<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The United States should limit free speech by punishing people who spread harmful falsehoods</li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Counterspeech” holds that the best response to false speech is more true speech</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Social media outlets increasingly serve as platforms for false claims that endanger democracy</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Novelty, conformity and group polarization propel falsehoods that spread farther and faster than the truth</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Defamation law can deter libel and slander, and compensate victims</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Libel litigation fails to address problems that false statements cause</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Governments should regulate or outlaw deepfake media that employ Ai to deceive viewers.</li></ul>

Liars

“Punish people for spreading falsehoods, and you will find yourself chilling truth.”

“Counterspeech” holds that the best response to false speech is more true speech.

“In the United States, at least, the current system does not adequately protect people’s reputations.”

Social media increasingly serve as platforms for false claims that endanger democracy.

“Falsehoods put a spotlight on truth. They give it life…Falsity, by itself, should not be taken to be a decisive reason to allow punishment or censorship.”

Defamation law can deter libel and slander and compensate victims of both.

Falsehoods and Free Speech in an Age of Deception.

A powerful analysis of why lies and falsehoods spread so rapidly now, and how we can reform our laws and policies regarding speech to alleviate the problem. Lying has been with us from time immemorial. Yet today is different-and in many respects worse. All over the world, people are circulating damaging lies, and these falsehoods are amplified as never before through powerful social media platforms that reach billions. Liars are saying that COVID-19 is a hoax. They are claiming that vaccines cause autism. They are lying about public officials and about people who aspire to high office. They are lying about their friends and neighbors. They are trying to sell products on the basis of untruths. Unfriendly governments, including Russia, are circulating lies in order to destabilize other nations, including the United Kingdom and the United States. In the face of those problems, the renowned legal scholar Cass Sunstein probes the fundamental question of how we can deter lies while also protecting freedom of speech. To be sure, we cannot eliminate lying, nor should we try to do so. Sunstein shows why free societies must generally allow falsehoods and lies, which cannot and should not be excised from democratic debate. A main reason is that we cannot trust governments to make unbiased judgments about what counts as "fake news." However, governments should have the power to regulate specific kinds of falsehoods: those that genuinely endanger health, safety, and the capacity of the public to govern itself. Sunstein also suggests that private institutions, such as Facebook and Twitter, have a great deal of room to stop the spread of falsehoods, and they should be exercising their authority far more than they are now doing. As Sunstein contends, we are allowing far too many lies, including those that both threaten public health and undermine the foundations of democracy itself.

instructor Hood's Key Ideas from Liars
by Cass R. Sunstein

Liars

“Counterspeech” holds that the best response to false speech is more true speech.

Social media increasingly serve as platforms for false claims that endanger democracy.

Defamation law can deter libel and slander and compensate victims of both.

Discover Key Ideas from Books on Similar Topics

instructor Hood's Key Ideas from Liarsby Cass R. Sunstein

Liars

“Counterspeech” holds that the best response to false speech is more true speech.

Social media increasingly serve as platforms for false claims that endanger democracy.

Defamation law can deter libel and slander and compensate victims of both.

Discover Key Ideas from Books on Similar Topics

instructor Hood's Key Ideas from Liars
by Cass R. Sunstein