We invite early career scholars to share their ideas on transatlantic legal perspectives on of freedom of online communication and expression on digital platforms at our

Academic round table
Examining Freedom of Online Communication Across Transatlantic Borders
Tuesday, 30 April 2024 | 10 am – 6 pm (ET)

Riverside Church Conference Room 52, MLK Tower,
91 Claremont Ave, New York

(digital format)

While in the EU the Digital Services Act has come into force in February 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon make a landmark decision on the right of platform operators to moderate content – it seems there couldn’t be a more relevant moment for a discussion on transatlantic perspectives on free speech online!

American communication platforms are disseminating their notion of freedom on a global scale, much like how the “Brussels Effect” exports EU rules worldwide. Germany, France, and Italy prioritize legal frameworks related to freedom in broadcasting, diverging from the viewpoint of the U.S. Supreme Court. Differences also emerge in terms of obligating private entities to adhere to principles such as “free speech”. With the ongoing process of incorporating platform communication into the EU Digital Services Act, this presents an ideal moment to compare differing perspectives on freedom, uncover the potential for mutual learning, and strengthen collaboration across the Atlantic, especially in the realm of AI systems.

If you are an early career researcher and would like to put a current research project, paper, or thesis on this topic to the test with legal experts from this field in an unbureaucratic manner, this is the opportunity for you. On April 30, 2024, at 10:00 am (EDT) you will be able to present your thesis to a group of leading US and European legal scholars in the field of platform research. Present your topic in a digital format in a 10-minute presentation and then we will open it up for a 20-minute discussion.

You may find a list of participants on our event page.

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The workshop is co-hosted by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI), the Columbia Global Freedom of Expression and the UNESCO Chair on Freedom of Communication and Information.

Please send a short application with an outline of your project to c.ollig@leibniz-hbi.de by April 22, 2024.