Past Program

"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." – George Orwell
 
In an age when content and opinion is viewed, shared, and reshared across the world in seconds, and where the globalized public space is increasingly controlled by a small number of private companies, who should be responsible for governing speech, moderating content, and protecting civil liberties?
 
The recent decisions of social media platforms to remove, censure or even outright ban certain political actors are testing the limits and the wisdom of governing speech online. The recently established Facebook Oversight Board presents a new model of governance but can a quasi-independent corporate tribunal adjudicate fairly and effectively? What are the consequences for democracy, freedom of expression, information integrity, and truth?
 
Now that the Facebook Oversight Board has upheld its indefinite ban on former US President Donald J. Trump, it is clear that this ruling will create a precedent for how the future of political speech will be governed online. Whether this decision is a public service, or dangerous censorship is open for debate.
 
Part of Salzburg Global’s Designs on the Future initiative, our conversation will bring together trustees of the Facebook Oversight Board, journalists, and legal experts to debate the governance of speech online, and the decisions that will shape the future of free speech and social movements. Join us.