Trump Threatens Broadcast Licenses Again & India Removes 3,000+ Apps from Play Store | The Free Flow 9/25/25
Trump threatens broadcast licenses amid Jimmy Kimmel Live! suspension, Russia escalates crackdown on war opposition, India removes 3,000+ apps from Google Play Store, and more.
Editors’ Note: Next week, The Free Flow will be on a hiatus as our team finalizes preparations for the 2025 Global Free Speech Summit, taking place October 3-4 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. At this year’s Summit, renowned global experts will discuss solutions to the most pressing free speech challenges in the digital era. There is still time to apply to attend at globalfreespeechsummit.com.
This Week At A Glance 🔎
— 🇺🇲 Trump Threatens Broadcast Licenses Amid Kimmel Suspension
— 🇷🇺 Russia Escalates Crackdown on War Opposition
— 🇮🇳 India Removes 3,000+ Apps from Google Play Store
— 🇨🇦 Canada Bans Kneecap Over UK Terror Charges
First of All 🇺🇲
» Trump Threatens Broadcast Licenses Amid Kimmel Suspension
President Donald Trump has suggested that U.S broadcast networks that are too critical of him should have their licenses revoked.
The Threat:
While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, the President said, “When you have a network and you have evening shows, and all they do is hit Trump, I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
Kimmel Suspension:
His remark came shortly after the FCC suggested potential regulatory action against Disney and ABC over comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
This led to Jimmy Kimmel Live! being temporarily pulled off the air by Disney and ABC, as reported in last week’s Free Flow.
Although Disney announced the show’s return for September 23, Sinclair, which operates over 35 ABC affiliates, announced it would air news programming instead of Kimmel while evaluating the show’s return.
Nexstar-operated ABC affiliates have also pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air “for now.”
Democratic Party Response:
In a letter to Nexstar and Sinclair, four Democratic lawmakers warned that they could potentially open anti-corruption probes into the station owners’ refusals to air Kimmel’s show.
Our Take: In a post on The Bedrock Principle, Ashkhen Kazaryan argues, “The long-term danger here is generational, cultural, and institutional. If today’s young professionals grow up in a world where comedy gets censored by bureaucrats, where speech is policed with FCC leverage, and where the loudest defenders of ‘free speech’ conveniently go silent when their political allies do the censoring, then the foundational norms that protect speech will erode.”
» Defense Dept. Requires Pentagon Journalists to Pledge Not to Gather Unauthorized Information
On September 19, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a new requirement for Pentagon journalists to pledge that they will not gather any information that has not been expressly authorized for release, even if the information is unclassified.
Details:
Under the new policy, the Pentagon may revoke press passes for anyone it deems a security threat, including journalists who possess confidential or unclassified information that has not been directly authorized for publication.
Journalists who refuse to sign the pledge, which also further restricts their movement within the building, will have their permanent credentials to cover the Pentagon revoked or denied.
Background:
The policy comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to use polygraph tests to stop people from leaking information, which the White House halted.
» Florida Launches Portal to Report Violent Extremism
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the launch of the “Combat Violent Extremism Portal,” a new online tool for citizens to “report acts or threats of political violence.”
Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas, who joined Uthmeier on stage for the announcement at Valencia College, said, “Any educator who makes vile, despicable comments celebrating and encouraging violence in schools will be investigated and held accountable.”
The Portal:
The public can anonymously submit screenshots, videos, and other evidence of violent extremism directly to the Attorney General’s Office.
The Office of the Attorney General website explicitly states the portal is not intended for emergencies, and citizens “facing an immediate threat should call 911.”
The Digital Age 🤖
» 3,000+ Apps Removed from India’s Google Play Store
Between April 29 and May 15, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued three orders directing Google to remove over 3,000 apps from its Play Store, according to a report by Moneycontrol.
About the orders:
The orders were made under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which empowers the government to block access to online content for reasons related to sovereignty, security, or public order.
Details of the removal orders were published by the Lumen Database, which collects and analyzes legal complaints and takedown requests to help users understand the sources of content removals.
The entries were later removed from Lumen, although it is unclear whether Google or the government requested their removal.
About the removed apps:
Removed apps include VPN services, Islamic religious apps, streaming platforms, language tools, generative AI platforms, calculators, and even wallpaper apps.
A significant portion of the removed apps were developed in Pakistan amid heightened tensions following violence in Pahalgam in April.
» Google to Restore YouTube Accounts Banned in Biden Era
In a letter to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Google said that it would restore YouTube accounts that had been banned after the Biden administration “pressed” them to remove COVID-19-related content.
Details:
Chief counsel of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Daniel Donovan, wrote, “It is unacceptable and wrong when any government, including the Biden Administration, attempts to dictate how the Company moderates content.”
Users, including current FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, White House counterterrorism chief Sebastian Gorka, and “War Room” podcast host Steve Bannon, will now be able to rejoin the platform.
Free Speech Recession 🌎
» Russia Escalates Crackdown on War Opposition
A report from U.N. special rapporteur Mariana Katzarova reveals an escalating crackdown on dissent and opposition to the Ukraine war over a year-long period that targets civilians, journalists, and Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The report:
At least 3,905 individuals have been convicted on administrative or criminal charges for peaceful dissent in Russia between mid-2024 and mid-2025.
More than 150 children aged 14-17 were added to the federal list of “extremists” and “terrorists” since July, some of whom were accused of treason and subject to torture to extract confessions.
By mid-July, 1,040 individuals and organizations had been designated as foreign agents, nearly a quarter of them being journalists. 133 have been added since January.
» Delhi Court Orders Gag Order on Criticism of Andani Enterprises
A Delhi Court has mandated the immediate removal of content from major news outlets and commentators about Andani Enterprises (AEL), and prohibited journalists and platforms from publishing “unverified and defamatory” content about AEL in the future.
Details:
AEL is known as India’s largest business incubator, involved in large-scale projects in energy and infrastructure.
Approximately 140 YouTube videos and over 80 Instagram posts were targeted for removal.
Nine journalists and digital platforms were explicitly named in the injunction, although the ruling also applies to individuals not named in the case.
The injunction also includes an “ex parte,” a temporary order that could permit the censorship of content before a legal ruling determines it to be defamatory or unverified.
» Canada Bans Irish Band Kneecap Over UK Terror Charges
Canada has banned the Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country, saying the group has made “statements that are contrary to Canadian values” and referencing terror offense charges filed against one of its members in the UK.
Context:
Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offense in the UK in May, after video footage showed him allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London performance, as detailed in a previous Free Flow.
On September 15, Canadian Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Combating Crime Vince Gasparro said the group’s public displays of support for Hezbollah and Hamas are “dangerous endorsements of violence and hate.”
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh denies the UK terror charges, and Kneecap has said Gasparro’s remarks are “wholly untrue and deeply malicious.”
» Fourth NGO Closes in El Salvador Since Foreign Agent Law Passed
The Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) closed its offices indefinitely, becoming the fourth NGO to cease operations since the passage of a Foreign Agent Law that imposes a 30% tax on foreign donations to NGOs.
Details:
Ashley Haek is a communications coordinator and research assistant at The Future of Free Speech.
Ava Sjursen is a communications intern at The Future of Free Speech and a student at Boston College studying communications and political science.
Ashkhen Kazaryan is a Senior Legal Fellow at The Future of Free Speech, where she leads initiatives to protect free expression and shape policies that uphold the First Amendment in the digital age.