An Evening with Jeffrey W. Howard - Setting Fire to Reason Book Launch
Join Professor Howard for a spirited discussion of free speech and its limits in the age of social media and AI.
The Future of Free Speech: Jacob Mchangama in conversation with Jeffrey Howard
Join us for a fascinating conversation examining free speech's global decline and a framework for preserving expression in democratic societies.
Jacob Machangama will be in conversation with Jeffrey Howard author of Setting Fire to Reason: The Ethics of Free Speech
Jeff Howard speaks at the Global Free Speech Summit
Professor Jeff Howard will speak at the Global Free Speech Summit, hosted by the Future of Free Speech Project at Vanderbilt University.
Jeff Howard speaks at the NOMOS Annual Conference
Jeff Howard will deliver a lecture “Between Criticism and Abuse: The Ethics of Political Attack” at the annual conference for the American Society of Legal and Political Philosophy (NOMOS), to be held at the University of Virginia.
Jeff Howard speaks at the University of Edinburgh
Jeff Howard spoke at the University of Edinburgh on ‘Universities and the Future of Truth: AI, Free Speech, and Power’.
The discussion explored the role of universities in defending open inquiry, fostering critical thinking, and sustaining the conditions for informed public life.
'Author Meets Critics' panel at APSA Annual Conference
Professor Jeff Howard will join a panel of scholars at an Author Meets Critics session at the APSA Annual Conference to discuss his recent book, Setting Fire to Reason: The Ethics of Free Speech.
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented on a panel at ICON S in Dublin, Ireland
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented on a panel at ICON S in Dublin, Ireland on her new paper, 'Content Moderation, the Online Safety Act, and the European Convention on Human Rights'.
She joined a panel discussing content moderation in Brazil, the UK, and Europe.
Digital Speech Lab & Bonavero Institute of Human Rights workshop on the 'Meaning of the 'Public Interest' and 'Journalistic Purposes' in a Media Law Environment
The Bonavero Institute for Human Rights (Oxford) and the Digital Speech Lab (UCL) invite submissions for a workshop that will probe the meaning of the ‘public interest’ defence and ‘journalistic purpose’ exemption available to the media, citizen journalists, and others. The workshop will be held at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford, on Wednesday, 10 June 2026.
Regulating Chatbots
This two-day conference will explore the moral and legal issues concerning the proper governance of chatbots powered by large language models. Speakers will include leading philosophers, legal scholars, alongside speakers from industry and the public sector.
It is co-organized between the Digital Speech Lab and the Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy, and Law at King’s College London.
More information TBA.
Jeff Howard speaks at University of Oslo
Professor Jeff Howard delivered a talk, “Between Criticism and Abuse: The Ethics of Political Attack”, at the Political Theory Workshop at the University of Oslo.
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2026
On May 4-5, Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt will be in Lusaka, Zambia at the academic conference at UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day. She will present on the positive obligations on states under the European Convention on Human Rights to protect journalist safety and security from offline and online abuses.
More Information: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-press-freedom-day-2026-global-conference-shaping-future-peace
Jeff Howard gives keynote at Global Theory Forum
Jeff Howard will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 Spring Symposium for the Global Theory Forum, held in London on 26 April 2026 in London.
Those interested in speaking can submit a proposal here.
Jeff Howard speaks at Technical University of Munich
Professor Jeff Howard delivered a lecture, “Beyond Content-Based Enforcement”, at the Content Moderation Lab at the Technical University of Munich.
Lab co-organizes conference on Platforms and AI at University of Hong Kong
The Digital Speech Lab is co-organizing a conference on the theme of “Platforms and AI” with the Philosophy of Content Moderation Network and the Department of Philosophy at Hong Kong University. It will feature speakers from industry, law, philosophy, media studies, and political science. More information soon.
Jeff Howard debates at Oxford Union
Jeff Howard participates in the debate on the proposition, “This House Would End Private Ownership of Social Media Platforms”, arguing against the proposition.
More information at https://oxford-union.org/.
Judicial Workshop on Bad Faith (SLAPP) Lawsuits in Thailand
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt was invited by the Clooney Foundation for Justice and the Human Rights Institute at the University of Columbia to give a keynote presentation on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) in Bangkok, Thailand. Ricki-Lee helped moderate workshops with over 30 members of the judiciary, engaging in discussions on how the legal system could better identify and respond to these cases.
Roundtable on Democracy in the Age of AI
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how governments govern and how citizens engage with the state, with far-reaching consequences for democratic processes and institutions. From the growing use of AI in policymaking in the name of efficiency, to the impact of deepfakes on election campaigns, to the use of AI by private companies eager to harvest consumers’ personal data, these technologies have quickly become embedded in everyday life.
How is the expanding use of AI reshaping the relationship between citizens and the state? Who should set the rules governing the development and deployment of AI, and how can democratic institutions effectively regulate tech giants? Our panel of experts will explore these critical questions. Speakers include Claudia Chwalisz (Founder and CEO of Democracy Next); Elizabeth Seger (Director of Digital Policy at Demos); and Melanie Smallman (Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies). Jeffrey Howard (UCL Digital Speech Lab) will chair.
The UCL Digital Speech Lab is pleased to co-organize this event with the UCL Policy & Practice Series.
Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights
What is the appropriate treatment of hate speech in European human rights law? In this event, Dr Natalie Alkiviadou (Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University) will present her argument that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) should fundamentally rethink its approach to hate speech cases, in order to strengthen freedom of expression. After setting out her argument, Dr Alkiviadou will critical engage a panel of leading experts on free speech and human rights law: Dr Joan Barata (Católica Porto Law School/Queen Mary Univ. of London), Prof. Veronika Fikfak (UCL), Prof. Eric Heinze (Queen Mary Unive. of London), and Prof. Gavin Phillipson (Bristol). The session will be introduced by Prof. Jeffrey Howard (UCL) and chaired by Ricki-Lee Gerbandt (Cambridge/UCL).
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt at Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented her new paper, ‘Effective system of protection of journalists’ and ‘without fear’ principles: The ECHR’s Positive Obligations to Protect Journalist Safety and Security in the Digital Era' at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at the University of Cambridge
Roundtable on Cumulatively Harmful Speech
THE PROBLEM OF CUMULATIVELY HARMFUL SPEECH
The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss what social media platforms should do about cumulatively harmful speech, defined broadly as speech that becomes harmful when aggregated and algorithmically amplified. There is substantial disagreement on how to conceptualize this category, and how to determine empirically what speech belongs to it. There is also substantial disagreement on the appropriate remedies, such as demotion, and whether such remedies raise free speech concerns. This event will bring together a small number of social scientists, lawyers, philosophers, Oversight Board members and staff, and industry professionals, with expertise across a range of content areas.
Regulating Social Media and the Future of Public Health
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt will speak on a panel alongside Jeff Modisett (Fulbright Fellow and Honorary Professor of Practice at UCL) and Judith van Erp (Professor of Regulatory Governance at the University of Utrecht) chaired by Colin Provost (UCL Department of Political Science).
In recent years, the detrimental health effects of social media have been undeniably exposed, particularly in the case of young people. Algorithms employed by social media platforms to keep people engaged with their devices raise questions of whether such algorithms foster addiction. Moreover, an abundance of evidence has demonstrated that the online consumption patterns can lead to suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems.
Regulators around the world have taken a variety of approaches towards dealing with these problems. Legislation, lawsuits, and reputation-based “naming and shaming” tactics, have all been utilised to combat the public health effects of social media. In this event, we explore these different approaches and attempt to discern what impact they have had thus far, both separately and jointly, for the important question of how to regulate social media for public health.
Information on the event can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/social-historical-sciences/events/2025/oct/regulating-social-media-and-future-public-health
Lab present works at Trust & Safety Research Conference at Stanford University
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt will present the paper (co-authored with Jeff Howard) “Should Social Media Platforms Permit Violating Content that is ‘Newsworthy’?
You can find the conference proceedings here: https://conferences.law.stanford.edu/tsrc/
You can find the paper here: https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/article/view/253
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt joins the Slapps Research Group
The SLAPPs Research Group is an independent, international platform committed to advancing balanced, evidence-based research on strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) and anti-SLAPP reform.
The Group brings together scholars, practitioners, and advocates from a range of jurisdictions and disciplines to share insights, foster collaboration, and deepen understanding of SLAPPs and their broader implications for media freedom, public discourse, and democratic accountability. More information can be found here: https://www.theslappsresearchgroup.org/
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented new paper ‘Should Social Media Platforms Permit Violating Content that is ‘Newsworthy’?’, co-authored with Jeffrey Howard, at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented ‘Should Social Media Platforms Permit Violating Content that is ‘Newsworthy’?’, a new paper co-authored with Jeffrey Howard at the Centre for Information & Intellectual Property Law at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law. Their new paper is available at SSRN here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5364565
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt attended the LSE Symposium on the Future of SLAPPs Research
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt spoke at the symposium on the future of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) at the London School of Economics & Political Science. Event details here: https://inforrm.org/2025/02/20/event-symposium-on-the-future-of-slapps-research/
UCL Laws event on the Online Safety Act
Jeff Howard and Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt speak at a workshop on the Online Safety Act organized by the UCL Faculty of Laws. The programme is available here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/2025/jun/online-safety-act-workshop?mc_cid=51976585b3&mc_eid=7ba725419a
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt spoke at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford on populism and attacks on press freedom
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt spoke on the panel “The populist playbook and attacks on press freedom” at the conference “Democracy, Law & Independent Journalism” hosted at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford. Event details here: https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/event/conference-democracy-law-and-independent-journalism
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented at The Future of the Online Safety Act Conference
Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt presented her research on the protection of journalistic content and the press in the UK Online Safety Act at the University of Sussex conference on the Future of the Online Safety Act.
Lab co-organizes NYU-KCL-UCL Workshop in Practical Philosophy
The Digital Speech Lab co-organized a two-day workshop with the YTL Centre at King’s College London, hosted by the Legal Studies Program at NYU Abu Dhabi with the support of the NYU-AD Philosophy Program. Speakers included Sarah Fisher (Cardiff), Michael Hannon (Nottingham), Jeff Howard (UCL), Jonathan Kwan (NYU), Sarah Paul (NYU), Massimo Renzo (KCL), Matthew Silverstein (NYU).
Jeffrey Howard appointed to Ofcom's Online Information Advisory Committee
Jeffrey Howard will serve on the Online Information Advisory Committee at Ofcom. Press release here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/structure-and-leadership/ofcom-establishes-online-information-advisory-committee
Philosophy of Content Moderation Conference
Jeff Howard co-organises the first International Conference on the Philosophy of Content Moderation, held in Monterey, California, with Étienne Brown (San Jose State University) and Hanna Gunn (University of California, Merced). Details here.