Recommendation

Congress should pass anti-SLAPP legislation to protect public speech online.

Details

Congress should pass federal legislation to reduce strategic lawsuits against public participation (known as SLAPPs) by creating a baseline level of protection for citizens’ rights of petition and free expression. A SLAPP effectively censors public speech by invoking the court system to intimidate critics. By enacting legislation, the federal government can both protect the rights of individuals and enable e-commerce to flourish.

Keep reading:

▪ Daniel Castro and Laura Drees, “Why We Need Federal Legislation to Protect Public Speech Online” (ITIF, May 2015), https://itif.org/publications/2015/05/04/why-we-need-federal-legislation-protect-public-speech-online.