free expression

8:47 pm on August 27, 2026 · 2026 (252), anonymity (1), CDT (14), free expression (6)

WEBINAR 23-24 SEP 16:00 UTC – Future of Speech Online 2026: The Death of Online Anonymity?

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A black-and-white background of overlapping horizontal bands is overlaid with a large blue, purple, pink, and green halftone speech bubble. White text at upper left identifies the “2026 Future of Speech Online Conference,” while the large italic title “The Death of Online Anonymity?” runs down the left side. The dates “September 23–24, 2026” appear at bottom left, with the Center for Democracy & Technology and Stand Together Trust logos at bottom right.

A black-and-white background of overlapping horizontal bands is overlaid with a large blue, purple, pink, and green halftone speech bubble. White text at upper left identifies the “2026 Future of Speech Online Conference,” while the large italic title “The Death of Online Anonymity?” runs down the left side. The dates “September 23–24, 2026” appear at bottom left, with the Center for Democracy & Technology and Stand Together Trust logos at bottom right.
REGISTER | ADD TO CALENDAR | PERMALINK

On Wednesday – Thursday, 23–24 September 2026, at 12:00–14:30 EDT (16:00–18:30 UTC) each day, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), in partnership with Stand Together Trust, hosts its annual Future of Speech Online conference, ‘The Death of Online Anonymity?‘.

The United States has long supported a culture of anonymity that fosters both the free exchange of controversial ideas and the protection of privacy, and globally, anonymity and the technologies that facilitate it have been critical protections for dissidents, journalists, LGBTQ+ communities, and anyone living under authoritarian governments or intimate partner violence.

That right has always been a qualified one, limited to accommodate legitimate interests in countering criminal activity, harassment, doxxing, and abuse — but the balance is now under mounting pressure from age assurance and digital ID mandates, government demands to unmask disfavoured accounts, and AI systems that make re-identification trivial while driving demand for ‘proof of personhood’.

DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2026

12:00–14:30 EDT (16:00–18:30 UTC)

12:00 – Welcome
Moderator: Kate Ruane – Director, Free Expression Project, CDT

12:10 – Keynote: Anonymity Online: Why Do We Need It? How Do We Protect It? What Are the Risks?
Alexandra Reeve Givens – CEO, CDT

13:00 – Age Verifying the Internet: The Wave of Age Verification and Assurance Requirements and Its Implications for the Anonymous Internet
Stan Adams – Lead Public Policy Specialist for North America, Wikimedia Foundation
Moderator: Aliya Bhatia – Senior Policy Analyst, Free Expression Project, CDT

13:45 – Generative AI and the Erosion of Anonymity
Tianshi Li – Assistant Professor, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University
Neil Chilson – Head of AI Policy, Abundance Institute

DAY 2 – THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2026

12:00–14:30 EDT (16:00–18:30 UTC)

12:00 – Welcome
Speakers: To Be Announced.

12:05 – Government Demands to Undermine Anonymity
Speakers: To Be Announced

12:50 – Humanity and Anonymity
Renée DiResta – Associate Research Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
Moderator: Becca Branum – Deputy Director, Free Expression Project, CDT

13:35 – The Sword and the Shield of Anonymity: How to Maximize Protections Offered by Anonymity While Mitigating Harm
Ashkhen Kazaryan – Senior Legal Fellow, The Future of Free Speech, Vanderbilt University
Belle Torek – Senior Technology Safety Specialist, Safety Net Project, NNEDV
Moderator: Kate Ruane – Director, Free Expression Project, CDT

14:15 – Lightning Talks
Speakers: To Be Announced

#FOSO26 #OnlineAnonymity #FreeExpression #AgeVerification

11:33 am on October 1, 2025 · free culture (25), free expression (6), free speech (12)

RECORDING – Book Discussion – The Cambridge Handbook of the Right to Freedom of Thought

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ISOC LIVE

ISOC LIVEYOUTUBE | PATREON | SUMMARY | TRANSCRIPT | ARCHIVE | PERMALINK

On September 9, 2025, Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University hosted a virtual book discussion ‘The Cambridge Handbook of the Right to Freedom of Thought‘. The right to freedom of thought is increasingly invoked in debates on emerging technologies —such as neurotechnology and artificial intelligence— yet its scope, content, and application remain poorly understood. This Handbook, edited by Patrick O’Callaghan and Bethany Shiner, offers a pioneering effort to map how the right is protected, interpreted, and applied across the globe. It examines eighteen jurisdictions and includes chapters that provide essential context, interdisciplinary perspectives, and in-depth analysis of the right in relation to specific challenges and conceptual questions.

Welcome and Introductiom
Hawley Johnson – Associate Director, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression.

PANEL I: Introduction to the Handbook
Bethany Shiner – Senior Lecturer in Law, Middlesex University
Patrick O’Callaghan – Professor of Law, University College Cork
Lautaro Furfaro – Senior Legal Researcher, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression / Professor of International Human Rights Law and Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights, University of Buenos Aires.
Discussant: Ahmed Shaheed – Professor of International Human Rights Law, School of Law and Human Rights Centre, University of Essex

PANEL II: Regional Perspectives on Freedom of Thought
Inter-American System
Bethany Shiner – Senior Lecturer in Law, Middlesex University
Discussant: Lautaro Furfaro, Senior Legal Researcher, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression/ Professor of International Human Rights Law and Philosophical Foundation of Human Rights, University of Buenos Aires
European System
Felicitas Benziger – Post-doctoral researcher, University College Cork.
Discussant: Brian Frenkel, Professor of the European and African Human Rights Systems, University of Buenos Aires.
African System
Sfiso Benard Nxumalo – Reading for a Doctor of Philosophy in Law, Oxford University.
Discussant: Caroline James, Editor, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression / Advocacy Coordinator, AmaBhugane Center for Investigative Journalism

Closing Remarks
Nazila Ghanea – United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief

BUY THE BOOK! (20% Discount code – TCHRFT25)

12:23 pm on May 8, 2025 · free expression (6), free press (4), isoc chile (3), unesco (8)

VIDEO: ISOC Chile – Gobernanza de Plataformas Digitales y nuevos desafíos para la Libertad de Expresión

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ISOC LIVE

ISOC LIVEEl 6 de mayo de 2025, la Internet Society – Capítulo Chile, en colaboración con UNESCO – Chile y el Núcleo Transdisciplinario de Regulación de la Convergencia Digital, celebró el 32° Aniversario del Día Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa de la UNESCO (3 de mayo) con el evento “Gobernanza de Plataformas Digitales y nuevos desafíos para la Libertad de Expresión” en la Universidad de Chile. Durante la jornada, se presentaron en Chile las Directrices para la Gobernanza de las Plataformas Digitales de la UNESCO, que establecen responsabilidades para los Estados, las plataformas, los medios de comunicación, la academia y la sociedad civil en la promoción de la libertad de expresión en el entorno digital.

01 Inauguración. Palabras de autoridades.
Esther Cuich-Laroche – Directora, UNESCO Santiago)
Chiara Sáez – Directora, Núcleo de Regulación, UChile
Modera: Anahí Urquiza – Universidad de Chile)

02 Directrices para la Gobernanza de las Plataformas Digitales. Salvaguardar la libertad de expresión y el acceso a la información con un enfoque de múltiples partes interesadas.
Ana Cristina Ruelas – UNESCO París
Modera: Chiara Sáez, FCEI

03 Desafíos presentes y futuros para la Gobernanza de las Plataformas Digitales en Chile.
Jorge Avilés – ODC Chile.
Mauricio Muñoz – CNTV
Patricio Cabello – CIAE UChile
María Cristina Escudero – FGob UChile
Modera: Patricia Peña, FCEI UChile / Internet Society Chile

El evento fue transmitido en vivo por ISOC Chile.

YOUTUBE | TRANSCRIPT ES / EN | SUMMARY ES / EN | ARCHIVE

X #PressFreedomDay #LibertadDeExpresión @ISOC_CL @uchile @UNESCO_es | MASTODON  | BLUESKY  | INSTA | LI

5:22 am on October 24, 2024 · columbia (18), free expression (6), humor (1)

WEBCAST OCT 25 – What’s in a Joke? Assessing Humor in Free Speech Jurisprudence and Content Moderation

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isoc live

On Friday October 25, 2024, at 14:30-17:30 EDT (18:30-21:30 UTC) Columbia Global Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) hosts a panel and roundtable on the upcoming toolkit ‘What’s in a Joke? Assessing Humor in Free Speech Jurisprudence and Content Moderation‘ atisoc live Columbia University in NYC.

Humor is often at the center of complex legal cases and content moderation decisions regarding free speech and its limits. How can judges – or social media platforms – navigate the gray areas between satire and defamation, provocative jokes and hate speech, or parody and copyright violation? These challenges have become increasingly daunting in the digital age, with ironic ambiguity and context collapse playing a key role in online communication. Moreover, generative AI (e.g. deepfakes) has further muddled the line between legitimate creative reuse on the one hand (as in parody or satire), and the violation of personal or IP rights on the other.

The toolkit, which is scheduled for release in January 2025, is primarily intended for legal professionals and Trust & Safety agents, with the aim of helping them establish an informed, well-balanced, and consistent approach to humorous expression in light of both human rights law and interdisciplinary humor research. However, it will also be of interest to policymakers and advocacy groups, by addressing topical questions concerning both the protection of lawful humorous expression and the adjudication of illegal or borderline (albeit superficially humorous) content. Lastly, it aims to assist humor creators of all types – from comedians and cartoonists to ‘ordinary’ social media users – in gaining awareness of their rights, while also highlighting the links between certain types of derogatory humor, hate, and harm.

The authors will present on the four main sections of the toolkit: I. Interpreting humor in context, II. Authoritarian crackdowns on humor and satire, III. Humor, online harm and content moderation, and IV. Humor and Intellectual Property law. This will be followed by an open Q&A ,and a roundtable with four members of the project’s Advisory Board.

(All times EDT = UTC-4)

14:45 Toolkit presentation and open Q&A
Alberto Godioli (University of Groningen)
Sabine Jacques (University of Liverpool)
Ariadna Matamoros Fernández (Queensland University of Technology),
Jennifer Young (University of Groningen)
Moderator: Hawley Johnson (Columbia Global Freedom of Expression)

16:00 Roundtable and Q&A on humor and free speech
Lady Justice Stella Isibhakhomen Anukam (African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights)
JUDr. Barbora Bukovská (ARTICLE 19)
Mehdi Benchelah (UNESCO)
Judge Darian Pavli (European Court of Human Rights)
Moderator: Laura Little (Temple University Law School)
Moderator: Alberto Godioli (University of Groningen)

The event will be simulcast by the Internet Society New York Chapter

LIVESTREAM https://livestream.com/internetsociety/cgfoe-humor

PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/4fhedCJ

TWITTER #HumorToolkit @ColumbiaGFoE @albertogodioli @Sabine_Jacques @unesco
@article19org

#HumorToolkit MASTODON  | BLUESKY  | INSTA 

SIMULCASTS
https://twitter.com/ISOC_Live
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/cgfoe-humor

3:36 pm on April 17, 2024 · columbiagfoe (5), free expression (6), free speech (12)

WEBCAST APR 25 – Columbia Global Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) 10th anniversary – Safeguarding Free Expression: The Role of Judicial Systems in Pivotal Times

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ISOC LIVE

ISOC LIVEOn Thursday April 25 2024 Columbia Global Freedom of Expression (CGFoE) will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a full day event ‘Safeguarding Free Expression: The Role of Judicial Systems in Pivotal Times‘ at the Italian Academy in NYC. The event will include CGFoE’s 2024 Prize Ceremony, and is supported by UNESCO through the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP) and the Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF).

01 Opening Session
Hawley Johnson, Associate Director, CGFoE
Guilherme Canela, Chief of Section Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalist, UNESCO
Aryeh Neier, President Emeritus, Open Society Foundations

02 PANEL – Breakthrough Verdicts: Legal Decisions Shaping the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
Eduardo Bertoni, Director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law
Karuna Nundy, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Sarah Peeters, Programme Officer – Development of the Legal Profession, Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU)
Alice Gardoll, Chief of Staff, Office of Amal Clooney
Moderator: Mehdi Benchelah, Senior Project Officer – Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists Section – UNESCO

03 BOOK TALK – Truth, Justice, and the Power of Journalism
Introduction – Anastasiia Vorozhtsova
Elena Kostyuchenko, author of I Love Russia: Reporting from a Lost Country
Paul Caruana Galizia, author of A Death in Malta: An Assassination and a Family’s Quest for Justice
Moderator: Marija Šajkaš, CGFoE

04 PANEL – Critical Legal Frontiers: Global Challenges to Freedom of Expression
Caroline James, Advocacy Coordinator, AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism
Alexander Papachristou, Executive Director, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice
Barbara Trionfi, Author, IPI Report Climate / Environmental Journalism Under Fire
Jorge Calderón Gamboa, Independent Expert, UN Program Harmony With Nature
Mishi Choudhary, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel, Virtru
Professor Nikolaus Forgo, Head of the Department of Innovation and Digitalization in Law, University of Vienna
Moderator: Sandra Coliver, Former Senior Legal Officer, Open Society Justice Initiative, USA

16:00 2024 Columbia Global Freedom of Expression Prize Ceremony
Performance by singer Vivir Quintana, “Canción sin miedo” (Song without fear)
Keynote: Elena Kostyuchenko, Russian journalist and activist
Presentation of the winner in “Significant Legal Ruling” by Caroline James, amaBhugane Investigative Journalism Center
Presentation of the winner in “Excellence in Legal Services” by Alejandra Negrete, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Performance by singer Vivir Quintana,

  • “Sorora / Sororal”
  • “¿Quién cuida al pueblo? / Who takes care of the people?”
  • “Canción sin miedo / Song without fear”

05 Closing Remarks
Hawley Johnson, Associate Director, CGFoE

LIVESTREAM https://livestream.com/internetsociety/cgfoe10

TWITTER #freespeech @ColumbiaGFoE @UNESCO @pcaruanagalizia @mirrorsbreath @Suffolk_Law @nimajpu

MASTODON  #freespeech

SIMULCASTS
https://twitter.com/ISOC_Live
https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive
https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/

ARCHIVE
https://archive.org/details/cgfoe10

ADD TO CALENDAR https://calndr.link/event/fa4H7mDxww

5:07 am on April 25, 2018 · columbiagfoe (5), free expression (6), internet freedom (81), rebecca mackinnon (13)

WEBCAST WED/THU: 2018 Justice for Freedom of Expression Conference + Ranking Digital Rights 2018 Corporate Accountability Index launch #expression2018 #rankingrights @ColumbiaGFoE

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livestreamlivestream On Wednesday-Thursday April 25-26 2018 the Columbia GlobalFreedom of Expression and Information presents the 2018 Justice for Freedom of Expression Conference. which seeks to highlight the changing environment for free speech and press freedom through a focus on jurisprudence, laws and policies from around the world. This biennial event is the only forum focusing on global jurisprudence related to freedom of expression. As an added feature the conference will open with the launch of the Ranking Digital Rights 2018 Corporate Accountability Index, ranking 22 of the world’s most powerful telecommunications, internet, and mobile companies on their commitments and disclosed policies affecting users’ freedom of expression and privacy. Both events will be webcast live on the Internet Society Livestream Channel.

What: 2018 Justice for Freedom of Expression Conference + Ranking Digital Rights 2018 Corporate Accountability Index launch
Where: Italian Academy NYC
When: Wednesday-Thursday April 25-26 2018 (UTC-4)
Agenda: https://www.justiceforexpression.com/
Webcasts:
Ranking Digital Rights – https://livestream.com/internetsociety/rdr2018 (9:30am-11am Weds)
Expression2018 Conference – https://livestream.com/internetsociety/expression2018
Twitter: #rankingrights | #expression2018