Free expression today is shaped by a mix of private platforms, governments, civil society groups, and the news industry. Each sector can help protect speech, but each also creates its own problems as they all do it very differently. Looking at them all together makes it clearer what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to change.
1. Private Internet Companies
Social media platforms have basically become the main place where people express themselves. The good part is that they give everyone a voice, and they can act quickly when real harm is happening. But they also make inconsistent decisions, and their rules can feel confusing or unfair. In “How to Regulate (and Not Regulate) Social Media”, the author explains how platforms act like major gatekeepers but don’t have clear standards or accountability.
Cases reviewed by the Facebook Oversight Board, like “Case No. 2021-001-FB-FBR,” show how hard it is for platforms to perfectly balance political speech, safety, and fairness. And the Board’s “Policy Advisory on Sharing of Private Residential Information” shows how tricky it is to handle doxxing without shutting down legitimate conversations that need to be had.
What they should do: Be clearer about their rules, apply them evenly, and make sure users understand why all of these different decisions are made.
What they need to watch out for: Letting different algorithms over-police speech, giving in to political pressure, and removing important information by mistake.
2. Government and Policymakers
Governments are supposed to protect free speech, but they can also threaten it with laws that go too far. Daphne Keller’s “If Lawmakers Don’t Like Platforms’ Speech Rules…” points out that policymakers don’t have easy or clean solutions, and many of their ideas end up creating more problems.
The Arizona bill that tried to criminalize filming police would have taken away a basic accountability tool lots of people use when in circumstances with the police. Internationally, Article 19’s report on Russia’s proposed UN Cybercrime Convention shows how vague these “cybercrime” rules can be when used to target activists and journalists.
What government should do: Make narrower and much clearer laws that protect speech instead of restricting it.
They should avoid: Broad bans, criminalizing everyday actions, and using “safety” as an excuse for censorship.
3. Civil Society and Third-Party Researchers
Civil society groups help fact-check everyone, platforms and governments included. They push for true transparency and make sure free speech concerns stay visible and known in the public. Scholars like Jacob Mchangama, in “The War on Free Speech: Censorship’s Global Rise,” explain how free expression is under pressure worldwide from both governments and platforms and deserves to be constantly spoken about.
What they should do: Keep researching, auditing, and calling out abuses of power.
What they need to watch out for: Limited access to platform data and becoming too tied to political interests.
4. Media and the News Industry
The news industry plays a BIG role in holding powerful institutions accountable. For example, NPR’s report on Meta paying $25 million to settle the Trump suspension lawsuit shows how journalists help the public understand decisions happening behind the scenes and allows the public to really be in the know.
What media should do: Stay accurate, independent, and focused on informing the public on what they need to know.
They should avoid: Losing trust or cutting corners because of financial pressure or pressure from any higher up and big companies.
All four sectors need to work toward transparency, fairness, and accountability for all of their users. Free expression can only be protected if each one recognizes its own blind spots and works to fix them and make it a safer place for free speech and expression.
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