.'s talks to about how the #SarahPalin case against the could be described as weaponizing defamation laws to chill public interest journalism. Have a listen.
Follow
Alex Abdo
@AlexanderAbdo
knightcolumbia.org/bios/view/alex…Joined February 2012
Alex Abdo’s Tweets
We had two oral arguments before Judge KBJ in this case, and I’ve never appeared before a judge more prepared than she was. And while I didn’t fully agree with her opinion in the case, it was smart and (as we said at the time) groundbreaking.
Quote Tweet
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's thorough & careful opinion holding that Office of Legal Counsel memos resolving interagency disputes are subject to FOIA's "reading room" provisions. We called it a "groundbreaking decision for government transparency." knightcolumbia.org/content/office
13
62
In the third #MediaWell expert interview with for #FairUseWeek, sheds light on the key issues surrounding researchers’ and journalists’ access to data, as well as legislative efforts to promote platform transparency.
4
6
BREAKING: more abusive hacking with #Pegasus in Bahrain.
NSO claims they take quick action when abuses are reported.
Nope.
These folks were hacked... after a very public report of abuses.
There's more... 1/
Report w/: citizenlab.ca/2022/02/bahrai
1
35
50
Show this thread
These are just absolutely harrowing accounts of 's Pegasus spyware being used to harass and to try to silence women who had the courage to critique repressive regimes.
1
1
Saddened to hear about the death of Walter Dellinger.
For those interested, here are the 95 published OLC opinions issued during his time leading that office.
4
7
Topics to follow
Sign up to get Tweets about the Topics you follow in your Home timeline.
Carousel
So excited for this event — starting at 3:30 p.m. ET! The short blogs written by the panelists are all thought-provoking and so worth reading. They're by , , and David Pozen.
Read them here:
knightcolumbia.org/events/lies-an
Quote Tweet
Final roundtable in @knightcolumbia's "Lies and the Law" series--this one focusing on "counterspeech" and featuring @akapczynski @YBenkler David Pozen & @glakier. 2/16 at 3:30, registration info below. Really looking forward to this one. knightcolumbia.org/events/lies-an
1
New: Biden admin endorses Trump policy that requires millions of visa applicants to register their social media handles with the State Department. We'll keep up the fight in court.
8
99
99
Show this thread
NEW: Our OLC database now contains the titles of ALL unclassified OLC opinions written between 1945 and Feb. 15, 1994.
1
17
59
Show this thread
True or false: "The remedy for speech that is false is speech that is true." will reveal the definitive answer at next week's roundtable. Don't miss it.
Quote Tweet
Final roundtable in @knightcolumbia's "Lies and the Law" series--this one focusing on "counterspeech" and featuring @akapczynski @YBenkler David Pozen & @glakier. 2/16 at 3:30, registration info below. Really looking forward to this one. knightcolumbia.org/events/lies-an
2
13
20
Wow. There are a lot of great jobs out there right now in the tech policy & free speech law and policy space. Check these out and spread the word. (and I am sure I am missing many others) ... 1/
3
52
73
Show this thread
[Join #MurrowCon2022 to hear from !}
We are absolutely delighted to announce that Alex Abdo, Litigation Director , will be joining us as a Panelist for Panel 1: Redefining Free Speech in the Digital Era.
Register: ow.ly/UB5k50HNOkZ
GIF
4
5
So excited for this symposium.
Quote Tweet
We @knightcolumbia & @glakier have a GREAT symposium coming up: Lies, Free Speech, and the Law, Apr. 7-8 @Columbia. 13 new papers from excellent scholars including @randersenjones @sonjarwest @jamalgreene @VolokhC - RSVP here: knightcolumbia.org/blog/knight-in
Show this thread
1
2
Apparently the Justice Department has written memos addressing when/whether the government can deploy spyware in the U.S. The Justice Department should release these memos. Yesterday, we filed a FOIA request asking it to do exactly that.
3
61
89
Show this thread
You can still RSVP to our event at 1pm ET TODAY! Panelists from , , , & will discuss why government lies are especially harmful to democracy & what measures – if any – can be adopted to prevent them. eventbrite.com/e/government-l
0:35
139 views
1
2
3
I did this thing with , , . I am so impressed with how responsibly they handled a hard topic! Also the cats were fricking adorbs.
5
22
59
While the Biden administration has taken promising steps toward greater government #transparency, overclassification continues to undermine the public interest. The problem is in part one of incentives, 's tells .
1
5
5
Show this thread
New Twitter bot from our friends at announces when the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel publishes new opinions. Read more: knightcolumbia.org/reading-room/o
And give it a follow:
7
7
This is an important recognition by Dir. of Nat’l Intelligence Haines that over-classification undermines trust in government. The real question is whether the Biden administration has the will to fix the problem.
(story by )
4
12
Oh, man. What a great job for a U.S. platform/speech regulation nerd, at . They are looking for something like seven years' experience, which sounds right for a gig this juicy and important.
1
15
16
Interesting new opinion from the OLC.
Also, follow to get alerted every time the OLC adds a new opinion to its online reading room.
Quote Tweet
NEWLY PUBLISHED OLC OPINION
01/26/2022
Effect of 2020 OLC Opinion on Possible Congressional Action Regarding Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment
justice.gov/olc/file/14660
2
NEW: With the addition of almost 1400 new opinions, our searchable database of the Office of Legal Counsel’s legal opinions is now the most comprehensive public database of OLC opinions. 1/
4
56
196
Show this thread
Professor of Law has co-authored A Safe Harbor for Platform Research with . The paper proposes legal protection for certain research and newsgathering projects focused on social media platforms.
Read it here ▶️ bddy.me/3nHLEG4
3
4
Looking forward to this panel on platform transparency — starting at 11 ET!
Featuring:
's Martin Rivera
Moderated by
1
7
As the push for platform transparency gathers stream, legislation increasingly seems possible. This morning, published a policy paper explaining why any legislation should include a legal safe harbor for independent journalism and research
1
14
34
Show this thread
Tech/policy folks — we're very excited to be hiring a Policy Analyst at . Come work with us!
8
7
Special thanks to for advising us as we built this tool. And also an obligatory disclaimer: it was built by a lawyer who only dabbles in coding, so YMMV, as they say. /end
1
1
10
Show this thread
We’ve published all of the opinions and indices we’ve gotten so far in our own online reading room, and we’ll be adding the new ones as we get them. They’re all tagged and searchable here:
knightcolumbia.org/reading-room/o
10/
1
1
6
Show this thread
We’ve also gotten the OLC to disclose indices of all of its unclassified opinions written between 1945 and 1994. And it has committed to re-releasing, hopefully in much less redacted form, its list of classified written between 1974 and 1994. 9/
1
2
5
Show this thread
In separate litigation, we’ve fought for the disclosure of the OLC’s opinions written before 1994 — and we’ve gotten hundreds of them released and expect several hundred more over the coming months. You can read about that effort here:
knightcolumbia.org/cases/francis-
8/
1
2
8
Show this thread
Of course, the broader problem here is that the OLC does not presumptively publish its opinions. has challenged that practice in federal court on behalf of . You can read about that litigation here:
knightcolumbia.org/cases/campaign
7/
1
2
8
Show this thread
The tool we’re releasing today will make sure that, when the OLC *does* publish its opinions, we’ll know about it. Just follow , and you’ll see a tweet within about an hour of the OLC’s publication of an opinion. 6/
1
3
9
Show this thread
When the OLC does publish opinions in its reading room, it tends to do so without any kind of public notice. It just adds them to its online database, which currently has about 1,400 opinions. 5/
1
2
9
Show this thread
Despite the importance of its opinions, the OLC does not publish all of them. Instead, it publishes only a subset in an online reading room, based on discretionary criteria it applies behind closed doors. 4/
1
3
8
Show this thread
The OLC is the agency responsible for interpreting the law for the executive branch. Its opinions bind federal officials, effectively deciding what the law is (unless overruled by the president, the attorney general, or a court). 3/
1
3
7
Show this thread
Why is this tool necessary? 2/
1
1
4
Show this thread
Today at , we’re releasing a tool to improve access to opinions authored by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
It’s a Twitter account — — that lets you know every time the OLC publishes an opinion in its reading room.
1/
3
72
145
Show this thread
ONE WEEK AWAY: Join , , , Marshall Erwin, and in a discussion on the #transparency and data we need to fight #misinformation effectively.
Quote Tweet
As we said in our LGBTQ Social Media Safety Index report: To fight hate & misinfo we need transparency on algorithms, AI, ads, etc. Can we make platform transparency a reality in 2022? Tune in to hear from @mozilla @cyber4democracy @knightcolumbia @NHMC
medium.com/cybersecurity-
.
1
3