13 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Speech

On today’s internet, the boundaries of acceptable speech are set by a few massive platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and a handful of others. If those companies find something unacceptable, it can’t travel far — a restriction that’s had a massive impact for everyone from copyright violators to sex workers. At the same time, vile content that doesn’t violate platform rules can find shockingly broad audiences, leading to a chilling rise in white nationalism and violent misogyny online. After years of outcry, platforms have grown more willing to ban the worst actors online, but each ban comes with a new political fight, and companies are slow to respond in the best of circumstances. As gleeful disinformation figures like Alex Jones gain power — and the sheer scale of these platforms begins to overwhelm moderation efforts — the problems have only gotten uglier and harder to ignore. At the same time, the hard questions of moderation are only getting harder.

Makena Kelly
Makena Kelly
Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News.

The stunning news comes less than a week after the conservative network reached a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. While the settlement averted a high-profile court trial over false 2020 election claims, it also kept some of Fox’s biggest names, like Carlson, from being forced to testify.

As of Monday afternoon, it’s unclear what exactly led to Carlson’s departure, but it sure looked like the now former host expected to have a show tonight.

The Supreme Court is about to hear a landmark online threats caseThe Supreme Court is about to hear a landmark online threats case
Fox and Dominion settle blockbuster defamation lawsuit for $787 millionFox and Dominion settle blockbuster defamation lawsuit for $787 million
YouTube is cracking down on videos describing eating disordersYouTube is cracking down on videos describing eating disorders
Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Abortion is under threat — and so is posting about it.

Wired has a good story about Texas’s attempt to make ISPs block abortion-related speech — something we’ve covered in the past.

“We’ve seen over and over in different contexts that platforms are vulnerable to censorship pressure because they’re afraid of being sued,” says Pinsof. “So it’s easier to take stuff down than it is to potentially open yourself up to liability.”

Texas Could Push Tech Platforms to Censor Posts About Abortion

[WIRED]

China wants homegrown AI to reflect the core values of socialismChina wants homegrown AI to reflect the core values of socialism
Substack writers say Twitter’s newsletter ban is bad for business — and worse for TwitterSubstack writers say Twitter’s newsletter ban is bad for business — and worse for Twitter
Disney is in a land war with the state of FloridaDisney is in a land war with the state of Florida
Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
The Fox News election defamation case will go to trial next month.

Defamation law is one of the rare limits to US speech protections, so we’re watching the outcome of voting machine company Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox News closely. How are things going for Fox?

“The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that is CRYSTAL clear that none of the Statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true,” wrote Judge Eric Davis in his 81-page ruling.

Not great so far.

In a loss for Fox News, judge allows Dominion's defamation case to go to trial

[NBC News]

Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
“It is not an ‘I read it on the internet so don’t blame me!’ statute.”

We’ve written about the dicey legal situation around AI-generated text and images. Now, Public Knowledge’s John Bergmayer makes a thoughtful (if, given how new these tools are, I think still debatable) argument against granting Section 230 liability protections to bots like Microsoft’s new Bing:

Content that a service helps develop “in whole or in part” is outside Section 230’s scope.

Section 230 also does not allow services to use uprooted facts or data and then escape liability by saying the data came from somewhere else. It is not an “I read it on the internet so don’t blame me!” statute.

Sorry Sydney: Generative AI Doesn't (and Shouldn't) Have a Liability Shield

[Public Knowledge]

Now the Florida GOP wants political bloggers to register with the governmentNow the Florida GOP wants political bloggers to register with the government
Abortion websites would be blocked in Texas under new billAbortion websites would be blocked in Texas under new bill
The Supreme Court is deciding the future of the internet, and it acted like itThe Supreme Court is deciding the future of the internet, and it acted like it
Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Justice Kagan: everything’s an algorithm, right?

Justice Elena Kagan does a good job of summing up the big question here after the opening question from Clarence Thomas. “This was a pre-algorithm statute, and everyone is trying their best to figure out how this statute applies,” Kagan notes. “Every time anyone looks at anything on the internet, there is an algorithm involved.”

The Supreme Court battle for Section 230 has begunThe Supreme Court battle for Section 230 has begun
Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Here’s the live feed of this morning’s Section 230 Supreme Court hearing.

The court is hearing Gonzalez v. Google, one of the biggest tech law cases in years, at 10am ET. You can livestream the audio if you want to tune in — and we’ll have coverage of Gonzalez and its sister case Twitter v. Taamneh over the coming day and week.

Live Oral Argument Audio

[www.supremecourt.gov]

Twitter is running ads next to tweets from Holocaust deniersTwitter is running ads next to tweets from Holocaust deniers
Cloudflare wants to help you set up your own Mastodon-compatible server in ‘minutes’Cloudflare wants to help you set up your own Mastodon-compatible server in ‘minutes’
Pakistan is reportedly blocking WikipediaPakistan is reportedly blocking Wikipedia
TikTok CEO to testify before Congress in MarchTikTok CEO to testify before Congress in March
Meta allows Trump back on Facebook and InstagramMeta allows Trump back on Facebook and Instagram
Elon Musk’s Twitter is caving to government censorship, just like he promisedElon Musk’s Twitter is caving to government censorship, just like he promised
Supreme Court puts off showdown over internet moderation bans in Texas and FloridaSupreme Court puts off showdown over internet moderation bans in Texas and Florida
Parler’s parent company has laid off a majority of its staffParler’s parent company has laid off a majority of its staff
Louisiana now requires a government ID to access PornhubLouisiana now requires a government ID to access Pornhub
Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Can you sue a TikTok psychic for accusing you of murder?

Defamation lawsuits are emerging as a popular strategy against conspiracy influencers like Alex Jones. But legal blogger Ken White has nicely broken down a much trickier case: whether a professor can sue a TikTok personality named Ashely Guillard who accused her of murder based on tarot readings.

America’s robust and exceptional protections of speech often come at the expense of actual injustice and suffering, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise. This is such a case. Guillard’s behavior is morally contemptible. That doesn’t necessary solve the puzzle of whether it’s defamatory.

Can A Tarot Card Reading Be Defamatory?

[popehat.substack.com]

Why scientists laid ‘murder’ to restWhy scientists laid ‘murder’ to rest
Sensual ASMR has boomed on YouTube — but creators are facing a crackdown

A popular niche risks running afoul of the site’s rules against ‘sexually gratifying’ content.

Jessica Lucas
Supreme Court will hear Section 230 challenges in FebruarySupreme Court will hear Section 230 challenges in February
Twitter banned the @ElonJet account tracking Musk’s flights, reinstated it, then banned it againTwitter banned the @ElonJet account tracking Musk’s flights, reinstated it, then banned it again
Marco Rubio pushes TikTok ban in CongressMarco Rubio pushes TikTok ban in Congress
WordPress debated taking down the New York Post Hunter Biden storyWordPress debated taking down the New York Post Hunter Biden story
Indiana sues TikTok for misleading users on child safety and data securityIndiana sues TikTok for misleading users on child safety and data security
The deep inequalities of Facebook’s secretive cross-check moderation programThe deep inequalities of Facebook’s secretive cross-check moderation program
Meta Oversight Board demands changes to ‘cross-check’ program that protected Donald TrumpMeta Oversight Board demands changes to ‘cross-check’ program that protected Donald Trump
Alex Jones has filed for bankruptcyAlex Jones has filed for bankruptcy
Adi Robertson
Ye will not be the new owner of ParlerYe will not be the new owner of Parler
Instagram should have rejected police pressure to ban rap song, says Oversight BoardInstagram should have rejected police pressure to ban rap song, says Oversight Board
Platforms take action against Trump after Capitol mob attackPlatforms take action against Trump after Capitol mob attack
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Twitter’s now-former head of Trust and Safety predicts what’s next for its “custodians of the internet.”

In this op-ed, Yoel Roth examines why he left Twitter last week (because all decisions now lie with one person, Elon Musk) and the hellish rules about content moderation Musk will have to navigate, whether made by regulators or the planned moderation council.

But, as Roth explains, the most notable check on Elon’s “unilateral edict” and free speech platitudes may be Apple and Google:

Twitter will have to balance its new owner’s goals against the practical realities of life on Apple and Google’s internet — no easy task for the employees who have chosen to remain. And as I departed the company, the calls from the app review teams had already begun

Opinion | I Was the Head of Trust and Safety at Twitter. This Is What Could Become of It.

[The New York Times]

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