{"id":68524,"date":"2020-06-01T11:48:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T15:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&p=68524"},"modified":"2025-07-11T14:31:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T18:31:17","slug":"confronting-abuse-online","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2020\/confronting-abuse-online\/","title":{"rendered":"En Garde, Online"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Illustration by Sam Hadley<\/p>\n

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En ga<\/span>rd<\/span>e, Online<\/h1>\n

\"Rebecca<\/a>By Rebecca Beyer<\/a>June 9, 2020<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BU Law faculty are confronting the internet\u2019s most existential questions, including how to prevent harmful and illegal content while still protecting free speech rights.<\/h4>\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey<\/strong> announced late last year<\/a> that his social media platform would not publish political ads in an effort to curb the spread of misinformation, BU Law Professor Danielle Citron<\/a><\/strong> celebrated the decision. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBless Jack Dorsey,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mark
Late last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his company\u2019s decision not to remove an ad that spread misinformation about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Citron, acting as an unpaid consultant, advises several technology companies, including Twitter, about their online safety policies. She argues platforms have an obligation to remove or disclose the origins of ads that contain \u201cmanifest falsehoods.\u201d But what she views as a step in the right direction for Twitter was offset by an opposite move from Facebook, another company she advises. Just a few days earlier, Facebook had refused to take down<\/a> a Trump campaign ad that falsely claimed Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden had made aid to Ukraine contingent on the country dropping an investigation into a company connected to his son. Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg<\/strong> and other officials at the social media platform defended their decision on free speech grounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were met with skepticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you see a problem here with a complete lack of fact-checking on political advertisements?\u201d Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/strong> (CAS\u201911) asked Zuckerberg in an October 23 hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think lying is bad,\u201d Zuckerberg said. \u201cThat\u2019s different from it being, in our position, the right thing to do to prevent your constituents or people in an election from seeing that you had lied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Alexandria
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, member of the US House of Representatives, graduated cum laude from Boston University College of Arts & Sciences in 2011, majoring in international relations and economics.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Citron says she was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d by Facebook\u2019s decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are some categories of speech that have no protection,\u201d she says. \u201cFree speech only takes you so far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How far? In an era where much of our communication and social interaction has moved online\u2014an environment replete with abuse ranging from revenge porn and cyberbullying to doctored videos and state-sponsored propaganda\u2014that inquiry has become central to the work of policymakers, technology executives, law enforcement agencies, and everyday internet users. In the search for answers, BU Law experts like Citron are offering their guidance and expertise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding solutions won\u2019t be easy. Simultaneously preserving freedom of expression, personal privacy, and the integrity of basic democratic processes and institutions is tricky, says Clinical Instructor Andrew Sellars<\/strong>. Sellars directs the Technology Law Clinic<\/a>, which represents BU and MIT students whose work might bump up against intellectual property, data privacy, civil liberties, or media and communications laws. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BU\/MIT Technology Law Clinic is a pro bono<\/em> service for students at MIT and BU who seek legal assistance with their innovation-related activities. Under attorney supervision, students provide counseling and representation to innovation-related ventures.<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything Zuckerberg said about censorship is only one-half of the equation,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not speech for speech\u2019s sake. The good consequences that flow from speech should be our higher focus. Our understanding of the world comes from discussion and pushback and disagreement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I think lying is bad. That\u2019s different from it being, in our position, the right thing to do to prevent your constituents or people in an election from seeing that you had lied.<\/div>