TikTok and the First Amendment w/ Joel Thayer
Evan and Joel Thayer, president of the Digital Progress Institute, discuss whether the U.S. government banning TikTok would violate the First Amendment.
The Dynamist · Joel Thayer, Evan Swarztrauber
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (dts.podtrac.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
As the headaches for TikTok pile up in Washington, the embattled social media platform and its supporters are arguing that a ban on the app would violate the U.S. Constitution, particularly the First Amendment. TikTok’s critics counter that the national security problems posed by the company's Chinese ownership far outweigh free speech concerns. Which side holds the upper hand, and what can we learn from past court cases involving a pornographic bookstore and a North Carolina law regarding sex offenders on social media? Evan is joined by Joel Thayer, president of Digital Progress Institute.
References
Joel’s piece for FedSoc, “Banning TikTok Outright Would Be Constitutional”
Dan Lyon’s piece for American Enterprise Institute, “Would a TikTok Ban Be Constitutional?”
Statement from the American Civil Lberties Union opposing a TikTok ban