{"id":343,"date":"2021-12-10T09:49:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T15:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/freespeech\/?post_type=faqs&p=343"},"modified":"2022-03-14T11:59:32","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T16:59:32","slug":"what-first-amendment-protections-exist-for-speech-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"faqs","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/freespeech\/faqs\/what-first-amendment-protections-exist-for-speech-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"What First Amendment protections exist for speech on social media?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. Supreme Court has emphasized the importance of social media for the free exchange of ideas, proclaiming in\u00a0Packingham v. North Carolina<\/em>\u00a0(2017)<\/a> that \u201c[w]hile in the past there may have been difficulty in identifying the most important places (in a spatial sense) for the exchange of views, today the answer is clear. It is cyberspace \u2014 the vast democratic forums of the Internet in general, and social media in particular.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, social media companies are private entities, and according to current Supreme Court precedent, social media companies have agency to decide what expression is permitted on their websites. As explained by the Supreme Court in\u00a0Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck<\/em>\u00a0(2019)<\/a>, \u201cthe Free Speech Clause prohibits only\u00a0governmental<\/em>\u00a0abridgment of speech. The Free Speech Clause does not prohibit\u00a0private<\/em> abridgment of speech.\u201d Although this could be reinterpreted by the Supreme Court, at present, social media companies are not bound by the First Amendment like a public university is. Thus, you will want to take notice of the terms of service and related policies if you open a social media account to see what expression is permitted on that social media website or application.<\/p>\n

Additionally, if you engage in expression on social media that is unprotected by the First Amendment (e.g., harassment, true threats, incitement to imminent lawless action), you could face disciplinary action from 51ÁÔÆæ. However,\u00a0public educational institutions cannot punish students\u2019 protected speech on social media<\/a>, even if some people find it offensive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. Supreme Court has emphasized the importance of social media for the free exchange of ideas, proclaiming in\u00a0Packingham v. North Carolina\u00a0(2017) that \u201c[w]hile in the past there may have been difficulty in identifying the most important places (in a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1423,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","tags":[],"faq":[],"class_list":["post-343","faqs","type-faqs","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat First Amendment protections exist for speech on social media? - Free Speech, Rights and Limits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/freespeech\/faqs\/what-first-amendment-protections-exist-for-speech-on-social-media\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What First Amendment protections exist for speech on social media?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Supreme Court has emphasized the importance of social media for the free exchange of ideas, proclaiming in\u00a0Packingham v. 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