Abstract:

Although international human rights instruments declare that everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression, many countries today have laws that censor or limit certain forms of expression on social media, including speech that fuels hatred and violence. Some free speech advocates prefer an open market of ideas where no expression is restricted thinking that the best answer to harmful speech is discussions that allow different ideas to challenge any speech freely. Still some others, on the other hand, argue that restrictions on hate speech on social media are vital for protecting minority communities from the harms caused by this speech. Hate speech raises a very complex question that tests the limits of free speech. Thus, based on the theories that underpin freedom of expression, this piece of work strives to analyze the regulatory dilemma on hate speech on social media by exploring the arguments and challenges that frame the regulatory process.

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