Author: S.Rode

The internet is a lawless frontier. Governmental regulation has not quite reached the information superhighway for the sake of free speech, which is admirable but may come at a price. In recent years, social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have raised many questions, especially with respect to the spread of fallacies (and automated fact-checkers are currently not up to snuff). Although reading false information can be frustrating, can it actually be dangerous? Recent events suggest the affirmative.

On Oct. 27, evidence supporting this claim arose when Nancy Pelosi’s husband was assaulted during a break-in; the alleged assailant was looking for the Speaker of the House. The man, David DePape, has a history of following and posting conspiracy theories online, most notably the violent acts behind the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. He also used Facebook and YouTube to spread false claims about violent matters, such as calling the Derek Chauvin trial a “modern lynching” and posting links to articles falsely claiming the Covid vaccines were deadly. While DePape may have had a series of other issues that factored into his mindset leading to the attack, he surrounded himself online with dangerous ideologies that shared lies meant to support a warped point of view.

Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. When someone takes a false view found online and latches onto it causing harm to others in the name of this view, can we say this should still be allowed on such large and accessible platforms? As mentioned earlier, freedom of speech is imperative to a fair and free society, but at what point do we need to take action to maintain freedom and safety?