This is the Daily Media Update published by the Institute for Free Speech. For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].  

Daily Caller: Social Media Portion Of New York’s Gun Law Gives The State ‘Arbitrary And Unbounded Discretion,’ Experts Say

.....A portion of New York’s concealed carry law, which mandates that applicants turn over their social media accounts to the state for review, imposes an unjustified burden on applicants while giving the state arbitrary and unbounded discretion that violates the First Amendment, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation…

Just Security: Mapping the Key Arguments in Supreme Court Amicus Briefs in Gonzalez v. Google

By Justin Cole and Aaron Fisher

.....In late February, the Supreme Court will hold oral arguments to consider the Communications Decency Act’s Section 230, which shields tech companies from liability for content posted by users on their internet platforms. Gonzalez v. Google LLC, the more prominent of two cases before the Court, examines whether Section 230 immunizes Google for YouTube’s targeted recommendations of information provided by users who are third-party content providers, or instead provides immunity only when platforms engage in traditional editorial functions…

While amici make many arguments on different sides of the central issue in Gonzalez, we have distilled the most common arguments to provide a primer on what the Supreme Court might consider during oral argument and subsequent internal deliberations...

Argument 5: “A correctly cabined understanding of [S]ection 230 allows consumers to shop for different content-moderation and recommendation regimes. Importantly, it also allows all parties to enforce the terms of service.”

Washington Post: Supreme Court hears a case that could transform the internet

By Cat Zakrzewski and Robert Barnes 

.....The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear oral arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, a lawsuit that argues tech companies should be legally liable for harmful content that their algorithms promote. The Gonzalez family contends that by recommending ISIS-related content, Google’s YouTube acted as a recruiting platform for the group in violation of U.S. laws against aiding and abetting terrorists.

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: Whitehouse, Cicilline Reintroduce DISCLOSE Act To End Corrupting Influence Of Dark Money In American Democracy

.....U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative David Cicilline (D-RI) today led 162 colleagues in both houses of Congress in introducing the DISCLOSE Act, legislation to end the scourge of dark money, shine a bright light of transparency on politics, and make government more accountable to the will of voters…

“One of the gravest dangers undermining our democracy is the power of dark money in our elections,” said Leader Schumer. “The DISCLOSE Act would provide the transparency the American people want and need, pulling back the veil on billionaires and giant corporations trying to make sure government works for them. I thank Senator Whitehouse for his tireless leadership on this issue and I look forward to bringing this bill to the Senate floor.”

Reason ("Volokh Conspiracy"): My Article in the Journal of Free Speech Law, "Should the Law Limit Private-Employer-Imposed Speech Restrictions?"

.....It's now out, in the symposium on Non-Governmental Restrictions on Free Speech. The Introduction and the Conclusion:

Wyoming Tribune Eagle: Political loophole bill on its way to Gordon

By Maya Shimizu Harris, Wyoming News Exchange

.....Federal political action committees will likely have to follow state reporting requirements in the future if they’re supporting state and local candidates in Wyoming...

KHQ: Bill targeting political spending by corporations with foreign ownership passes Washington state Senate

.....The Washington state Senate passed a bill targeting political spending by corporations with significant foreign ownership on Wednesday along party lines.

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