Free expression

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

February 14, 2023 | Richard Reisman

This piece was originally published in Tech Policy Press. Managing society’s problems related to how (and by whom) social media news feeds are composed is rapidly reducing to the absurd. Elon Musk’s capricious management of Twitter highlights many of the core elements of the presenting problems – while related issues have risen to the Supreme Court.

November 16, 2022 | Geoff Cain

This piece was originally published in the Wall Street Journal. On Feb. 22, 2019, a man calling himself Matthew Chao knocked on the door of the North Korean embassy in Madrid, with a gift for the embassy’s highest-ranking official. The North Korean worker who answered the door escorted the visitor inside and went to fetch

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,

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)

August 2, 2022 | Jonathon Hauenschild

This piece was originally published in The Hill. Is Google at war with Republican candidates? The Republican National Committee and several others seem to think so, as it claims delivery of its emails to Gmail inboxes is nearly 0 percent, costing the party and candidates about $2 billion since 2019. The claims are based on a report from North Carolina State

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

June 30, 2022 | Dan Lips

Click here to download a PDF of the full testimony. Chairman Coons, Ranking Member Graham, and Members of the Subcommittee: My name is Dan Lips. I am Head of Policy at Lincoln Network. I am writing to encourage the Subcommittee to provide additional funding to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), especially for its

December 18, 2019 | Will Upton

Despite the convenience and benefits of online platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, the growing power and influence of ‘Big Tech’ have inspired a new wave of critics on both America’s Left and Right. These critics have argued online platforms promote unhealthy addiction, exacerbate polarization, waste our time and energy, and create easier pathways to

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

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

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

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

July 11, 2019 | Will Upton

Lincoln joined a center-right coalition letter urging policymakers to not be overly hasty in trying to regulate the Internet ecosystem. Signatories include Americans for Prosperity, Campaign for Liberty, FreedomWorks, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and others.

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

The future of free speech online

May 31, 2019 | Ryan Radia

I joined my Lincoln colleague Zach Graves to discuss digital free speech and social media bias on the Cato Institute’s Building Tomorrow podcast, with hosts Paul Matzko and Will Duffield. Check out the full episode here.

April 9, 2019 | Ryan Radia

https://foxnews.com/opinion/garrett-johnson-facebook-did-an-audit-of-anti-conservative-bias-now-lets-see-the-results

Reboot 2018 Conference

October 24, 2018 | Lincoln Network

Check out all the videos from Lincoln Network’s Reboot 2018 conference in San Francisco, CA. Additional information about the program and speakers can be found here.

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