Over State’s Corporate Political Spending Law

• Grassroot Institute of Hawai’i (GIH), a public policy think tank, has filed a lawsuit against “Act 11,” which establishes new restrictions on political spending by incorporated entities, including nonprofits, trade associations, corporations, and unions, arguing that the law violates organizations’ First Amendment rights.

• Act 11:

  • Act 11 directly challenges the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which affirmed independent spending by third parties on political advertisements as protected speech.

  • Existing campaign finance statutes allow organizations to make such contributions as long as they register “independent expenditures” and “electioneering communications” and disclose them to donors.

  • Act 11 prohibits incorporated entities, including nonprofits, from engaging in “election activity” and “ballot-issue activity,” which could potentially include any spending to speak out for or against candidates, ballot measures, or political parties.

  • Entities can face a range of penalties from suspension of authority to operate, revocation of tax exemptions, to involuntary dissolution.

  • According to the Institute for Free Speech (IFS), GIH’s legal representation, by prohibiting any spending to “directly or indirectly … support or oppose” a candidate, the law risks prohibiting routine legislative education and advocacy that may mention elected officials.

• The Lawsuit:

  • Keli’i Anika, President of GIH, said in a statement that Act 11 “prevents citizens from organizing and pooling resources, time, and effort to speak on topics of public concern.”

  • Owen Yeates, the lead IFS litigator on behalf of GIH, argued, “Americans have a constitutional right to join together through nonprofits and other associations to advocate for the causes that matter to them and their communities. Moreover, Americans have a right to decide for themselves which voices they want to hear. Act 11 strips those rights from the residents of Hawai‘i.”

  • The Act is set to take effect in July 2027.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» White House Urges UK Not to Ban Social Media for Under-16s

• In a submission to the UK government’s consultation on online safety, the White House has urged the country not to impose a social media ban for children under 16.

• Details:

  • The submission argues that age-gating content will not work and instead calls on the UK to give parents “robust tools” to manage children’s privacy settings and account controls, and to mandate that platforms offer a safe online experience.

  • It also explains, “We have concerns about regulations that impose disproportionate compliance burdens on American companies or that apply to one platform but not similar services.”

• Context:

  • Meta, whose platforms will be affected by the outcome of the consultation, has already launched a legal challenge against Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, regarding the fees and fines it is enforcing under the Act, as included in a previous Free Flow.

  • The news comes as the country’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to unveil a package of online restrictions that includes a ban on “harmful” social media apps and potential blocks on conversations with strangers on gaming platforms.

  • The “harmful” apps subject to the ban are unknown, though reports that YouTube Kids could be exempt indicate there may be exceptions for “educational” platforms.”

» FCC Proposes Telecom Providers Collect Identifying Information About Phone Customers

• A recent proposal from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would legally require telecommunications companies to store identifying personal information of all phone customers to prevent people from buying “burner phones.”

• Details:

  • “Burner phones” are phones that are not linked to your identity at the point of purchase, and can be important technology for journalists, domestic abuse survivors, or privacy-conscious people.

  • The proposed changes would require telecom providers to obtain the “name, physical address, government issued identification number, and an alternate telephone number of any new and renewing customer before granting access to its services.”

  • The agency claims the goal of collecting the data is to deter scammers and to allow enforcers to better identify them, but it also lists other ways the data could help authorities.

  • Authorities note that the data could help identify people involved in investigations into “fraud, espionage, or influence operations that undermine national security” as well as “abuse in text messaging networks.”

  • One section adds, ‘criminals continue to leverage the anonymity provided by phone calls and texts to defraud Americans and exploit communications networks…”

  • The proposal is open to public comment until June 25.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» German Court Holds Google Liable Over AI-Generated Overview Results

• The Regional Court of Munich has ruled that Google is directly liable for what its AI search overviews say, and that prior case law shielding search engine operators from liability does not apply to such overviews.

• Context:

  • The case was brought by two Munich-based publishing companies that Google’s AI overviews had falsely linked to scams, subscription traps, and shady business practices in certain search queries.

  • The publishers had sent Google a cease-and-desist letter, but even though specific texts were no longer being displayed, Google had not properly complied with the letter, nor had it implemented safeguards to prevent the algorithm from generating the same statements again.

  • The Munich Court issued a temporary injunction against the company, barring it from spreading false claims about the publishers in AI overviews.

• In Court:

  • Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has ruled that search engine operators are only subject to limited liability over third parties that they merely made findable.

  • The Munich court determined that such liability protections do not apply to AI overviews, which it found are a generation of “independent, new, and substantive statements,” made by evaluating and combining content.

  • It said that Google’s AI overviews differ from traditional search results because it rewrites information “in its own words and according to its own structure,” and that the claims against the publishers, which did not appear in search results, were the “defendant’s own statements.”

  • Google argued at the hearing that users could fact-check the AI overview using the linked sources themselves, but the Court rejected this, saying the possibility of disproving a statement doesn’t exempt its maker from liability.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» China Represses Tiananmen Square Remembrance Activities

• According to an anonymous source who spoke with the Associated Press, Chinese police told the relatives of victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre that they would not be allowed to visit a Beijing cemetery on the 37th anniversary of the tragedy.

• Details:

  • Police increased security measures on the anniversary in a park where candlelight vigils have been held every year since the massacre, until a clampdown in 2019 following anti-government protests.

  • A handful of people showed up, and officers stopped and searched seven of them on suspicion of being disorderly in public.

  • The police said the individuals were taken for further investigation before being allowed to leave.

• Context:

  • The police presence is the latest in a yearslong campaign to erase the tragedy from public memory.

  • Authorities in Hong Kong have banned the vigil since 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Three of the vigil’s organizers have been charged under a 2020 national security law.

» Two Men Convicted in London of Stabbing Iranian Journalist in Attack Linked to Iran

• A jury at Woolwich Crown Court has convicted two Romanian men of stabbing Pouria Zeraati, a journalist from a Farsi-language television station, allegedly at the behest of Tehranian authorities.

• Details:

  • Zeraati, a presenter at London-based Iran International, was stabbed in the leg in March 2024.

  • Nandito Badea and George Stana were arrested in Romania in December 2024 for the attack and extradited to the U.K., while the third suspect, David Andrei, remains the subject of criminal proceedings in Romania.

  • The jury’s verdict does not conclude that the attack was executed on behalf of Iran, though the judge may determine that when the pair is sentenced in July.

  • Iran’s senior diplomat in England has denied it was behind the attack, though the broadcaster has previously received threats over its coverage of the country.

  • In 2023, the broadcaster temporarily moved to studios in Washington, D.C., citing an escalation of “state-backed threats from Iran,” before later resuming operations at a new location in London.

  • U.K. security officials claim Iran is behind a growing number of plans in the country targeting opposition Farsi-language media outlets and the Jewish community in the country, with reports that more than 20 lethal plots were disrupted by the country’s MI5 domestic intelligence service between October 2024 and ‘25.

» Surge in Arrests Over False News & Offensive Speech in Ghana

• The Media Foundation for West Africa has reported a sharp uptick in arrests linked to false news and offensive speech in Ghana as authorities increasingly enforce the country’s Criminal Code and Electronic Communications Act.

• Details:

  • 14 such arrests have occurred in less than 16 months, nearly double the number documented during the previous administration’s eight-year tenure.

  • Opposition minority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has criticized enforcement efforts, arguing, “Arresting citizens for words that do not constitute genuine threats is not justice. It is intimidation.”

  • Meanwhile, the government has rejected allegations of a crackdown, and a National Democratic Congress (NDC) Party communicator said: “Ghana’s laws, Section 208 of the Criminal Code and Section 76 of the Electronic Communications Act, have been on the books for decades.”

  • “What has changed,” he added, “is the sheer volume of reckless, anonymous, and sometimes dangerous content on social media. There is no systematic crackdown. There is simply enforcement of existing law.”

  • A legal consultant told Al Jazeera that after reviewing recent cases, Section 208 of the Criminal Code was misapplied at least 16 times in the past 18 months.

» Journalists Arrested in Mali for ‘Undermining the State’

• Malian authorities have arrested two journalists in the past two days as part of a crackdown on dissent, as a security crisis escalates.

• The Arrests:

  • The main press association in Mali, the “Maison de La Presse,” said that journalist Abderhmane Keita was arrested on charges of “undermining national unity and the credibility of the state” and “dissemination of false and misleading information.”

  • Chahana Takiou, a television presenter and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper 22 Septembre, was arrested on charges of “undermining the credibility of the State through the judicial system.”

  • Takiou had criticized the authorities’ application of a cybercrime law, which he argued was weaponized against press freedom.

• Context:

  • Public statements suggesting that Mali’s military leadership is losing ground to jihadist groups often lead to charges in the country.

  • The arrests come as reports of Islamic extremists attacking the country reach record numbers and government forces face accusations of killing civilians with suspected ties to militants.

  • The security crisis has been used as justification for the crackdown on dissent, with authorities banning magazines, French media outlets, and imprisoning opposition leaders.

» Amnesty International Report Shows Inadequate Protest Protections in Greece, Leading Demonstrations to Become Violent

• A report from Amnesty International finds that protest legislation in Greece, which fails to meet international standards, is underpinning an increase in the use of unnecessary or excessive police force against peaceful protesters in the country.

• Excessive Force:

  • The report is based on two years of research, video footage analysis, and interviews with protesters, journalists, and lawyers.

  • Of the 67 people interviewed specifically about unlawful use of force in policing demonstrations, 30 described authorities throwing stun grenades above peaceful protesters and journalists’ heads, or at their feet, or into dense crowds.

  • Verified video shows police using stun grenades next to a cafe where bystanders were sitting, and documents officers striking peaceful demonstrators with batons, chasing them, and beating people already under police control.

  • The report also covers incidents involving the use of chemical irritants, water cannons, and force during arrest and or detention.

• Broad Police Powers:

  • Police are empowered to stop protesters and bring them into stations for identity checks, which has resulted in people being subject to arbitrary detentions, body searches, and use of force despite no reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.

  • Peaceful protesters have been criminalized, including individuals charged for participating in demonstrations or engaging in civil disobedience.

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

Audrey Campbell is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and an international relations major at American University.

Isabella Dail is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a recent graduate from Princeton University with a bachelor's in philosophy.

— 🇺🇲 Pentagon Bars Journalists From Press Office

— 🤖 Meta Expands Teen Account Safety Restrictions Globally

— 🇲🇾 Malaysia Begins Enforcing Social Media Ban for Users Under 16

— 🇬🇧 UK Bars American Commentators Entry Ahead of SXSW Appearance

— 🇪🇺 EU Watchdog Moves to Strip European Political Party of Status and Funding

First of All 🇺🇸

» Pentagon Bars Journalists From Press Office, Designating It a Classified Space

• In its latest move to restrict media access to the Pentagon, the Defense Department barred reporters from its press office, designating the space as classified.

• Details:

  • Pentagon reporters have long held press credentials granting them wide movement in the building to interact with press officials.

  • Now, Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez said the office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility because speechwriters who “routinely handle classified material” now occupy the space.

• The Bigger Picture:

  • The decision comes after major news outlets surrendered their access badges in October, following a refusal to agree to a new policy requiring journalists to pledge not to gather information not expressly authorized for release, as reported in a previous Free Flow.

  • In a lawsuit brought by The New York Times, U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman blocked the policy in March, and the Pentagon responded by mandating that all reporters be escorted through the Pentagon grounds.

  • The following month, Friedman ruled that the interim policy violated his March order, but an appeals court stayed part of his ruling, keeping the policy in place while the government appeals.

  • The Times filed a second lawsuit against the escort requirement last month, as reported in a previous Free Flow.

» DOJ Subpoenas Reddit and X to Unmask Anonymous Critics of ICE

• Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., subpoenaed Reddit and X seeking the names, addresses, and banking information of users who have criticized the government’s deportation efforts on social media.

• Details:

  • Previous court records show the Trump administration had abandoned the use of administrative summonses to unmask critics, which don’t require a judge or court process to proceed, following legal challenges.

  • Now, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has reportedly issued grand jury subpoenas to social media companies in which two anonymous posters criticized immigration enforcement efforts as part of criminal investigations.

  • Reddit and X have notified some users that they can oppose the data requests, giving them a brief window to intervene.

  • Users claim they remain unaware of the possible offenses under investigation, the posts that caught the government’s attention, or the laws allegedly broken.

• Grand Jury Subpoenas:

  • Grand jury subpoenas allow federal prosecutors to demand documents or testimony to present to grand jurors, who decide whether to indict the defendant. They indicate a criminal investigation, while administrative summons do not.

  • These subpoenas also do not receive judicial review unless they are challenged, and failure to comply can lead to fines and jail time.

  • The bar to quash a subpoena is high, and the challenger must prove that the request is unreasonable or oppressive.

Our Take: “For more than a quarter century, state and federal courts have held that the First Amendment protects the ability to speak anonymously on the internet. Despite this longstanding precedent, the Reddit and X subpoenas arise in a context that will be more challenging for the posters. Courts generally are more deferential to prosecutors seeking grand jury subpoenas than they are to plaintiffs’ lawyers in civil discovery, so it will be an uphill battle.”

» Judge Blocks National Park Service From Removing Anti-Trump ‘8647’ Flag From the National Mall

• A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order against the National Park Service after a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleged a Park Police officer asked a protester to take down an “8647” flag, arguing it suggested a threat against President Trump.

• Details:

  • “86” is a common shorthand for “get rid of” or “throw out.” The phrase “8647” gained heightened scrutiny after two federal indictments were issued against former FBI Director James Comey over an Instagram post of seashells spelling out the digits on a beach, as reported in a previous Free Flow.

  • In April, the ACLU filed a complaint on behalf of Accountability NOW USA, a protest organization, alleging that the National Park Service violated the group’s First Amendment rights by threatening to revoke their protest permit over signs critical of Trump.

  • The ACLU requested a preliminary injunction to bar the revocation of the group’s permit on May 26, and submitted a request for a temporary restraining order the day after, alleging Accountability NOW USA was asked to take down the “8647” flag.

  • The judge rejected the government’s argument that the flag display amounted to incitement and said the evidence shows that the group’s purpose was “to urge that Congress impeach and remove President Trump from office.”

  • The temporary restraining order bars the government from ordering that the flag not be displayed and from revoking the group’s permit because of the flag.

» Judge Overturns West Point’s Prior Restraint on Civilian Faculty Speech

• A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from enforcing a February 2025 policy requiring its civilian faculty to obtain advance approval for “engagements” with external audiences on their academic disciplines.

• Context:

  • The policy applied to faculty “while on duty or when using any USMA affiliation or branding,” and included, but was not limited to, journal articles, conference presentations, media interviews, op-eds, and social media posts.

  • It followed an executive order from the month prior that banned West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy from “promoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating…un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories.”

  • The theories listed in the executive order included “divisive concepts,” “gender ideology,” race or sex “stereotyping,” and “scapegoating,” and the idea that “America’s founding documents are racist or sexist.”

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had also commanded the service academies to ban instruction on critical race theory and DEI.

• In Court:

  • West Point law professor Tim Bakken sued the academy and six of its leaders in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in September 2025 over the policy and comments from the West Point Academic Board dean advising faculty not to “advocate for a particular position or ideology” in the classroom.

  • The court found the preapproval policy likely violates the First Amendment and issued a preliminary injunction barring its enforcement against any civilian faculty.

  • The ruling also forbade the academy from restraining Bakken “from expressing or offering his opinions, beliefs, or views to his students on the subjects he teaches.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Fifth Circuit Allows Texas App-Store Age Verification Law to Take Effect During Appeal

• A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas’s App Store Accountability Act, which requires app marketplace operators to verify users’ ages and mandates parental consent before minors under 18 download apps or make in-app purchases, can take effect.

• Details:

  • The law also requires app developers to indicate whether their apps are appropriate for children in four tiers: under 13, teens aged 13-15, older teens aged 16-17, or adults aged 18 or older.

  • In a case brought by the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group, and the advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, federal district judge Robert Pitman issued a temporary injunction in December 2025, arguing that the law likely violated the First Amendment.

  • “The Act is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to verify the age of every customer at the door and, for minors, require parental consent before the child or teen could enter and again when they try to purchase a book,” Pitman wrote.

  • Upon appeal by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the injunction on the Act while it continues to review the case, without explaining its reasoning.

» Florida Sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, Seeking Personal Liability for Harms to Users

• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman over the company’s design and safety, claiming that its systems present a “great danger of addiction, cognitive decline, suicide, violence, and related harms” to users.

• Context:

  • The civil action is separate from Uthmeier’s criminal investigation into the company, launched in late April of this year.

  • Uthmeier said he seeks civil penalties and a court order “to hold Altman personally liable.”

• The Lawsuit:

  • OpenAI is accused of four counts of deceptive and unfair trade practices, two counts of negligence, two counts of violating product liability laws, and one count each of fraudulent misrepresentation and causing a public nuisance.

  • A wide array of commonly cited risks from AI are cited, including that advertisements don’t display warnings about hallucinations or falsities, that ChatGPT’s sycophancy can cause dangerous psychological attachment, and the illicit provision of medical and legal advice.

  • The company maintains that it has integrated safety measures into its systems and that it has “safeguards in place to help people, especially teens, when conversations turn sensitive.”

» Meta Expands Teen Account Safety Restrictions Globally Following Court Losses

• Meta has expanded its content settings for teen accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger globally, as part of an initiative launched last October in select countries to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content.

• The company has also announced an Instagram feature aimed at diversifying the content teens see to prevent repetitive exposure to certain themes.

• Details:

  • “We recognize that some content— like posts about nutrition, weightlifting, or how to cope with anxiety— can be helpful, but it should be balanced with other types of content rather than shown repeatedly,” the company said.

  • Meta has also said that a “limited content” setting will be made available on Facebook and Messenger this year to further restrict potentially harmful content.

  • The new features come after a Los Angeles jury found Meta negligent in designing social media platforms that are harmful to young people in March, as reported in a previous Free Flow.

» Malaysia Begins Enforcing Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

• Malaysia has begun enforcing a ban on social media accounts for children under 16, requiring social media platforms with at least 8 million users in the country to implement age-verification systems and block children from creating accounts.

• Details:

  • The country’s Communications and Multimedia Commission said that age-verification will be rolled out over the next six months, and current users under 16 will have a month to download or transfer any data before restrictions are applied.

  • Companies that violate the ban could face penalties of up to $2.5 million, though parents whose children manage to circumvent the rule will not be penalized.

  • Platforms have yet to describe how they will comply, though Clara Koh, Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, has cautioned that the ban could drive teenagers away from protected apps to unregulated corners of the internet.

» California Bill Barring Teens Under 16 From Social Media Passes the State Assembly

• The California Assembly has passed a bill that would ban minors under 16 from using social media platforms with “addictive features,” including notifications, endless scroll, and autoplay.

• Details:

  • The bill would require social media platforms with addictive features to verify users’ ages and delete the accounts of minors under 16, or face financial civil penalties.

  • An e-safety commission would also be established to oversee the legislation’s implementation.

  • The bill now heads to the state Senate.

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The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK Bars American Commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker, Citing ‘Public Good’

• The British Home Office has canceled the electronic travel authorizations of American political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker because “their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the public good.”

• Details:

  • Uygur, co-host of “The Young Turks” on YouTube, draws over 200 million views per month. Piker, his nephew, has a daily audience of 30,000 on Twitch.

  • The pair claim they’ve been “banned for criticizing Israel.”

  • The statement from the Home Office did not mention Israel, and said that decisions to “refuse or cancel” people’s electronic authorization “on these grounds are based solely on an assessment of the potential risk an individual may pose ot U.K society.”

  • Both men had been scheduled to speak at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in London this week and at the University of Oxford.

  • Piker’s SXSW talk was titled “How the American Left Learned to Speak the Internet”; Uygur’s was “Techno-Feudalism is Here. Who Are the Lords?” Piker had also been scheduled to appear at the University of Oxford.

  • The UK previously blocked 11 people described as “foreign far-right agitators” in May who had been scheduled to speak at an event organized by Tommy Robinson, an anti-Islam activist.

» Germany Fines Facebook User for Calling Chancellor Merz ‘Lügenfritz’

• A German court has imposed a criminal fine on a Facebook user for calling Chancellor Friedrich Merz “Lügenfritz” (“Lying Fritz”), ruling that the remark constituted a criminal insult under Section 188 of Germany’s Criminal Code.

• Background:

  • The case arose after Merz visited the city of Heilbronn in October 2024. Local police posted a notice on Facebook about a temporary ban on drone flights during the visit, prompting dozens of comments criticizing the chancellor.

  • Prosecutors reviewed 38 comments for possible violations of Section 188, a controversial provision that grants enhanced protection against insults directed at public figures involved in political life.

  • The Öhringen District Court issued a penalty order of 30 daily income-based fines against a user who referred to Merz as “Lügenfritz.” The penalty has already become final.

  • Other cases produced mixed outcomes. Prosecutors dropped investigations into comments calling Merz “Pinocchio” or a “Lügen-Kasper” (“lying clown”), while courts also issued penalty orders against users who referred to him as “Ftzn Frieder” or “Fo****Fritz.”

  • Section 188 has long been criticized for its potential chilling effect on political debate. The law permits heightened penalties when speech directed at political figures is deemed capable of significantly hindering their public work.

  • Prosecutors argued that calling Merz “Lügenfritz” could undermine public confidence in the chancellor’s integrity and encourage further hostility among like-minded individuals, thereby satisfying the requirements of Section 188.

» German Police Detain Right-Wing Activist at Airport to Block Remigration Summit Attendance

• German federal border police detained Generation Identity activist Maximilian Märkl at the Munich Airport, where he was traveling to Porto, Portugal, to attend the Remigration Summit 2026.

• Details:

  • Märkl is one of the national spokesmen for Identitäre Bewegung Deutschland (IBD), a right-wing youth movement that seeks to preserve the cultural identity of European countries, and was scheduled to speak at the Remigration Summit, where leaders associated with anti-migration / remigration campaigns gather.

  • Märkl was taken into custody at the airport and banned from traveling to Portugal until the end of the event. He must report to his local police station twice a day in the interim, or risk a €500 penalty for each absence.

  • Authorities cited that Märkl’s participation in the event “threatens the reputation of the Federal Republic of Germany” as justification for the ban, while a federal police citation also argued that the concept of “remigration” violates the German constitution.

  • A year prior, German police had arrested a group that had been similarly banned from attending the Summit after they circumvented the ban and drove to Italy, where the Summit was taking place.

» EU Watchdog Moves to Strip European Political Party of Status and Funding

• The Authority for European Political Parties and Foundations, the watchdog that oversees European parties, has initiated a process that could result in the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) party being banned and losing its funding for failing to uphold EU values.

• Details:

  • The watchdog monitors whether political parties and foundations comply with EU rules requiring them to uphold core values, including “respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights, including the rights of minorities.”

  • The ESN party is separate from the ESN political group in the European Parliament, which comprises 27 MEPs. The group and party were founded by Alternative for Germany (AfD) in 2024, and comprise alliances of national parties funded by the EU budget.

  • The watchdog argued that certain evidence, including court rulings, screenshots, and social media posts from MEPs and party lawmakers that display anti-immigration, antisemitic, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, “cast doubt on the compliance” of the ESN party with EU values.

  • In a statement to POLITICO, the Authority said it had “provided facts…to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission” to allow them to decide whether to lodge a request for verification of compliance with Union values with the Authority.

Our Take: At the Bedrock Principle, Natalie Alkiviadou and Justin Hayes warn that banning or sanctioning political parties can backfire, “fueling narratives of martyrdom and persecution and weakening the legitimacy of democratic pluralism.”

Free Speech Recession 🌍

» The U.S. Revokes Visa of Chinese State Media Journalist After Beijing Expels NYT Reporter

• China expelled New York Times correspondent Vivian Wang in February over a Times event in December, in which Taiwan’s president appeared on video, though wang played no role in the event.

• In a diplomatic tit-for-tat, the Trump administration has revoked the visa of a U.S.-based Chinese state media journalist.

• Context:

  • Chinese officials had complained for months about Wang’s coverage, which often tackled topics related to censorship, Beijing’s response to COVID-19, and the expansion of China’s security state.

  • A couple of dozen foreign journalists employed by American news organizations are believed to be based in China after Mr. Xi assumed power; the Times now has one correspondent, and The Washington Post has not had one for several years.

  • China’s foreign ministry has reduced the number of long-term visas issued to American journalists, and short-term visas are less likely to be renewed if Beijing officials dislike the journalists’ coverage.

• Ongoing Feud:

  • In February 2020, three Wall Street Journal correspondents were expelled after the publication released an opinion essay critical of Beijing, despite having no role in the essay’s publication.

  • Around the same time, the Trump administration announced that five state-run Chinese news organizations operating within the U.S., including Xinhua, the outlet of the journalist whose visa it revoked, would be subject to regulations similar to those that apply to foreign diplomats.

  • The number of journalists allowed to work for those organizations in the U.S. was also capped at 100.

  • China retaliated by expelling a dozen more American journalists working for The Times, The Journal, and The Post, demanding detailed information about their activities.

  • Ms. Wang was admitted into China after the Biden administration struck an agreement with Beijing in 2021 that granted visas to several journalists.

» Israeli Police Compile Dossiers on Critical Foreign Journalists to Support Entry Bans

• Court documents released in a legal challenge by Italian freelance photojournalist Alessandro Stefanelli reveal that Israeli police have established a police body to review foreign journalists’ work and recommend entry bans against those whose coverage is deemed critical of Israel.

• Details:

  • Stefanelli, a contributor to Le Soir, La Stampa, and other publications, had, with Israeli government press credentials, made 13 reporting trips to Israel and the West Bank over two and a half years and was banned in June 2025.

  • Police documents found his coverage to be “one-sided,” citing articles he had photographed for but had not written, and including a tweet authored by someone else as evidence.

  • The police document on Stefanelli stated that the police had recommended that population control authorities ban other foreign journalists based on a review of their work, but the names of the journalists in question were not released.

  • Reporters Without Borders (RSF) referenced a ban on Spanish freelancer Queralt Castillo, which authorities justified by arguing that entry to the country “will not be permitted for those who act against Israel.”

  • documents specified that police had recommended entry bans against other unnamed foreign journalists based on similar reviews. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) referenced a ban on Spanish freelancer Queralt Castillo, justified by authorities “as part of its fight against antisemitism and the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.”

  • Israeli Interior Ministry spokesperson Sabine Haddad confirmed to Index on Censorship that the Government Press Office (GPO) — which had fully accredited Stefanelli for each of his reporting trips — “did not object” to his ban.

» Bolsonaro Family Allies Target Intercept Brasil Reporters Over Corruption Coverage

• A lawmaker in Brazil, Helio Lopez, has sent letters to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) requesting an investigation into The Intercept over “selective leaks.”

• Details:

  • The letters came a day after the outlet published an investigation into the relationship between Senator and current presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of Lopez, and jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro.

  • The investigation showed that Flávio negotiated with the banker to finance the film “Dark Horse,” about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

  • Dallas-based freelance reporter Steven Monacelli also faced harassment and threats after attempting to get a comment from Flávio’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is currently residing in Texas.

  • When Monacelli rang Bolsonaro’s doorbell, Bolsonaro called local Southlake, Texas, police and posted a social media video saying that “people in Texas have firearms at home.”

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

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇲 Trump Administration Proposes NDAs for Federal Workers

— 🇨🇳 Study Reveals China Silently Censoring WeChat Messages

— 🇻🇳 Vietnamese Police Summon 45 Social Media Users for Engaging with Disinformation

— 🇳🇱 Dutch LGBTQ+ Organizations Take Legal Action Against Meta

— 🇬🇧 UK Says TikTok, YouTube ‘Not Safe Enough’

First of All 🇺🇲

» Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping NDAs for Federal Workers to Crackdown on Press Leaks

• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed a draft non-disclosure agreement for use by federal agencies with both new and existing employees.

• Details:

  • Former government employees would need “written permission from an authorized agency official” to speak to journalists about information that the administration determines to be “confidential” after leaving their positions.

  • Federal law prohibits the government from retaliating against federal workers who disclose fraud, abuse, and misconduct in their workplaces to internal government watchdogs and Congress— disclosures that the draft agreement exempts.

  • The administration could pursue civil and criminal penalties against employees who violate the agreement and would be entitled to all “royalties” that employees received from disclosing information.

  • The proposal comes after President Trump has banned the Associated Press from the White House press pool and restricted reporters’ access at the Pentagon, which has itself allegedly planned random polygraphs and NDAs to stop leaks to the press.

» Dozens of Organizations Respond to FCC’s Inquiry into Warning Labels on ‘Gender Identity’ Programming

• More than 40 civil liberties, LGBTQ advocacy, and free expression organizations filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opposing a proposal that could require television programs featuring LGBTQ themes to carry special content warnings.

• Background:

  • The FCC’s inquiry, launched by Chairman Brendan Carr in April, asks whether current TV ratings systems provide parents with enough information about programming involving “gender identity themes” or “transgender and gender non-binary programming.”

  • In a comment submitted last week, The Future of Free Speech argues that the inquiry is “unconstitutionally vague” and raises serious First Amendment concerns involving viewpoint discrimination, compelled speech, and government coercion of private actors.

    • The filing argues that the FCC’s framing fails to clearly define what programming would qualify for additional labeling, making meaningful public participation difficult and risking arbitrary enforcement.

    • It also warned that labeling programs featuring transgender or non-binary individuals alongside descriptors for violence or sexual content would stigmatize an entire category of protected expression.

  • Separately, a coalition led by groups including GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG National, and PEN America submitted a joint filing denouncing the proposal as discriminatory and politically motivated.

  • The coalition argued that “content warnings that specifically single out LGBTQ+ people, including transgender and non-binary people, or mentions of gender identity on screen are unnecessary, unhelpful, and discriminatory,” adding that parents — not government regulators — should decide what content children watch.

» Public Employees Fired for Charlie Kirk Social Media Posts Receive Settlements in Free Speech Cases

• Following an $835,000 award to a former police officer in Tennessee, who spent 37 days in jail for social media posts following the assassination of Charlie Kirk (as mentioned in last week’s Free Flow), two public employees have received settlements after facing termination over similar online posts.

• In Tallahassee, Florida:

  • Brittney Brown, a biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was fired in September after she posted an Instagram story criticizing Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination.

  • The state of Florida must pay $485,000 to Brown, who has, in turn, agreed not to apply to, or seek reinstatement with, the FWC in the future.

• In Indiana:

  • Suzanne Swierc, former health director at Ball State University, was terminated after making a social media post on a private Facebook account where she called his death a tragedy and critiqued his political activism.

  • “Charlie Kirk’s death is a reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed,” Swierc wrote. “It does not excuse his death, AND it’s a sad truth.”

  • The University did not admit to any wrongdoing, and President Geoffrey Mearns said in an email to university leadership that he stands by his decision to terminate Swierc, though the institution will pay Swierc $225,000.

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Texas Sues Discord, Seeking Court-Ordered Age Verification Under SCOPE Act

• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Discord, a social media platform, alleging that it violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by falsely advertising the platform as safe.

• Details:

  • The suit, filed on May 22 in Collin County District Court, seeks an injunction requiring Discord to default new accounts to maximum safety settings and adopt age-verification measures under Texas’s Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act.

  • The complaint alleges that Discord “built and maintains one of the internet’s most efficient hunting grounds for manipulation, grooming, and predatory behavior towards children,” citing design features the state says enable predation, including private servers, reliance on unpaid volunteers for moderation, and safety features that require users to opt in.

  • Last year, Discord announced that hackers stole 70,000 users’ government IDs from a third-party service used to verify ages and identities.

» University of Florida Law Student Expelled for Antisemitic Posts Will Argue Free Speech at Trial

• The University of Florida will defend its expulsion of law student Preston Damsky, a self-described white nationalist, over an antisemitic X post.

• Background:

  • Damsky was banned from campus and expelled after quoting a historian saying, “Jews must be abolished by any means necessary.”

  • He sued UF, arguing the punishment violated the First Amendment because his post was offensive political speech, not a true threat.

  • UF argues that the post disrupted the law school and threatened the student body.

  • A federal judge previously ordered Damsky reinstated, but the 11th Circuit paused that order, with one dissenting judge warning that the case turns on whether “offensive off-campus political speech” is protected.

» University of Toronto Lab Study Reveals China Censoring WeChat Messages in Real Time

• A recent study conducted by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto reveals that Chinese users of WeChat, an instant messaging service, are being unknowingly censored in real time.

• Details:

  • WeChat users have received messages informing them that a message they attempted to send was blocked for using government-restricted words, but now that censorship is happening without warning, the report claims.

  • The results showed that messages on WeChat accounts linked to mainland China phone numbers were silently filtered, and international accounts could be censored, though the censorship was not as extensive as on these accounts.

  • It also found that group chats are censored more heavily than one-on-one chats, and that on particular days or during certain periods, new words or phrases can be added to the list of restricted terms.

  • When messages pass through a server that scans for restricted words before transmitting them to the receiver, the messages are not sent, and neither party is notified, the report determined.

» Vietnamese Police Question Social Media Users for Engaging with ‘False Information’

• On May 20, Vietnam’s Hue City police “invited in for questioning” 45 account owners who had “regularly followed, accessed, and interacted with” information deemed to be “false, fabricated, distorted, and anti-state content from exiled reactionary elements.”

• Details:

  • The provincial police justified the summonses by claiming the users had “limited political awareness” and lacked the skills necessary to identify “false information” and “malicious schemes,” unintentionally helping the spread of “negative and distorted content about the country.”

  • Authorities added that after being educated by officers, the users “clearly recognized their violations,” removed related posts and comments, left the pages and groups in question, and “signed pledges not to reoffend.”

» Kenya Proposes $20.8 Million AI Initiative for Social Media Monitoring

• Kenya’s State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications has presented a proposal to parliament seeking $20.8 million USD to implement AI tools for social media monitoring, online sentiment analysis, and government communications management.

• The Proposal:

  • The proposal aims to counter misinformation, disinformation, and organized online narratives across platforms.

  • $2.96 million of the budget is allocated in the proposal for AI software to monitor social media discussions, which officials claim will provide insights into public opinion and improve communication strategies among ministries and agencies.

  • However, critics and digital rights advocates have raised concerns that the analysis tools can be abused to track dissent, stifle criticism, or shape public discourse.

  • The proposal follows earlier legal battles in the country regarding attempts to regulate or limit access to social media platforms.

  • The request is under examination by the Budget and Appropriations Committee before parliament reconvenes.

» Amnesty International Report Shows Indonesia Using Online Disinformation Campaigns to Brand Critics as ‘Foreign Agents’

• A report from Amnesty International reveals that since President Prabowo Subianto took office in Indonesia in 2024, state and state-aligned actors have launched coordinated disinformation attacks to portray human rights defenders and critics as ‘foreign agents.’

• Details:

  • The report claims that through public rhetoric and coordinated online campaigns, the government is seeking to delegitimize civil society, activism, and independent journalism.

  • Individuals accused of “entering into relations with persons or organizations domiciled abroad” to “overthrow or take over the government” can also face up to 10 years imprisonment under Indonesia’s newly enforced Criminal Code.

  • Four disinformation campaigns are outlined in the report, targeting human rights defenders protesting revisions to Military Law, participants in the ‘Indonesia Gelap’ protests that began in February 2025, the media outlet Tempo, and the Centre of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS).

  • Three of the campaigns involved social media accounts allegedly belonging to at least 63 military-affiliated entities.

  • To paint entities as “foreign agents,” allegations often used references to international partnerships, cross-border solidarity, or donor relationships.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» UK’s Ofcom says YouTube and TikTok ‘Not Safe Enough’

• British Internet regulator Ofcom published a new report into how five large social media platforms responded to its calls for stronger action on children’s online safety and said TikTok and YouTube “failed to commit to any significant changes to reduce harmful content being served to children, maintaining that their feeds are already safe for children.”

• Details:

  • “Our wealth of evidence, published today, suggests they are still not safe enough,” Ofcom added.

  • TikTok and YouTube both pointed to safety features in their apps, including TikTok’s prohibition of direct messaging for under-16s and YouTube’s short-form video timer, which allows parents to set time limits for scrolling shorts.

  • Ofcom spokesperson said the regulator was “ready to take the toughest enforcement action” if platforms do not comply with its rules, adding “we will absolutely move into a formal investigation if we need to.”

  • The report highlighted changes made by Snap (owner of Snapchat), Roblox, and Meta that focused on reducing grooming risks, including Snap’s decision to block adult strangers from contacting children by default in the UK as well as introducing “highly effective” age checks this summer.

  • Roblox plans to let parents switch off direct chat entirely for under-16s, and Meta plans to hide teens’ Instagram connection lists by default and develop AI tools to detect likely sexualized conversations in DMs.

• Broader Concerns:

  • The report found that 84% of children aged 8 to 12 were still using at least one major service with a minimum age requirement of 13.

  • A government spokesperson said Ofcom had its “full backing” to ensure that companies prevent and remove harmful content from their platforms and feeds, adding that age limits, app curfews, and an outright ban are being considered.

» Dutch LGBTQ+ Organizations Take Legal Action Against Meta’s Content Moderation

• Dutch LGBTQ+ organizations are pursuing legal action against Meta after a series of Instagram account suspensions affecting queer clubs, artists, publications, and communities in the Netherlands, alleging the company’s moderation practices are discriminatory.

• Details:

  • The coalition’s formal legal demand to Meta, issued on May 20, argues that the moderation systems have targeted LGBTQ+ accounts and “may have violated European fundamental rights law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), GDPR, and Dutch anti-discrimination law.”

  • A lawyer for the coalition said, “Removing queer accounts without reason, without warning, and without any possibility of appeal constitutes a violation of European law. Platforms are not allowed to structurally exclude minority groups from public debate.”

  • The lawyer added: “This is the first case in which the Digital Services Act is being used to challenge discriminatory content moderation by a Very Large Online Platform.”

  • Meta has previously denied accusations that it targets LGBTQ+ users or content, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Journalists Jailed in Mexico Under New AI-Image Law

• Journalists Erendira Reyes and her daughter Alejandra Hermosillo were arrested by state police in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, on May 21 over alleged illegal use of AI.

• Details:

  • Reyes, founder and editor of the Facebook-based news page San Wicho Times and the magazine Capital, and Hermosillo are being held at the “La Pila” state penitentiary, according to Mexico’s National Registry of Detentions.

  • In a May 21 statement, the San Luis Potosí state prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrests and alleged “deliberate and illegal manipulation of the digital identity of the victim,” without naming the alleged victim.

  • Sources report that the pair’s arrests are related to a widely circulated video on Facebook last year of a local criminal gang accusing Gov. Ricardo Gallardo of corruption.

  • Gallardo denounced the video as containing AI-manipulated images of him, and the next month, the state penal code was amended to criminalize AI-manipulated images, punishable by up to three years in prison.

  • Sources also shared with the Committee to Protect Journalists a photo that appeared to be an arrest warrant for several journalists, among 11 people, and they believe they are on the same charges.

» Egyptian Filmmaker Detained for Spreading ‘False News’

• Egyptian director and screenwriter Omar Salah Marei has been held behind bars in Cairo since May 11, when he was arrested for “deliberately spreading false news” based on posts from his social media accounts.

• Details:

  • Marei is known for blending humor with sharp social and political commentary in his short films.

  • Plainclothes security officers reportedly broke down the door to his apartment, seizing four laptops, two phones, cash, and scripts for future projects, before taking Salah Marei to an undisclosed location without a warrant.

  • Salah Marei reappeared on May 16 before Egypt’s Supreme State Security Prosecution, and it was confirmed he had been held for 15 days of pretrial detention on charges of “deliberately spreading false news, based on posts on his social media accounts.”

  • Marei remains behind bars until his next judicial hearing on May 25, which will determine whether his pretrial incarceration is extended.

  • The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk affirmed that Omar “is a filmmaker who came to cinema from engineering through his own initiative, and who uses comedy as a vehicle for social commentary.”

» Belarus’ Banned Books Lists Surpasses 250 Titles

• Belarus’ Ministry of Information has added 17 more titles to its list of publications that are banned in the country.

• The List:

  • The list of total banned books that “may harm the country’s national interests” now contains 258 titles.

  • Among the banned titles is Christopher Isherwood’s “Goodbye to Berlin,” which was prohibited for its LGBTQ+ themes, and “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health” by Robert H. Harris.

  • Books by historians, including “Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe” by Anne Applebaum, the wife of Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, as well as her earlier book on the Gulag, appear on the blacklist.

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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 🔎

— 🇺🇸 NYT Sues Pentagon Over Press Requirements

— 🤖 Nebraska’s Social Media Age Verification Law Challenged

— 🇬🇧 X Pledges Faster Action on Hate Speech, Terrorist Content for UK Users

— 🇳🇪 Niger Suspends Nine French Media Outlets Over Threat to Public Order

— 🇮🇩 Indonesia Plans to Vet Who Qualifies as Human Rights Defender

First of All 🇺🇸

» New York Times Sues Pentagon Over Press Restrictions

• The New York Times sued the Pentagon on May 18 to block a requirement that all reporters be escorted on Pentagon grounds, calling the policy unconstitutional.

• Context:

  • The suit follows an earlier Times victory: a federal judge had previously blocked the Pentagon’s strict credentialing rules that limited how defense reporters could solicit information. The Pentagon's escort requirement is its response to the judgment.

  • The suit asks the court to block the escort requirement and to restore access rules in effect prior to the Trump administration.

  • In its filing, the New York Times argues the restrictions have a clear aim: “closing the Pentagon to any journalist or news organization unwilling to report only what Department officials approve,” and that is “patently unconstitutional.”

  • The Times’ complaint lists examples of what stories reporters would no longer be able to cover under the escort requirement, including “routine unplanned interactions” with Pentagon personnel and stories that “capture the mood and atmosphere within the Pentagon during times of consequential military operations.”

  • Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X: “The latest filing by the New York Times, while dressed up to look like a constitutional challenge, is nothing more than an attempt to remove the barriers to them getting their hands on classified information.”

» Ninth Circuit Affirms University of Washington Violated Professor’s First Amendment Rights

• The Ninth Circuit has ruled in favor of University of Washington computer science professor Stuart Reges, affirming that the university violated his First Amendment rights after he included a parody of its “land acknowledgment” statement in his course syllabus.

• Details:

  • In his winter 2022 syllabus, Reges replaced the university’s land acknowledgment, which recognized UW’s location on Coast Salish tribal land, with a parody drawing on John Locke’s labor theory of property: “I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property, the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington.”

  • A lower court had ruled the statement unprotected because it caused disruption on campus. A 2–1 Ninth Circuit panel disagreed, reversed the ruling, and remanded the case for further proceedings.

  • In the ruling, Judge Daniel Bress said, “When we place limits on what professors may say or impose punishment for the views they express, we destock the marketplace of ideas and imperil future generations who must be exposed to a range of ideas and readied for the disharmony of a democratic society.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» Tennessee Man Jailed Over Charlie Kirk Post Wins $835,000 Settlement

• Tennessee officials agreed to pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Larry Bushart, a retired police officer who spent 37 days in jail over Facebook memes posted after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

• Details:

  • Bushart was arrested in September after refusing to remove posts mocking reactions to Kirk’s killing, including a meme quoting President Trump’s remarks following a 2024 Iowa school shooting: “We have to get over it.”

  • Perry County authorities claimed one post referencing “Perry High School” caused panic because residents believed it threatened the local school, even though Sheriff Nick Weems acknowledged the meme referred to a school in Iowa.

  • Bushart was charged with a felony, held on $2 million bail, lost his post-retirement job, and missed major family milestones while detained. Prosecutors later dropped the charge in October.

  • The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which helped represent Bushart in his lawsuit, stated that the settlement should serve as a warning to law enforcement officials that “respect the First Amendment today, or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow.”

» Texas Woman Sues City After Arrest Over Facebook Post on Water Quality

• A Texas woman filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Trinidad after she was arrested over a Facebook post claiming residents had been hospitalized due to bacteria in the local water supply.

• Background:

  • Jennifer Combs was charged with felony “false alarm or report” after posting that residents had reported illnesses linked to Trinidad’s water system and urging locals to share information about discoloration, odors, or health issues.

  • Trinidad police accused Combs of spreading “false information” that caused panic in the community, while Police Chief Charles Gregory defended the arrest as “cut and dry.”

  • City officials acknowledged ongoing water infrastructure problems, including aging pipes dating back to the 1950s, and the city later issued a boil-water notice in April. Texas environmental regulators also confirmed an investigation into water quality complaints is ongoing.

  • Combs argues the arrest was politically motivated retaliation for criticizing city leadership and raising concerns about a matter of public interest.

» ACLU Sues Indiana AG Investigator Who Threatened Man Over ‘86’ Facebook Post

• Indiana resident Lee Lawmaster and the ACLU of Indiana have sued Kurt Spivey, Director of Investigations for the Indiana Attorney General’s office, alleging that he threatened Lawmaster with an indictment for posting “86” on state officials’ Facebook pages.

• Details:

  • After Lawmaster posted “86” to the Facebook pages of Indiana officials, Spivey visited his home, where a door camera recorded him telling Lawmaster to “tone down the rhetoric” or face indictment.

  • ‘86’ is a common shorthand for “get rid of.” The term gained heightened scrutiny after former FBI Director James Comey used it in an Instagram post apparently referencing President Trump, which served as the basis for two federal indictments against Comey, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • The ACLU seeks damages and an injunction blocking Spivey from further intimidating Indiana residents in the exercise of their First Amendment rights.

  • Ken Falk, legal director for the ACLU of Indiana: “If someone who’s law enforcement [says] you could be indicted right now if you do this again, people aren’t going to do it again. And when that thing that they’re not doing again is exercising their First Amendment rights, that is very serious.”

  • AG Rokita’s office declined an interview. Spokesperson Joshua DeFonce said in a statement: “With death threats against elected officials being very prominent across the nation and in our state, the Attorney General and his family are a top target.”

» NetChoice Challenges Nebraska’s Social Media Age-Verification Law

• NetChoice, a tech trade group, has sued Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers over the state’s Parental Rights in Social Media Act, which would require all social media platforms to verify a user’s age before an account can be created.

• Details:

  • The Act, set to take effect July 1, would allow minors to create social media accounts only with “express parental consent”—parental age-verification and a signed form submitted to the social media company by the parent.

  • Parents must also have the ability to revoke consent under the law, and companies would be required to establish a dashboard that allows parents to access all posts, interactions, and private messages from minors’ accounts.

  • NetChoice argues that the Act violates minors’ constitutional rights by “significantly curtailing (and, in some cases, eliminating) their ability to engage in core First Amendment activities on many of the most popular online services.”

  • The group adds that the “severe burdens” that the requirements impose could force some social media companies to “restrict Nebraskans from accessing their websites altogether.”

  • Companies violating the law could face fines of up to $2,500 per violation.

» Minnesota Senate Passes Social Media Restrictions for Minors

• The Minnesota Senate passed legislation on May 15 that would require parental consent for users under 16 to create social media accounts, clearing the chamber 66–0 with bipartisan support.

• Details:

  • The bill also bans addictive platform features for minors — including infinite scrolling, push notifications, autoplay videos, and targeted advertising.

  • The bill requires the strictest available privacy settings for minors’ accounts and also seeks to limit the data companies can collect from these users.

  • The bill was passed by the House but amended on the Senate floor, and will return to the House for a concurrence vote before heading to the governor’s office.

  • If signed into law, the state would join about 20 others that have enacted laws regulating minors' social media access, many of which are currently being challenged in court.

» Survey Suggests Australian Social Media Ban Leaves Teens With Less News

• A new survey finds that among Australian teenagers whose social media use has been affected by age restrictions, over half report consuming less news.

• Details:

  • Researchers surveyed 1,027 young people aged 10 to 17 in Australia two months after the country barred minors from social media.

  • Among the 26% of young people whose social media use had been affected by the ban, 51% reported consuming less news as a direct result.

  • Many also reported diminished opportunity to discuss news and civic issues with peers.

  • 61% of under-16s who had previously been using banned platforms reported little or no change in their social media use.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» ECtHR Upholds Fine Against Georgian Man Over TikTok Video Criticizing Tbilisi Officials

• A new ruling from the European Court of Human Rights upheld an administrative fine against a food-delivery driver from Georgia, Irakli Miladze, for uploading a TikTok that insulted the Tbilisi mayor over the city’s bus lane policy.

• Context:

  • In 2018, Tbilisi city authorities announced a transport policy reform intended to reduce car use by bolstering public transport and improving infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.

  • Public opinion surveys in 2021 and 2022 revealed that some Tbilisi residents found the reform process ineffective, and discussions about the driving practices of public buses driven by law-enforcement officers have been criticized.

  • In his TikTok, Miladze criticized the traffic situation. “This is your [mayor’s] doing. You turned a three-lane Tchavtchavadze Street into a single lane, and even in that one lane your own people – city hall employees, ministry employees, State Security Service employees – flying down the bus lane with tinted windows like they own the road.”

  • “Go f**k your mothers,” Miladze added, which the ECtHR determined was violent verbal aggression exempt from free speech protections enshrined in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

  • The Court also treated TikTok’s reach and youth engagement as factors weighing against the speaker, and because speech travels further on the platform, it should be subject to stricter scrutiny.

Our Take: “A delivery driver on a scooter, raging about traffic policy on social media, has been placed juridically in the same conceptual neighborhood as physical violence,” Jacob Mchangama wrote on X. “That framing comes close to treating citizens like subjects owing deference to rulers.”

» X Pledges Faster Action on Hate and Terrorist Content in The UK

• Following months of regulatory pressure, Britain’s media regulator Ofcom announced that social media platform X has agreed to strengthen protection for UK users against illegal hate speech and terrorist content.

• Details:

  • Following concerns that flagged content was not always addressed, the platform agreed to engage external experts to improve its reporting systems.

  • The agreement stipulates that X will review suspected illegal hate and terrorism-related posts within 24 hours on average, and assess at least 85% within 48 hours.

  • X had also promised to restrict UK users’ access to accounts operated by or on behalf of organizations banned under the country’s terrorism laws.

• Context:

  • The new commitments as Ofcom continues its investigation into X’s systems for tackling illegal content and issues relating to its chatbot, Grok, after it responded to user prompts with sexualized images in February.

  • The company also faces a separate probe from the European Commission into whether it fails to curb hate speech, as well as pressure from the EU, Australia, and Singapore over illegal or militant content on X.

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» Niger Suspends Nine French Media Outlets Over Alleged Threat to Public Order, Burkina Faso Joins Ban

• Niger’s military junta suspended nine France-based news outlets on May 8–9, accusing them of broadcasting content “likely to seriously endanger public order, national unity, social cohesion and the stability of institutions.”

• Burkina Faso, a West African country and ally of Niger and Mali, within the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), banned the broadcasting of one major French channel.

• The Suspensions:

  • The suspended outlets include France 24, Radio France Internationale (RFI), France Afrique Média, AFP (Agence France-Presse), TV5Monde, Jeune Afrique, Mediapart, and TF1 Info.

  • The suspension is “immediate” and applies to “satellite packages, cable networks, digital platforms, websites, and mobile applications.”

  • RFI and France 24 had already been suspended in July 2023, a few days after the coup d’état that brought the junta to power, and the British BBC was suspended in December.

  • The suspensions follow a similar ban by Burkina Faso on TV5Monde. Both are members of the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a bloc of military-led governments in West Africa.

• Burkina Faso’s Ban:

  • Burkina Faso banned the broadcasting of TV5 Monde, accusing the channel of “disinformation” and “apology for terrorism” in its coverage of jihadist violence in the country and Mali, which has also banned French media.

» Nicaragua Shuts Down 31-Year-Old Independent Radio Station

• Nicaragua’s telecommunications authority canceled the license of and seized equipment from Radio Stereo Romance, a radio station that had been on the air for 31 years, on May 8.

• Details:

  • The Nicaraguan Institute of Telecommunications and Postal Services (Telcor) claimed the station had “failed to comply with the requirements for license renewal” under administrative resolution 024-2026.

  • Owner and general director of the station, Francisco Gadea, disputed the justification: “Our payments are up to date. We paid the corresponding fees for 2026. They argued that we had not fulfilled the requirements properly and on time, and they came and shut it down.”

  • He added, “They simply requested certain documents all at once, and the different state institutions delayed the process, so it did not go through. But that is beyond our control.”

• The closure adds to a wave of media outlet shutdowns in Nicaragua since 2018, with more than 309 journalists forced into exile. At least 61 media outlets had been shut down or confiscated by March 2025.

» Indonesia Plans to Vet Who Qualifies as a Human Rights Defender

• Indonesia’s Minister of Human Rights, Natalius Pigai, announced that an assessment team will review whether individuals qualify as human rights activists and are entitled to legal protections.

• Details:

  • The team would be created by proposed amendments to the 1999 Human Rights Law and include government officials, civil society, and law enforcement, who would evaluate whether someone is a “genuine” activist.

  • Pigai said state protection would extend only to activists defending the public interest without personal or commercial interests. Activists who are paid for their work would not qualify.

  • Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch: “It’s not up to President Prabowo Subianto’s government to decide who is or isn’t a human rights defender. The Indonesian authorities should protect all those who work to uphold human rights instead of rooting out government critics under the guise of identifying ‘genuine’ rights defenders.”

  • A final draft is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives for a vote in June or July.

» Sierra Leone Sentences Singer and Opposition Figure to Four Years in Prison

• International calls are growing for the release of Zainab Sheriff, a Sierra Leonean singer who became a political opposition figure who was sentenced to four years and two months in prison on charges of incitement and threatening language.

• Details:

  • Sheriff, a reality-TV show contestant turned opposition politician, was arrested on February 20, repeatedly denied bail, and sentenced on April 14 by a Sierra Leone court.

  • The charges stem from a speech she made at a political rally in January 2026, a video recording of which was played at trial.

  • Prosecutors argued she stated that anyone who rigged an election had committed treason and that they and their families should be killed. Sheriff pleaded not guilty.

  • Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (All People’s Congress opposition party): “A lot of us feel this isn’t about Sheriff’s words. This is about Sheriff being used as a very, very visible, high-profile example of what you must not do in this society now. You must not speak your mind or you can be charged and end up in jail.”

» Thailand Detains Hong Kong Activist Wanted Under Chinese National Security Law

• Zhang Xinyan, a 54-year-old Hong Kong activist holding UN refugee status, has been arrested in Thailand on charges of overstaying her visa.

• Zhang is wanted by national security police in China for committing subversion, which is illegal under Article 23, and could face deportation from Thailand, where she is currently being held in a detention center.

• Context:

  • The Hong Kong Security Bureau declined to comment on law enforcement actions in other jurisdictions, and said, “Endangering national security is an extremely serious crime… no fugitive should harbour the illusion that they can evade criminal liability by fleeing Hong Kong.”

  • Hong Kong and Thailand have no formal extradition agreement, though transfer of fugitives can be arranged.

  • Zhang holds refugee status from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and is among a group of 19 activists named in a round of arrest warrants issued in Hong Kong in July 2025 under the city’s national security law.

  • Authorities cited the activists’ involvement in the “Hong Kong Parliament,” a group of overseas activists who held unofficial polls outside the city to form a shadow legislature to “pursue the ideal of Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong,” as justification for the warrants.

  • In total, 34 people are wanted under the law on suspicion of offenses such as subversion, inciting secession, and colluding with foreign forces.

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

This Week at a Glance 🔎

— 🇺🇸 DOJ Subpoenas WSJ Reporters in Iran Leaks Probe

— 🇺🇸 ABC Claims FCC Threats Chill First Amendment Speech

— 🤖 LGBTQ+ Creators Claim Meta Is Suppressing Queer Content

— 🇩🇪 German Culture Minister Calls to Regulate YouTube’s Algorithm

— 🇸🇻 El Salvador Freezes Assets of Investigative News Outlet

First of All 🇺🇸

» ABC Claims FCC Threats Chill First Amendment Speech

• ABC has sent a legal letter accusing the Federal Communications Commission of attempting to threaten broadcasters and limit political discourse through an ongoing inquiry into its daytime talk show, “The View.”

• The Letter:

  • The letter responds to an FCC investigation into “The View” that began in February, following Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s appearance on the show.

  • The agency claimed that “The View” had violated the “equal time rule,” which requires stations to give equal airtime to all legally qualified candidates for public office.

  • Although talk shows have historically been considered “news interview programs” and therefore exempt from the rule, the FCC is challenging whether such programs are “bona fide” news and qualify for exemption.

  • In a statement sent to the media, the FCC said it will review the matter, but that “the equal time law encourages more speech and empowers voters to decide the outcome of elections.”

  • ABC maintains that it has abided by the law and that the FCC is redefining what’s exempt and using regulatory power to restrict views.

• The Bigger Picture:

  • The letter also suggests that an FCC order issued last week for early license reviews of ABC-owned television stations is suspicious.

  • The order came one day after Trump pressured ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a controversial monologue, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • “Uncertainty as to the scope of broadcast licensees’ editorial discretion threatens to limit news coverage of political candidates and chill core First Amendment-protected speech for years and potentially decades to come,” ABC’s letter read.

» DOJ Subpoenas WSJ Reporters and Investigates Iran Leaks

• The Wall Street Journal has received grand jury subpoenas dated March 4 for records of certain reporters amid a push from the Justice Department to pursue investigations of journalists who have worked on sensitive national security stories.

• Details:

  • The subpoenas target reporters related to a February article that detailed Pentagon officials’ warnings about the risks of a military campaign against Iran.

  • The move comes as the Justice Department is pursuing investigations against reporters following complaints from President Trump about media leaks related to the Iran war last month.

  • According to officials, Trump is focusing on articles that provided details on how he arrived at his decision to launch the war, and what his advisers told him as he deliberated.

  • Sources revealed that prosecutors have sent subpoenas to media organizations and email and phone providers seeking information in leak inquiries over recent months.

  • The administration has also vowed to go after reporters who covered the downing of an American jet in Iran and the rescue operation that followed, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» Trump Counterterrorism Strategy Links ‘Transgender Ideology’ to Violent Extremism

• The Trump administration’s new national counterterrorism strategy, released May 6, 2026, names “violent left-wing extremists” and “extremist transgender ideology” as among the top threats facing the country.

• Details:

  • Sebastian Gorka, the senior director for counterterrorism, also told reporters that the team is focused on online groups that are “inciting violence against innocent individuals” on both sides of the aisle.

  • “It’s also about the ideology, whether it’s against Western Civilization, America, the U.S. Constitution, our friends, our allies, peace in general, you fit under that rubric,” he added.

  • Gorka said the administration would use “all the tools constitutionally available to us” to identify members of political groups whose ideology is “anti-American, radically pro-gender or anarchist, such as antifa.”

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The Digital Age 🤖

» OpenAI Endorses U.S. Kids Online Safety Act

• OpenAI has endorsed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill that would require social media companies and other online platforms to implement stronger protections for children.

• Details:

  • The bill, first introduced in 2022, has been revised several times, though the current version requires platforms to allow minors to opt out of “addictive features” and algorithmic recommendations.

  • Platforms also have a “duty of care” to mitigate harmful content, including that which promotes eating disorders, suicide, and sexual exploitation under the Act.

  • OpenAI joins Apple, Microsoft, Snapchat, and X as endorsers of the bill.

» Denver Activist Sentenced to Jail for Doxing Police Commander

• A Denver activist, Regan Benson, was sentenced to 60 days in jail, two years’ probation, and a $1,000 fine for violating the state’s anti-doxing statute.

• Details:

  • Benson’s charges stem from a September livestream outside the District 3 police station, where she asked viewers to look up the home address of the Denver police commander, Joel Bell.

  • Benson suggested holding a “pig roast” there, and repeated the idea when users found the address, and read and repeated users’ suggestions for things to write in chalk outside the station.

  • After her sentencing, Benson vowed to appeal the decision, adding, “There’s a woman in jail right now for joking about a pig roast,” and that she never advocated for true threats.

• The Law:

  • The statute prevents the publishing of personal information of people with certain public-facing jobs in a way that creates a serious and imminent threat to their safety.

  • The person publishing such information should reasonably know if the information poses a threat under the law.

» LGBTQ+ Creators Fear Meta Is Suppressing Queer Content on Instagram

• LGBTQ+ creators and advocates are raising alarms about the suppression of queer and sexual-health-related content on Meta platforms, Instagram and Facebook.

• Details:

  • Sources have reported widespread concerns among queer influencers and advocates about moderation and algorithmic suppression.

  • Repro Uncensored, a group that tracks online censorship of reproductive and sexual health content, claims it documented the suspension of more than 100 queer and creative accounts in April alone.

  • A sex toy retailer’s account with more than 700,000 followers, Bellesa Boutique, was removed, sparking renewed backlash against Meta.

  • Meta maintains that the account violated its solicitation policies on more than three occasions and that every organization and individual is subject to the same set of rules.

The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond 🇪🇺

» German Culture Minister Calls to Regulate YouTube’s Algorithm

• German Minister for Culture and Media Wolfram Weimer argued in an op-ed that YouTube and other large social media platforms should face broadcast-style regulation — including rules governing algorithmic content promotion — because they now function like traditional television.

• Details:

  • Weimer wrote in the German newspaper Die Welt that when YouTube CEO Neal Mohan declared his platform “the new television” in 2025, the statement carried regulatory implications: platforms that shape public discourse as TV once did should face comparable rules.

  • He called for rules governing content “prominence” — meaning which content gets surfaced and recommended by algorithms — arguing that these decisions carry the same publication responsibilities as broadcast editorial choices.

  • Weimer also called for binding age verification, arguing that the current minimum age of 13 — derived from U.S. data protection law — is effectively meaningless without enforcement mechanisms.

  • He simultaneously advocated deregulating outdated rules for traditional broadcasters, including advertising limits designed for scarce TV spectrum that no longer make sense in a fragmented digital landscape.

  • The op-ed comes as the EU considers reforms to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) — the key EU law governing video content across member states — which could be expanded to cover large streaming and social media platforms.

» EU Moves to Crack Down on TikTok and Instagram’s ‘Addictive Design’ Targeting Children

• At the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Denmark, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the region will take action against “addictive design” features on TikTok and Meta’s platforms.

• Details:

  • “We are taking action against TikTok and its addictive design — endless scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications. The same applies to Meta, because we believe Instagram and Facebook are failing to enforce their own minimum age of 13,” Von der Leyen said.

  • The EU’s executive branch has also designed its own age-verification app that member states can integrate into their digital wallets, though it has sparked security concerns, as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

» Meta Challenges UK Regulator Over Online Safety Fees and Fines

• Meta is challenging the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, in London’s High Court over how fees and penalties are calculated under the Online Safety Act.

• Details:

  • The Online Safety Act sets standards for social media platforms and allows Ofcom to fine companies up to 10% of their global revenue.

  • Meta is arguing that Ofcom’s approach is disproportionate and unlawful, as well as its policy that renders two or more providers owned by the same organization jointly liable for breaches.

  • “We believe fees and penalties should be based on the services being regulated in the countries they’re being regulated in,” a Meta spokesperson said.

  • The challenge is due to be heard in October.

» Finnish Lawmaker Appeals Hate Speech Conviction Over Decades-Old Pamphlet to ECHR

• Finnish member of parliament Päivi Räsänen is appealing her hate speech conviction over a decades-old pamphlet that referred to homosexuality as a “developmental disorder” to the European Court of Human Rights.

• Details:

  • The conviction focused on a pamphlet Räsänen published in 2004 titled “Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual Relationships Challenge the Christian Understanding of Humanity,” as mentioned in a previous Free Flow.

  • “[T]he scientific material unequivocally proves that homosexuality is a disorder of psycho-sexual development,” Räsänen wrote. “Those who claim that homosexuality is a natural ‘healthy’ variety of sexuality nullify the evidentiary value found in family background studies for political reasons.”

  • Räsänen was charged with “agitation against a minority group” in 2021 over a 2019 tweet that questioned her church’s sponsorship of an LGBTQ+ pride event, though she was acquitted twice by lower courts in 2022 and 2023.

  • Now, Räsänen says she feels it is her duty to appeal her conviction, and “to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square.”

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Free Speech Recession 🌍

» California Bill Would Impose Jail Time on Protesters Near Houses of Worship

• A bill is moving through the California state legislature that would make it a crime to approach a person within 100 feet of a place of worship to hand out a leaflet, hold a sign, or “engage in oral protest.”

• Details:

  • Violators could face up to six months in jail, and up to a year if they violate the law twice.

  • The 100-foot buffer zone would apply to all houses of worship in the state, barring protesters from coming within eight feet of any person and handing them a pamphlet, showing a sign, or engaging in “oral protest or education.”

» Rutgers Disinvites Graduation Speaker After He Criticizes Israel

• Rutgers University has disinvited Rami Elghandour, a School of Engineering convocation speaker, after graduating students complained about his social media posts criticizing Israel.

• Details:

  • The university pointed to an April 20 post on X, where Elghandour accused Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza and alleged it was “training dogs to sexually assault prisoners.”

  • Afterward, the university released a statement that the invitation had been rescinded after discussing concerns with Elghandour.

  • The University Senate responded to the cancellation by voting to formally censor the dean of the engineering school for his “one-sided, opaque, and harmful” handling of the matter.

» Tunisia Sentences Prominent Journalist Zied el-Heni to One Year in Prison

• A Tunisian court has sentenced reporter Zied el-Heni, who was detained on April 24 after writing a post criticizing a judicial ruling, to one year in prison.

• Details:

  • El-Heni was convicted under Article 76 of Tunisia’s Telecommunications Code after he made a social media post criticizing the imprisonment of Khalifa Guesmi.

  • The post described the judiciary as a “conspiracy” that led to the wrongful imprisonment of both Guesmi and a national guard officer, who were later acquitted.

  • El-Heni said he would not appeal any ruling because he does “not recognize any outcome” resulting from an “illegitimate trial in which my rights are being violated.”

» El Faro Says El Salvador Froze Its Assets in Retaliation for Reporting on Bukele

• Salvadoran investigative outlet El Faro has revealed that the assets of two staff members were frozen, alleging that the freeze was retaliation against their work exposing corruption in President Nayib Bukele’s government.

• Details:

  • Tensions between Bukele and El Faro over its corruption investigations have played out in public, including when the outlet revealed that his administration had negotiated with gangs.

  • The move comes after the outlet released a documentary with PBV Frontline about the gang negotiations.

  • El Faro had previously been subject to Pegasus spyware surveillance, with researchers documenting that the phones of at least 22 of its employees were infected between June 2020 and November 2021 (revealed in January 2022).

  • In April 2023, El Faro relocated its legal and administrative base to Costa Rica — establishing the Fundación Periódica in San José — citing the deteriorating environment for independent journalism in El Salvador.

  • The May 2026 asset freeze shows that the Bukele government can still reach the outlet’s remaining in-country operations.

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

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.