Biden Administration Tries to Criminalize Speech

March 15, 2023 | Jonathon Hauenschild

This piece was originally published in the Washington Times. The Senate Judiciary Committee recently grilled Attorney General Merrick Garland over a wide range of issues, including the FBI’s targeting of traditional Catholics and the treatment of pro-life activists, while ignoring violence against crisis pregnancy centers. Likewise, the House Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
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The Future of Twitter is Open, or Bust

November 7, 2022 | Richard Reisman

This piece was originally published in Tech Policy Press. Elon Musk owns Twitter. Or rather, whatever is left of it after today’s massive layoffs. It’s hard to see any future for the company at this point, particularly as its twin challenges of content moderation and revenue sustainability are deeply intertwined. As a business, Twitter is facing substantial financial obstacles,
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Elon Musk Doesn’t Understand What He’s Bought

November 4, 2022 | Jon Askonas

This piece was originally published in UnHerd. Elon Musk has promised that Twitter’s lords and peasants system (i.e. verification) will be coming to an end. The new CEO said that verified “bluecheck” users would now be subject to a monthly fee of $8. Discussion of the proposal exploded with (broadly) media-adjacent people saying that the changes would effectively destroy Twitter and (broadly)
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Innovation Could Advance Free Expression Online

August 1, 2022 | Luke Hogg

With the battle over the ownership of Twitter making its way into the courtroom, conservatives’ hopes that tech magnate Elon Musk would swoop in and solve the quagmire of free speech online have been put in jeopardy. As members of Congress debate legislation that fails to address conservatives’ core concerns, it is time for lawmakers
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What conservative voters really think about Silicon Valley

November 21, 2019 | Garrett Johnson

Conservative voters are (or should be) worried about being censored by social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Or so holds an enduring conservative narrative. But my organization, the Lincoln Network, conducted a national poll with Morning Consult to learn how Republican voters really feel about this issue. The results suggest a significant gap between the
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Lincoln Network and Morning Consult Poll on Technology Platforms and the 2020 Election

November 21, 2019 | Will Upton

From August 1st to 3rd, 2019, Lincoln Network in conjunction with Morning Consult polled Republican voters on a series of questions regarding the major technology/social media platforms (including Google, Facebook, and Twitter) in order to decipher what impact voter opinion could have on the 2020 elections. The data shows that, overwhelmingly, Republican voters approve of
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Applying the First Amendment to the Web Would Be a Nightmare

July 17, 2019 | Ryan Radia

Conservatives see the Constitution as their best defense online, but have they considered the broader consequences? Conservatives often accuse big tech companies of suppressing right-leaning voices and giving preferential treatment to left-wing commentators and news outlets. Google is the target of these latest allegations, which include a heavily edited video that seemingly depicts an executive suggesting
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Principles for Amending Section 230

July 11, 2019 | Will Upton

Lincoln joined a broad, bipartisan coalition letter organized by our friends at TechFreedom. The letter outlines seven principles for amending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The letter argues: Policymakers have expressed concern about both harmful online speech and the content moderation practices of tech companies. Section 230, enacted as part of the bipartisan
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Does Twitter Have an Anti-Conservative Bias?

June 5, 2019 | Zach Graves

The following article by Lincoln Network head of policy Zach Graves originally ran at Techdirt: In an article for Quillette titled, “It Isn’t Your Imagination: Twitter Treats Conservatives More Harshly Than Liberals,” Columbia University research fellow Richard Hanania offers us proof–once and for all–that social media companies are biased against conservatives. Either that, or it’s the latest
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Conservatives: Stop Crying Wolf on Tech Bias

August 28, 2018 | Zach Graves

This article by Lincoln Network head of policy Zach Graves originally appeared at Techdirt. In an article picked up by Drudge Report and then tweeted by President Donald Trump himself, PJ Media editor Paula Bolyard makes the shocking claim that Google deliberately manipulates its search results to favor left-wing views and undermine the President. In supporting this allegation, she goes to
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