The Free Flow — April 24, 2025
400+ University presidents condemn government overreach, Meta's Oversight Board responds to hate speech policy changes, UK may ease regulation under U.S. pressure, and more.
First of All
» DHS Threatens Harvard Over Foreign Student Records
The Department of Homeland Security has warned Harvard University it could lose its ability to host international students unless it provides records on certain foreign students accused of “illegal and violent activities.”
Background:
The threat targets Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which is essential for admitting international students.
The move comes amid broader federal scrutiny on universities, including the sudden revocation of student visas and a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university.
» Harvard Sues Trump Administration over Funding Freeze
Harvard University has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of unconstitutionally freezing billions in research funding to coerce the school into surrendering control over its academic governance, hiring practices, and speech policies.
Background:
Filed Monday, the suit challenges the legality of a $2.2 billion funding freeze and a new threat to cut an additional $1 billion in grants. It alleges the administration’s demands — outlined in letters on April 3 and April 11— violate the First Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The April 11 letter, later reported by the New York Times to have been sent “in error,” ordered Harvard to subject students and staff to ideological screening, accept federal oversight of academic programs, and restructure university governance.
» 400+ University Presidents Denounce Trump Administration’s Overreach
As of 12:00 p.m. ET on April 24, 2025, 425 presidents of U.S. colleges and universities have signed a joint statement condemning the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” in higher education, marking the most unified pushback yet against federal efforts to control campus speech and governance.
Details:
The statement was released hours after Harvard sued the federal government over a $2.2 billion funding freeze and threats to its tax-exempt status.
Signatories include the Presidents of Harvard, Princeton, Brown, and leaders from large public universities and liberal arts colleges.
» GMU Reports Student to Secret Service After Anti-Trump Essay
On April 16, GMU student Nicholas Decker published an essay titled “When Must We Kill Them?”—a philosophical reflection on whether violent resistance is ever morally justified under tyranny. He cited the Founders and emphasized that violence is only a last resort after peaceful avenues are exhausted.
The next day, the university reported Decker to “state and federal law enforcement,” calling the post “not the Mason way.” The Secret Service subsequently interviewed Decker, concluding no laws were broken.
» U.S. Attorney Pressures Medical Journal on Viewpoint Diversity
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia sent an official letter to the editor-in-chief of CHEST Journal, pressing for details on how the publication handles allegations of bias and “competing viewpoints.”
The Letter:
The April 14, 2025, letter poses a series of pointed questions regarding how the journal assesses misinformation, its relationships with funders, the role of the NIH, and how it handles articles that may mislead readers.
It cites concerns about journals allegedly “advocating” positions in scientific debates and frames these as potentially deceptive under fraud regulations.
It demands a response by May 2, 2025, and suggests interest in whether new “norms” are being developed around acceptance of diverse viewpoints
Implications: Legal experts, including our Senior Legal Fellow Ashkhen Kazaryan, say the move represents a troubling intrusion into editorial independence.
“Such inquiries… can intimidate editors and researchers,” Kazaryan warned. “That is exactly the type of censorship and chilling of speech that the First Amendment is designed to prevent.”
» Supreme Court Hear Oral Arguments in the LGBTQ+ Readings Exemption for Public Schools Case
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case challenging the Montgomery County, Maryland school board’s decision to deny parents the ability to opt their children out of lessons involving LGBTQ+ themes. The case pits religious freedom claims against public education policies that promote diversity and inclusion.
Background:
A group of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish parents sued after the district ended its opt-out policy for storybook readings, which had previously allowed exemptions based on religious beliefs.
The parents claim the lack of an opt-out burdens their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, asserting that exposure to LGBTQ+ content without notice amounts to coerced acceptance of beliefs contrary to their own.
In Court:
During oral arguments, several conservative justices, including Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, emphasized concerns about coercion and questioned why opt-outs would be infeasible.
Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson pushed back, arguing that mere exposure to differing views does not constitute coercion and raised practical concerns about opt-outs in diverse classrooms.
» Judge Pauses VOA Dismantling
A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has halted the Trump administration’s executive order to effectively shutter Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S. backed international broadcasters, ruling the move violated constitutional and statutory protections.
Background:
President Trump had ordered more than 1,300 VOA employees, including 1,000 journalists, placed on leave, accusing the outlet of being "anti-Trump" and "radical."
The order extended to other U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) funded entities like Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
The Ruling:
Judge Royce Lamberth stated the administration acted "without regard to the harm inflicted" on journalists and global audiences.
He found that the administration likely violated the International Broadcasting Act, which mandates editorial independence, and Congress’ power of the purse, which funds VOA.
The judge ordered full restoration of funding, personnel, and operations.
To read why shuttering VOA would harm free speech around the world, read Jacob Mchangama in Persuasion.
» National Science Foundation Slashes Disinformation and Misinformation Research Funding
The National Science Foundation (NSF) revoked grants across the U.S. relating to disinformation, misinformation, and DEI research.
Last week, the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) ordered the NSF to pause all future grants The recent cuts go further, revoking grants for current research.
Research projects seem to have been cut based on their use of terms like “misinformation” in abstracts.
The Digital Age
» Meta’s Oversight Board Issues Decisions on Hate Speech
The Meta Oversight Board has issued a formal response to Meta’s January 2025 revisions to its Hateful Conduct policy, calling for clarity, transparency, and rights-based due diligence. The changes made shortly before President Trump took office, have loosened protections for LGBTQIA+ users and immigrants in the name of promoting “more speech.”
Context:
In two cases involving videos that misgender transgender individuals and question their access to bathrooms and sporting events, the Board upheld Meta’s decision to leave the content up. The majority found the posts fell within protected public debate and did not meet the threshold for removal under international human rights standards.
We submitted public comments supporting this position. We emphasized that Meta’s decisions align with international human rights law, particularly Article 20(2) of the ICCPR and the Rabat Plan of Action.
We stressed the importance of preserving space for open public debate on controversial gender identity issues, warning against a chilling effect caused by overly broad content removals.
We recommended that Meta improve transparency across platforms like Facebook and Instagram and explore counterspeech and distributed moderation as alternatives to punitive enforcement.
The Board echoed some of these concerns: “As The Future of Free Speech organization argues, an ‘overly restrictive application of Meta’s policies can create a chilling effect’ on individuals that ‘may refrain from participating in discussions on gender identity for fear of their views being labeled as hate speech or harassment,’ and ‘marginalize voices that seek to challenge or critique prevailing norms around gender, which is essential for a vibrant democratic society.’”
» Elon Musk Faces Accusations of Suppressing Critics on X
Elon Musk is under scrutiny for allegedly suppressing users who criticize him. Notably, far-right activist Laura Loomer and others have reported significant declines in their platform engagement following public disagreements with Musk.
Loomer’s Claims:
In December 2024, Laura Loomer criticized Musk's support for H-1B visa programs, labeling it contradictory to the "America First" agenda.
Subsequently, her average daily views dropped from over 200,000 to approximately 50,000 in early January 2025. Her engagement levels began to recover only after Musk resumed interactions with her posts.
Loomer also experienced a temporary suspension from X, loss of her verification badge, and removal from the platform's monetization program, leading her to estimate a personal financial loss of around $50,000.
Other right-wing figures, such as Danish doctor Anastasia Maria Loupis and American media presenter Owen Shroyer, reported similar declines in reach after criticizing Musk's immigration stance. Loupis noted a drop in her average daily views from over 200,000 to the low tens of thousands, while Shroyer's reach diminished significantly without direct acknowledgment from Musk.
Musk has stated that the platform's algorithm reduces the reach of accounts that are frequently blocked or muted by others, emphasizing a policy of "freedom of speech, not freedom of reach."
» Russia Games Chatbots with Propaganda in a Warning for the AI Age
A Washington Post investigation has revealed how Russian information operatives are systematically exploiting AI language models by seeding them with disinformation through a network of fake websites and doctored Wikipedia pages. The tactic, known as “LLM grooming,” raises fresh concerns about the vulnerability of AI systems to malicious actors seeking to distort public discourse on a large scale.
The Findings:
Researchers found that one-third of responses from 10 leading AI chatbots repeated false claims seeded by Russian propagandists — including long-debunked stories about bioweapons in Ukraine and fabricated videos of Ukrainian soldiers burning Trump effigies.
These narratives originate from Russia’s “Pravda network” — a collection of nearly 200 barely trafficked websites designed not for human readers, but for search bots and language model crawlers.
The network has expanded to produce up to 10,000 articles daily, with strategic efforts to insert these stories into Wikipedia and Facebook posts — both heavily weighted sources for many AI models.
» New York’s RAISE Act Revives Debate Over Preemptive AI Regulation
After California’s controversial SB 1047 was vetoed last fall, many assumed its brand of aggressive AI regulation was dead. But a near-identical bill is now advancing in New York. Assembly Bill A.6453, the Responsible AI Safety and Effectiveness (RAISE) Act, mirrors SB 1047’s structure and risks, with potentially sweeping consequences for free expression and open innovation.
Bill Provisions:
The RAISE Act would impose pre-development obligations on “large developers” defined as those who have spent $100 million or more training AI models requiring risk assessments, safety documentation, and third-party audits before deployment.
As in SB 1047, penalties up to 5% of training costs could be levied, even though AI compute costs are dynamic and hard to measure uniformly.
» US Shuts Down Global Engagement Center Targeting Foreign Disinformation
The U.S. State Department has officially closed the Global Engagement Center (GEC) — the primary federal office tasked with countering disinformation campaigns by Russia, China, Iran, and other state actors.
Rationale:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision, claiming the GEC had overstepped its mandate by restricting free speech, including that of Americans.
Rubio stated that the GEC’s work amounted to “actively silencing and censoring the voices of Americans,” and called the office’s actions “antithetical” to U.S. constitutional principles.
The center, established with bipartisan support, had previously flagged websites and social media accounts spreading Kremlin-aligned narratives, especially around the Russia-Ukraine war.
» Tesla Takedown Organizers Tell Democrats Not to Gut Section 230
Sixty grassroots organizers behind the nationwide Tesla Takedown protests are urging Democratic lawmakers to halt efforts to repeal Section 230, warning that ending the law would dismantle the digital tools essential for decentralized protest and speech.
Activist Letter:
In a letter to Senator Dick Durbin and Democratic leadership, the signatories defended Section 230 as the "First Amendment of the Internet."
The appeal follows reports that Durbin plans to introduce legislation to sunset the statute within two years coinciding with the Trump administration's second term.
Organizers warn that the repeal would disproportionately harm independent movements while benefiting incumbent players like Meta and Elon Musk’s X.
The Brussels Effect: Europe and Beyond
» Italy’s Far-Right Party Accused of Using AI to Spread Hate Speech
Italy’s Democratic Party and the Greens and Left Alliance have filed a formal complaint with Agcom, the country’s communications regulator, accusing Matteo Salvini’s far-right Lega party of using AI-generated images to spread racist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic content.
Background:
Over the past month, the Lega party posted dozens of synthetic images on Facebook, Instagram, and X, showing Black men and Muslims depicted as violent criminals, often with doctored logos of reputable media outlets for added realism.
AI Forensics, a nonprofit that investigates synthetic media, confirmed the images bore “all the hallmarks” of AI-generated content, including foregrounded subjects and blurred, unrealistic backgrounds.
Many of the posts cite real news stories, but the original articles did not include photos or detail the suspects' race or religion.
One example: a Lega post showing a man of color with a raised fist accompanied the headline “A foreigner attacks the train conductor,” while the original story merely described the attacker as a "foreigner" and used no imagery.
Another image showed a family in Islamic dress yelling at a girl — paired with a news story that made no mention of religion.
DSA Enforcement:
Under the EU Digital Services Act, Agcom can demand takedowns, fines, or account suspensions if content violates platform responsibilities.
In a recent precedent, Agcom fined Meta €5.85 million for failing to moderate illicit gambling ads.
» UK May Loosen Online Safety Rules Under U.S. Pressure
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged in Parliament that U.K. online safety rules, particularly those targeting hate speech and misinformation, may be under review as part of ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S. Trump administration officials are reportedly pressuring European counterparts to weaken content moderation frameworks, raising alarm among rights groups and regulators.
Context: The remarks follow a New York Times report that the EU is hesitating to enforce Digital Services Act (DSA) provisions against platforms like X due to fears of jeopardizing U.S. trade relations.
U.S. officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have openly criticized European online speech laws, characterizing them as hostile to American values of free expression.
European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen has reaffirmed the EU’s intent to enforce the DSA and Digital Markets Act regardless of corporate leadership or political pressure from Washington.
UK Context: Starmer’s comments come days before Ofcom announced sweeping measures under the Online Safety Act that will require tech platforms to block children’s access to harmful content or face hefty fines and potential shutdowns.
» Conservative Party Pushes to Scrap Non-Crime Hate Incidents
The UK Conservative Party wants to amend Labour’s Crime and Policing Bill to remove Non-crime Hate Incidents (NCHI).
Background:
NCHI was introduced after the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence, a young black citizen, to monitor community tensions that could lead to violence.
But the Conservative opposition argue they have been used to stifle free speech, pointing to the November 2024 non-crime hate investigation of a 9-year old who called a classmate a “retard.”
Conservatives also argue the NCHI framework leads to police wasting time investigating petty incidents instead of focusing on violent crime.
» European Union (EU) Vows to Enforce Digital Rules Against Multinational Companies
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized the EU would enforce its numerous digital services regulations — from antitrust laws to anti-disinformation initiatives, like the Digital Services Act — regardless of the company’s location or CEO.
Background:
Von der Leyen’s comments come after U.S. President Trump signed a memorandum in February stating his administration would monitor how the EU would implement its Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which regulate market competition and online speech, respectively.
The EU has opened probes and investigations into TikTok, Meta, X, and Apple for violating antitrust rules or for failing to curb disinformation during recent elections in Romania and Germany.
In keeping with von der Leyen’s statement, the EU fined Apple and Meta 500 million euros for antitrust violations.
In the U.S., Meta is in the midst of an antitrust trial, all while the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Google battle in court after a judge ruled the Chrome search engine violated antitrust laws — a sign of greater willingness on both sides of the Atlantic to regulate Big Tech.
Press Freedom Watch
Paramount’s Shari Redstone: “Freedom of the Press Means Giving the Facts, Not Opinions”: In remarks following the premiere of Children of October 7, a documentary on the Hamas attacks in Israel, Shari Redstone, non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global, made pointed comments about the role of journalism amid growing tensions over editorial independence.
Redstone emphasized that “freedom of the press involves telling both sides of the story, giving the facts, not giving opinions,” stressing media companies have a “tremendous responsibility” to present truth-based reporting.
Her comments came just hours after the resignation of 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens, who reportedly left following concerns that Paramount’s legal battle with former President Trump was compromising the program’s editorial independence.
Azerbaijani Journalist Released After ECtHR Intervention: Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, head of the news outlet Azel.tv, was released on bail by a Georgian court on April 16, 2025, after over eight months in detention pending extradition to Azerbaijan. Sadygov was arrested in Tbilisi on August 4, 2024, based on Azerbaijani charges of threatening to publish “offensive information” for alleged extortion purposes. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled to block extradition until a final judgment is issued, a process that could take years.
Greek Journalists Win Major Victory Against Spyware SLAPP Suit: A court in Athens ruled overwhelmingly in favor of journalists from Reporters United and Efimerida ton Syntakton (EfSyn), dismissing high-profile defamation lawsuits over their investigative reporting linking the Greek Prime Minister’s nephew to a spyware surveillance scandal. The April 8, 2025, ruling found that the journalists’ reporting on Grigoris Dimitriadis, then-general secretary to the PM and overseer of the national intelligence agency, was factually accurate and in the public interest. Dimitriadis demanded €950,000 in damages. The court rejected the claims and ordered him to pay €4,750 in legal costs.
Texas Bill Sparks Free Speech Concerns Over Anti-SLAPP Protections: Free speech advocates in Texas are raising alarms over proposed legislation that could undermine the state’s existing protections against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) legal actions typically used to intimidate or silence critics through costly litigation.
The legislation, introduced in April 2025, would amend the Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA), one of the strongest anti-SLAPP laws in the U.S.
Critics argue the bill would narrow the scope of what constitutes protected speech, making it easier for powerful individuals and entities to weaponize the courts against journalists, activists, and everyday citizens.
Protest Watch
Peru Enacts NGO Law Curtailing Legal Advocacy and Foreign Aid Autonomy: On April 15, 2025, Peru enacted amendments to its international cooperation law that dramatically increases government oversight of foreign-funded civil society groups, sparking fears it will silence human rights advocates and limit access to justice.
Tunisia Escalates Crackdown Against Opposition Figures: On April 19, 2025, a Tunis court sentenced 40 individuals, including political opposition leaders, human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists, to prison terms ranging from 13 to 66 years. Critics have denounced the charges as politically motivated crackdown on peaceful dissent. The defendants were prosecuted under counterterrorism statutes for alleged “conspiracy against state security,” with evidence reportedly based on private political communications.
Romania’s Social Media Takedown Law Sparks Speech Concerns Ahead of Election: A newly enacted Romanian emergency ordinance has authorized the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) to order the removal of online content deemed as unauthorized political advertising during the 2025 presidential campaign. Over 620 social media posts have already been taken down, prompting strong backlash from civil society, media, and legal experts.
Russian Teen Activist Sentenced Over Anti-War Poem Quote: On April 18, 2025, a St. Petersburg court sentenced 19-year-old Daria Kozyreva to two years and eight months in a penal colony for violating Russia’s law on “repeated discreditation of the armed forces.” Her “offenses” included: posting an anti-war blog post, giving an interview to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty project, and affixing a quote from 19th-century Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko to his monument.
France Expels Algerian Diplomats Amid Alleged Kidnapping Case: Tensions between France and Algeria have escalated dramatically after the kidnapping of Amir Boukhors, a prominent Algerian dissident and influencer granted asylum in France. Boukhors, a critic of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with over 1 million TikTok followers, was abducted in April 2024 outside his home in France. He later said he was drugged and detained for over 24 hours. French prosecutors have charged three men in connection with the kidnapping, including one who allegedly worked for Algeria’s consulate in Créteil.
Sarah Palin Loses Defamation Retrial: A federal jury has once again ruled that The New York Times did not defame former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in a 2017 editorial that falsely linked her political action committee to the 2011 shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords. The 2022 verdict in favor of the NYT was previously overturned due to procedural errors, leading to the retrial. However, the jury deliberated for just over two hours before concluding the paper did not act with “actual malice.”
Coachella Performance by Irish Rap Group Sparks Visa Backlash: The Belfast-based rap group Kneecap is facing calls for its U.S. visas to be revoked after delivering a pro-Palestinian message during their set at the 2025 Coachella Festival. During their April 18 Coachella performance, Kneecap projected messages accusing Israel of genocide and condemning U.S. support for the war in Gaza. They led chants of “Free Palestine” and wore symbols associated with Palestinian resistance. Sharon Osbourne publicly called for the revocation of Kneecap’s U.S. visas, accusing the group of promoting hate speech and supporting terrorism.
Environmental Groups Say Trump Administration is Using Funding to Censor Speech: A coalition of environmental nonprofits and municipalities has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of violating First Amendment rights by cutting or freezing federal grants over politically sensitive language, including terms like “equity,” “socioeconomic,” and “marginalized.” Plaintiffs argue this amounts to viewpoint-based censorship under the guise of shifting funding priorities.
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