Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the best books about free speech ever written.
—Nilay Patel,
The VergeA useful guide to thinking about a complex issue.
—
Publishers WeeklyPart historical retelling of First Amendment jurisprudence, part road map for policymakers, the book notes areas where the courts have in fact narrowly carved out First Amendment protections for false speech.
—Cristiano Lima,
Washington Post[Kosseff] makes the case that the courts have improved our country by gradually strengthening legal protections for false speech—a principle that should hold even though new technologies are changing how information looks, is created, and flows.
—
Boston GlobeKosseff, a professor of cybersecurity law at the United States Naval Academy, urges caution. He doesn't deny that technology can amplify lies, and that lies—whether deliberately engineered or not—can be dangerous....But he points to 'the unintended consequences of giving the government more censorial power.'
—Jennifer Szalai,
New York Times Book ReviewEngaging.
—
FTC Watch[An] instructive new book.Those who would regulate false speech assume that the government is well-equipped to mediate truth. They assume that the power to silence dissent will not be abused. They assume that the public will accept the state's pronouncements of fact at face value. Beyond all, they assume that censorship works—that it doesn't tend to backfire. None of these assumptions escapes Kosseff's
Crowded Theater unscathed. The book's evidence against them is abundant and well-organized.
—
City JournalIlluminating and persuasive....[A] convincing case against tinkering with the First Amendment.
—
The Cipher BriefWell written...'Liar in a Crowded Theater: Freedom of Speech in a World of Misinformation' will prove of special value to readers with an interest in free speech, political propaganda and psychology, political commentary and constitutional analysis.
—
Midwest Book ReviewTable of ContentsNote to the Reader
Introduction
Part I. Why the Law Protects Falsehoods
Chapter 1. Marketplace
Chapter 2. Democracy
Chapter 3. Sunlight
Chapter 4. Truth
Chapter 5. Uncertainty
Chapter 6. Opinion
Chapter 7. Responsibility
Chapter 8. Efficacy
Part II. Regulating Falsehoods?
Chapter 9. The Scope of the Problem
Chapter 10. When Regulation or Liability Is Not the Answer
Chapter 11. When Regulation or Liability Might Be an Answer
Part III. Empowering Rationality
Chapter 12. Counterspeech and Self-Help
Chapter 13. Intermediaries
Chapter 14. Accountability
Chapter 15. Demand
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
