So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

Ep. 266: How foreign censors target American speakers Governments around the world have increasingly sought to regulate online speech well beyond their borders. If global platforms are forced to comply with the world’s most restrictive laws, whose speech standards win? And what happens to a free and open internet when governments apply their censorship rules across borders? @TheFIREorg's @NicoPerrino spoke with @prestonjbyrne, an attorney and expert in international law and emerging technologies, who now serves as counsel to a coalition of internet publishing platforms suing the United Kingdom’s internet regulator. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:15 Preston’s background 16:46 What do foreign censorship laws actually target? 22:35 The UK’s Online Safety Act 29:39 Free speech cultures: US vs. UK 40:48 The GRANITE Act and protecting Americans from foreign censorship 1:01:15 Outro

The UK’s internet regulator is brushing aside international law when it comes to Americans’ speech online. @prestonjbyrne suggests trying something a little more… internet-native.

.@prestonjbyrne's legal advice when the UK government tries to censor American internet users? Hit 'em with hamsters.

Should the government ever delegate lethal decisions to AI? @TheFIREorg’s @glukianoff and Mike Godwin discuss why Anthropic says it doesn’t want the Pentagon using its systems for autonomous weapons.

Ep. 265: Anthropic, age verification laws, and press freedom Several stories have put government power over speech and technology back in the spotlight. In this episode, we break down the Pentagon’s targeting of the AI company Anthropic, the push for government-mandated age verification technologies, and the Department of Justice’s raid on a Washington Post reporter’s home. @NicoPerrino is joined by @Cato's @jrhuddles, @sfmnemonic, and @TheFIREorg's very own @glukianoff Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:19 The Pentagon vs. Anthropic? 22:40 The FTC, Congress, and age verification laws 48:15 Is it unusual for the DOJ to seize a reporter’s computer? 59:46 Outro

Online verification laws will quickly erode the right to online anonymity, @SpeechFuture’s Jeff Kosseff said. When identification becomes the entry fee for speaking online, fewer people are willing to speak at all.

Mandating ID to speak online doesn’t regulate platforms, it reshapes the boundaries of the First Amendment. “Anonymity isn’t binary. It’s not like it’s a switch you turn on and off.” @SpeechFuture’s Jeff Kosseff

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’ real names were nowhere to be found. Americans have long relied on anonymous speech to challenge the powerful, protect dissenters, and keep the focus on ideas rather than identities. That tradition has endured into America’s digital age, even as anonymous speech has become more controversial. To explore America’s history with anonymity, @TheFIREorg's @NicoPerrino is joined by Jeff Kosseff, a nonresident senior legal fellow at @SpeechFuture and author of The United States of Anonymous. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:01 What is anonymity? 04:38 Anonymous speech in Colonial America 15:58 Does the First Amendment protect anonymity? 20:35 Anonymous speech in the Civil Rights Era 31:17 The internet and anonymity 35:44 Modern anonymity debates: DHS subpoenas, age verification, social media regulation, and VPN bans 51:53 Outro

Government censorship is most effective when it operates in constitutional blind spots. @CatoInstitute's @ConLawWarrior warns that “a deeply sinister picture emerges” when the government exploits those gray areas.

The right to protest isn’t selective. You can’t support protest rights only when you agree with the cause. @CTFitzpatrick said from mask mandates to ICE protests, the standard should be the same.

One year into Trump 2.0, we examine the administration’s record on free speech and how it compares to the president’s campaign pledge to “bring back free speech to America.” We also discuss recent ICE protests, including the right to carry and to film law enforcement, and what these encounters reveal about protest rights today. @TheFIREorg's @NicoPerrino is joined by @CatoInstitute's @ConLawWarrior, @WMLawSchool's Timothy Zick, and FIRE's very own @CTFitzpatrick. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:47 ICE protests: Alex Pretti, filming police, and the right to carry 13:30 How to hold law enforcement accountable 19:10 Don Lemon’s arrest 23:27 Trump’s retribution politics and the “domestic terrorist” label 35:05 FCC pressure and attacks on the media 39:40 Escalating actions against noncitizens 53:49 Attacks on higher education 58:40 Why this moment feels harder than Trump 1.0 01:02:25 What reforms are needed? 1:09:13 Outro

At 10 years old, @Pixar's Ratatouille helped @PNikmand dream of a life beyond Iran's borders

Ep. 262: Escaping Iran Recent protests in Iran have drawn renewed attention to dissent under the country’s authoritarian government. The demonstrations have been met with mass arrests, internet restrictions, and even accusations of murder. While large-scale demonstrations appear to have subsided for now, reporting from Iran describes a tense calm, a heightened security presence, and widespread “disappointment and disillusionment” among Iranians. @TheFIREorg's @NicoPerrino sat down with @PNikmand, an Iranian-born writer who escaped Iran at 18. He writes about how his experiences have shaped his understanding of expression, freedom, and belonging on his Substack, Outliving Iran. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:17 What’s happening in Iran now? 10:47 What does life look like under an authoritarian regime? 20:33 Growing up in Iran 24:48 The influence of Western media in Iran 32:55 Escaping Iran 37:05 Life after escape 40:55 Being trafficked to Poland 54:45 Escaping captivity and coming to America 01:01:53 An immigrant’s perspective on US immigration 1:07:24 Outro

Ep. 261: Thomas Paine’s rise and fall Thomas Paine arrived in America in 1774 with little to his name and a long record of personal failure behind him. Within a year, he wrote Common Sense, one of the most influential political pamphlets in history, helping to ignite the American Revolution and catapulting Paine into the American history hall of fame. But by the end of his life, he was widely reviled, politically isolated, and personally abandoned. Once celebrated as the voice of liberty, he died an outcast, mourned by only six people at his funeral. How does one man become the voice of the American Revolution and end up forgotten? Richard Bell, professor of history at @UofMaryland and author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, joins @TheFIREorg's @NicoPerrino to explore Paine’s complicated legacy. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:41 Thomas Paine’s early life 10:32 Paine’s arrival in America 20:02 What did Paine argue in Common Sense? 25:11 Why Common Sense was so revolutionary 36:31 The American Crisis and the Revolutionary War 41:35 Why Paine returned to London and wrote The Rights of Man 49:19 Exile from Britain, imprisonment in France, and writing The Age of Reason 1:01:27 Why America turned its back on Paine 1:12:09 Paine’s final days 1:18:50 How should we understand Paine’s legacy today? 1:26:58 Outro

Ep. 260: Remembering ‘free-thinking’ writer Nat Hentoff On January 7, 2017, The Associated Press announced that “Free-thinking author and columnist Nat Hentoff is dead at 91.” For well over 60 years, Hentoff was a one of America’s foremost public intellectuals and a familiar byline to free speech advocates and jazz aficionados. The First Amendment was a way of life for Nat Hentoff. He would have been 100 years old this year. To reflect on his life and legacy, we are joined by his son Nick Hentoff and filmmaker David Lewis, whose 2013 documentary, “The Pleasures of Being Out of Step,” explored Nat Hentoff’s embodiment of free expression as the defining characteristic of the individual. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:52 Who was Nat Hentoff 03:48 Nat’s early life & influences 18:20 Jazz, writing, & finding his voice 31:24 Free speech as a way of being 35:15 Being out of step: Controversy, courage, and consequences 42:08 Rage, compassion, & moral clarity 51:53 Nat Hentoff’s legacy of dissent 55:20 Outro

Citizen journalism reminds us of something fundamental: You don’t need a press badge, a newsroom, or permission to speak. “Your First Amendment rights don’t rely on some credential.” @WillatFIRE

Ep. 259: @TheFIREorg answers your questions Featuring @glukianoff, @WillatFIRE, @acglennon, and @NicoPerrino. Timestamps: 00:00 Introductions 02:11 What is the Press Clause, and who does it apply to? 05:53 FIRE’s position on Oklahoma student grading incident 08:50 What does FIRE need from Members besides financial support? 15:59 FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings and what they mean 19:44 What is the latest on the Ann Seltzer cases? 22:08 What is FIRE’s view on the Pentagon press room changes? 24:50 What is the value of small donations? How can FIRE supporters volunteer? 29:21 Indiana University is good at football but bad at free speech 33:46 Are courts trending in a more speech-protective direction? 37:05 Charlie Kirk and cancel culture 39:20 Pro- and anti-Zionist speech and “hostile environment” harassment 43:48 Is “globalize the intifada” incitement? 45:07 How does FIRE distinguish between free speech and misinformation? 47:54 Can FIRE help supporters start free speech alumni groups? 48:55 Free speech, artificial intelligence, and copyright/trademarks 51:51 The sordid legacy of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier 53:22 Staying hopeful amidst so much hypocrisy 55:32 Global speech platforms and censorship 58:14 Differences between FIRE and the ACLU? 59:34 Does FIRE have a Substack? (The Eternally Radical Idea, So to Speak, Expression) 1:00:03 Closing remarks.

Ep. 258: Donor disclosure and campaign finance at SCOTUS The @InstFreeSpeech's @CommishSmith and @brettnolan join @NicoPerrino to discuss two upcoming Supreme Court arguments involving donor disclosure (First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin) and political party contributions to candidates (National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC). The conversation also explores the broader landscape for political speech and campaign regulation, what legal battles may be next for the Supreme Court, and how both guests found their way into First Amendment advocacy. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:32 What is the Institute for Free Speech? 02:39 Personal paths into free speech work 05:10 First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin 32:08 NRSC v. FEC 51:50 What’s next for campaign finance at SCOTUS? 54:58 Outro cc: @TheFIREorg