EXTREMIST SPEECH, COMPELLED CONFORMITY, AND CENSORSHIP CREEP

The impact of extralegal coercion will be far reaching. Unlike national laws that are limited by geographic borders, terms-of-service agreements apply to platforms’ services on a global scale. Whereas local courts can order platforms only to block material viewed in their jurisdictions, a blacklist database raises the risk of global censorship. Companies should counter the serious potential for censorship creep with definitional clarity, robust accountability, detailed transparency, and ombudsman oversight.