Global Perspectives on Digital Speech Regulation: Addressing Disinformation and Extremism amid Political Chaos

Contemporary media regulation must contend with both the swift and unpredictable evolution of the technologies of communication and an increasingly fractious and unpredictable political order, dominated by extremism both in and out of government. This Research Topic aims to explore instances where platforms, NGOs, governments, and inter-governmental bodies have attempted to control online disinformation and extremism through regulation, and the complex balance between free speech and censorship that can emerge.The domination of US-based tech companies and billionaires in the world of social media has focused attention in this area on the United States, especially given the political influence of Elon Musk, whilst the widespread popularity of TikTok has made China an increasingly significant player in this world. The EU’s more stringent regulations around privacy and AI use also provide some potentially interesting case studies and points of comparison.Key questions include:• Does the global nature of digital disinformation require a global regulatory framework?• Is such an approach even possible in an era dominated by political chaos and unpredictability?Goals:• analyze and explore the moderation and regulation of digital speech• address areas of best and worst practice• take a global, comparative perspective, including examples from around the world as well as the more traditional focus on the US as a driving force• consider the ideological and ethical underpinnings of attempts and refusals to engage with misinformation, extremism, and hate speech• consider the political and economic structures which influence both the creation of online disinformation and attempts to regulate it.Submissions should address at least one of the following:• strategies for the regulation of online content by government or inter-governmental bodies• attempts at improving digital literacy to protect the public from extremist content or disinformation• use of regulation or moderation as mechanisms for spreading or encouraging disinformation or extremist content or stifling dissent• non-governmental efforts at moderation, education, or regulation• examinations of specific platforms/content producers and their approaches to disinformation or extremist content• best or worst practice case studies around digital content moderation or regulation• self/community moderation—successes and failures.Please note that this Research Topic accepts submissions via Frontiers in Communication only. Topic editors: Cassian S. Scruggs-Vian, Marius Dragomir Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/73750/global-perspectives-on-digital-speech-regulation-addressing-disinformation-and-extremism-amid-political-chaos