Renée DiResta

In a lively discussion, Jacob Mchangama, an advocate for free expression, Renée DiResta, a misinformation specialist, and Jonathan Rauch, a governance expert, tackle the complexities of free speech today. They address the impact of hypocrisy on discourse and emphasize the importance of institutions in safeguarding rights. The panel dissects the pressures of the Biden and Trump administrations on social media platforms and debates the nuances of cancel culture. They also analyze the implications of Section 230 and the EU Digital Services Act on online moderation.

Renée DiResta, an expert on online misinformation and a research professor at Georgetown, dives deep into the controversial topic of government influence on tech platforms. She discusses the Trump administration's explicit tactics to moderate speech, contrasting it with past accusations against the Biden administration. Renée clarifies the nuance between coercion and persuasion in government outreach, especially regarding COVID misinformation. She also advocates for greater transparency to build public trust in these interactions.

Join Renée DiResta, a writer and former research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, along with Baron Soga, the founder of Tech Freedom, as they dive into the online misinformation epidemic. DiResta shares her transformative activism journey triggered by the 2014 Disneyland measles outbreak. They discuss how social media alters public trust and amplifies misinformation, the rise of fake news in political contexts, and the challenges institutions face in combating these issues. The conversation also touches on the gladiatorial nature of social media and its implications for user engagement.