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Free Expression

CDT Submits Comments to UN on Role of Private Sector in Free Expression Online

Last week, CDT submitted comments to the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, regarding the role of the private sector in the exercise of those freedoms in the digital age.

In our comments to the Special Rapporteur, we discuss the critical importance of financial intermediaries such as credit card companies, payment processors, and electronic currency providers in enabling the environment for free expression online, and the danger of government programs dedicated to flagging user content that violates companies’ Terms of Service in order to achieve censorship objectives they could not otherwise accomplish in accordance with international human rights standards.