The Future of Free Speech

JACOB MCHANGAMA: Disagreeing Without Losing Each Other Most of us have an unspoken rule set for modern relationships: Avoid the landmines. But according to Jacob Mchangama, that kind of fear-based self-censorship leads to disconnection. If you can’t be…

🔗 Find out how we can use free speech to heal these divides and watch the full episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKzh...

Polarization thrives when people are afraid to disagree.

At The Double Win Podcast, @mchangama.bsky.social explains that self-censorship doesn't just impact you— it undermines public discourse and debate.

U.S. DOJ Flip-Flops on Case Targeting Law Firms & UK Law Tightens Regulation of Streaming Services | The Free Flow 3/5/26 New York considers banning chatbots from giving medical and legal advice, UK law to regulate "offensive" material on streaming platforms, UAE threatens social media posts of airstrikes, and more.

🔗 Think that's the only global threat to free speech this week? Well, there's plenty more where that came from. Check out this week's Free Flow newsletter: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/us-doj-fli...

What if you couldn't watch something on Netflix because the government determined it was "offensive"?

In the UK, a recently enacted law empowers Ofcom, the country's internet regulator, to enforce rules on streaming content deemed "harmful or offensive."

AI, Mass Surveillance, and The Fight for Democratic Limits Unchecked AI surveillance is not only a privacy problem; it is a free speech emergency.

The Anthropic/Dod dispute might seem like a national security issue. But the growing use of AI for mass surveillance poses a serious threat to our free speech, write @jordicalbad.bsky.social & Isabelle Anzabi: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/ai-mass-su...

If you knew the government could easily identify you or track you for speaking out at a protest or posting criticism online, would you?

New piece with Isabelle Anzabi in The Bedrock Principle (@futurefreespeech.org) on AI, mass surveillance, and free expression.

We examine how advances in AI lower some of the practical barriers that historically limited large-scale monitoring, and what this could mean for freedom of expression.

.exe-pression: January - February 2026 A newsletter on Freedom of Expression in the Age of AI

Find out the biggest developments in AI over the past two months, and their impact on free expression, in our .exe-pression newsletter: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/exe-pressi...

Governments rushing to regulate AI could overlook serious free speech concerns while cutting off access for millions of users. Meanwhile, some are even using it as a surveillance tool.

Ep. 264: Anonymity from the founding to the digital age In the years leading up to the American Revolution, newspapers and pamphlets overflowed with essays signed “Publius,” “Brutus,” and “A Farmer.” Those arguments helped shape a nation, but the authors’…

🎧️ Listen to the full discussion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaDV...

Are we losing the right to speak anonymously online?

On the So to Speak Podcast with @nicoperrino.bsky.social, @jkosseff.bsky.social discusses how age-verification requirements could shape the future of the internet.

Faking Free Speech in Putin’s Russia Inside the Kremlin’s accelerating war on free speech—and its brazen attempt to rebrand repression as “freedom.”

Authoritarians like Putin know that democracy is impossible without free speech. Civil society-empowered dissidents and investigative journalists are key to exposing the dangers of repression and censorship.

🔗 Read more here: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/faking-fre...

The Kremlin has attempted to co-opt the language of "freedom" and "human rights" to justify its expansive censorship regime.

In a new guest essay, Beth Kerley calls on democracies to offer an "unapologetic embrace and defense" of free expression to fight back.

States Push for Social Media Age Restrictions & Australian Police Seize Anti-Fascist Posters from Bar | The Free Flow 2/26/26 Germany launches nationwide raids over online hate speech, a Greek bill seeks to ban social media for minors under 15, Australian Police Seize anti-facist posters from a local bar, and more.

🔗 Find out what the most urgent threats are in this week's Free Flow newsletter: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/germany-la...

Governments worldwide are moving to regulate speech based on age, safety, and security — and efforts are advancing in countries with even the strongest free speech protections.

But who are we really protecting...and at what cost?

How a Joke Became a National Security Threat in Sri Lanka | ft. Nathasha Edirisooriya At the #freespeechsummit2025, Nathasha Edirisooriya delivers a powerful and deeply personal keynote on comedy, blasphemy, and the cost of crossing cultural red lines. Reflecting on her arrest and…

🔗 Listen to her story on our YouTube: youtu.be/5i5Dmys3XbY?...

The best response to hate isn't censorship.

At our #FreeSpeechSummit2025, Nathasha Edirisooriya shares the antidote that works.

Freedom.gov Champions Online Speech Abroad While DHS Targets Critics The Trump administration’s foreign policy rhetoric collides with its growing use of administrative subpoenas against online critics.

🔗 Such actions, @thejustncase.net argues at The Bedrock Principle, will undermine the U.S.'s efforts to combat online speech restrictions abroad: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/freedomgov...

The Trump admin’s legitimate concerns around European censorship of online content continue to collide with its anti-free speech policies at home.

Recently, DHS has increased the use of administrative subpoenas to target and unmask online critics.

Freedom.gov Champions Online Speech Abroad While DHS Targets Critics The Trump administration’s foreign policy rhetoric collides with its growing use of administrative subpoenas against online critics.

The right to criticize one’s government is a core American principle. But if we chill dissent here, our case for free speech abroad weakens.

Read my first solo post at The Bedrock Principle: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/freedomgov...

Europe’s worrying online speech raids have recently made headlines.

But as the U.S. launches freedom.gov to promote “digital freedom” abroad, DHS is issuing administrative subpoenas to target and unmask online critics here at home.

How a Joke Became a National Security Threat in Sri Lanka | ft. Nathasha Edirisooriya At the #freespeechsummit2025, Nathasha Edirisooriya delivers a powerful and deeply personal keynote on comedy, blasphemy, and the cost of crossing cultural red lines. Reflecting on her arrest and…

🔗 Watch her full speech from our #FreeSpeechSummit2025 on YouTube: youtu.be/5i5Dmys3XbY?...

When she was put in prison for telling a joke, Nathasha Edirisooriya says she found unexpected support from others behind bars — even from those who disagreed with her.

How a Joke Became a National Security Threat in Sri Lanka | ft. Natasha Edirisooriya At the #freespeechsummit2025, Nathasha Edirisooriya delivers a powerful and deeply personal keynote on comedy, blasphemy, and the cost of crossing cultural red lines. Reflecting on her arrest and…

🔗 Listen to her story on our YouTube: youtu.be/5i5Dmys3XbY?...

A comedian’s worst nightmare should be a joke that doesn’t land — not a fear of execution for telling it.

At our #FreeSpeechSummit2025, Nathasha Edirisooriya shares what’s truly at stake when punchlines are treated as crimes and speech becomes a punishable offense.

Is Silence a Sin? Why We Demand Influencers Speak After Tragedy What culture are we actually creating when we demand speech on command — and when we interpret silence as endorsement for a particular viewpoint?

🔗 Find out how at The Bedrock Principle: www.bedrockprinciple.com/p/is-silence...

Should your favorite influencer have to weigh in on the latest political controversy, even when they don't make political content?

If we demand speech on command, @ashkhen.bsky.social explores what that means for our free speech culture.

OZ Arts Nashville Home - OZ Arts Nashville CONVERSATIONS AT OZ An evening of dinner and dialogue benefitting OZ Arts Nashville Wednesday, February 25, 2026 One of the most dynamic annual benefits in Nashville, this seated dinner invites…

🎟️ Get your tickets now at: www.ozartsnashville.org

🕐️ 🚨 TOMORROW: Join @mchangama.bsky.social for dinner in Nashville at Conversations at Oz — served with a side of important conversations about the global state of free speech!

The Most Dangerous Thing We’ve Lost: “The Pause” | ft. Nita Farhany YouTube video by The Future of Free Speech

🔗 Catch the full deep dive on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TyT...