Censorship from Socrates to Social Media: The Complexity of Social Media’s Content Regulation and Moderation Practices

In many countries, censorship, blocking of internet access and internet content for political purposes are still part of everyday life. Will filtering, blocking, and hacking replace scissors and black ink? This book argues that only a broader understanding of censorship can effectively protect freedom of expression.

For centuries, church and state controlled the content available to the public through political, moral and religious censorship. As technology evolved, the legal and political tools were refined, but the classic censorship system continued until the end of the 20th century. However, the myth of total freedom of communication and a law-free space that had been expected with the advent of the internet was soon challenged. The new rulers of the digital world, tech companies, emerged and gained enormous power over free speech and content management. All this happened alongside cautious regulation attempts on the part of various states, either by granting platforms near-totalimmunity (US) or by setting up new rules that were not fully developed (EU). China has established the Great Firewall and the Golden Shield as a third way.

In the book, particular attention is paid to developments since the 2010s, when Internet-related problems began to multiply. The state’s solutions have mostly pointed in one direction: towards greater control of platforms and the content they host. Similarities can be found in the US debates, the Chinese and Russian positions on internet sovereignty, and the new European digital regulations (DSA-DMA). The book addresses them all.

This book will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand the complexities of social media’s content regulation and moderation practices. It makes a valuable contribution to the field of freedom of expression and the internet, showing that, with different kinds of censorship, this essentially free form of communication has come - almost by default - under legal regulation and the original freedom may have been lost in too many countries in recent years.

Dr. habil Gergely Gosztonyi (PhD) is a Hungarian lawyer and media researcher. Graduated at the Faculty of Law, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Budapest, now he is teaching at the same place since that time, holding various courses in media law, constitutional law, legal history on BA, MA and Ph.D. level. Among others, one of his research fields is censorship, alternative media and the liability of intermediaries. He is a member of the European Communication Research and Education Association and Community Media Forum Europe. Since 2015 he has been the coach of the Hungarian Team for the yearly Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition. Dr. Gosztonyi was also an expert for Council of Europe on report on the draft law ＂On principles of broadcasting of territorial communities in Ukraine＂ and on the implementation of community media into the Ukrainian media legislation in 2017 and 2020, and also an expert for the Hungarian Institute for Educational Research and Development Centre, the National Talent Center and the Hungarian National Radio and Television Commission. He obtained his PhD in Media Law. He is an editor of different legal journals. He was awarded with Pro Iurisprudentia Practica, Maria Theresa Medallion, Master Teacher Gold Medal and Senate Medal.