The project aims at building a resilient culture of free speech able to withstand challenges from the revolution in communication technology, declining respect for free speech in democracies, and the spread of authoritarianism. It will build on previous research related to the Future of Free Speech and will work on changing the prevailing narrative, which is gaining ground even in open democracies, that free speech is a threat to society and must be reined in with increasingly restrictive means by governments and tech platforms. It will combine research documenting threats to free speech with concrete proposals to demonstrate how free speech and access to information can be used as a force for good.
The outputs of this project will seek to persuade governments and tech platforms that freedom of expression and access to information can serve as efficient and non-restrictive ways to counter online hate speech and disinformation. The project will assess the state of free speech through the following: first, an interactive map of laws restricting free speech in open democracies to visualize our working hypothesis, namely, that free speech is in decline; second, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of content moderation on selected public Facebook pages and YouTube accounts; and, third, a replication and expansion of the Future of Free Speech´s 2021 survey to ascertain global attitudes towards free speech and identify any changes between the two surveys. The project will then provide technological solutions for distributed content moderation through the development of an AI-driven prototype; create two toolkits on non-restrictive methods of countering hate speech and disinformation, (accompanied by trainings for civil society organizations on their use), and develop an expert panel for quality control and impact of these resources. We will work with experts across the globe to ensure well-rounded outputs and broad dissemination.
