New “Counterspeak” Episode Out Now

A new installment of Counterspeak, the monthly podcast of the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE), is now available for download on BookWeb, Spotify, and iTunes. In this episode, ABA Content Director Sydney Jarrard speaks with author David Kaye about his book Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet (Columbia Global Reports).

In their conversation, Kaye and Jarrard discuss how the internet has transformed into a tool for governments to censor citizens and how big tech companies are often given tremendous unchecked power to regulate content on their platforms. As Kaye notes in Speech Police, decisions on what to regulate can be made without a clear understanding of context to determine what content is educational and for the public’s benefit versus harmful. As the internet continues to grow and change, Kaye noted, such important questions arise as to whether governments and international organizations or social media platforms themselves should be regulating online content.

Counterspeak is co-hosted by Jarrard and ABA’s Director of ABFE, Advocacy, and Public Policy David Grogan. The podcast addresses issues pertaining to free expression and the First Amendment.

Each month, Counterspeak features interviews with experts on the First Amendment and free speech, as well as discussions on relevant current events. Listeners can contact the Counterspeak podcast team at [email protected].

To make sure you never miss a new episode, follow Counterspeak on Twitter.