In the Counsel's Chair: David Kaye on freedom of expression in the digital age

In the third episode of In the Counsel's Chair, David Kaye shares his perspective on global free speech monitoring and contemporary threats to expression in America.

David Kaye spent six years as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, traveling from Ethiopia to Japan investigating how governments enable -- or suppress -- free speech. Now a clinical professor at UC Irvine School of Law, he's turned his attention to pressures emerging at home.

In this conversation, David explains his work monitoring global free speech for the UN. He breaks down what Europe's Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Act actually do, shares his view on why American critics of European tech regulation are often arguing in bad faith, and offers his assessment of how the current administration's approach to free speech differs from its predecessors.

He also shares his perspective on what he sees as the biggest threats to expression in America right now.

About David: David Kaye is a clinical professor of law at the University of California, Irvine, and the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression (2014-2020). He is the U.S. Independent Expert to the European Commission for Democracy through Law ("Venice Commission") and author of "Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet." A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, his work focuses on the intersection of human rights, technology, and international law.

Subscribe to In the Counsel's Chair via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.