David H. Kaye | Lightnews

David Kaye

@davidakaye.bsky.social

17K followers 980 following 960 posts

californian. human rights, free expression, tech, international law. uc irvine. fulbright. article 19. prior: UN special rapporteur, GNI chair.

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David Kaye is an American politician who served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression between August 2014 and July 2020, succeeded by Irene Khan. .. more

Law 28%

Political science 21%

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David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · Sep 3

👀 Jim Jordan held a House Judiciary Committee hearing on . . . how Europe censors Americans. Nigel Farage came along! Let's just say I have a slightly different view than them. My written and oral testimony are here: ijclinic.law.uci.edu/2025/09/03/h...

Here are my concluding paras:

last paragraph of testimony: "I urge this Committee to consider the real threat to Americans’ freedom of
expression, the one here at home. I have noted a handful of areas where this administration is
putting freedom of expression under direct attack. Where is the opposition, let alone outrage,
given the attack not only on speakers – journalists, public media, professors, students,
whistleblowers, civil servants – but on every American’s right of access to information about the
issues important to our democracy and to our public’s health? That, I would respectfully submit,
is the real threat to American speech and innovation, and I look forward to helping this
Committee, in any way you see fit, work to address it."

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2h

pushing garbage *and* seeking global regulatory impunity are national policy

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

the trump admin and its allies are promoting a lie about european tech regulation. it's really not some niche technical/legal thing, though - it's about power & control over european access to information. i wrote about it here for @techpolicypress.bsky.social

The Trump Lie About Europe and Why it Matters | TechPolicy.Press

The Trump administration is promoting disinformation about European law and policy for reasons that go well beyond social media regulation, writes David Kaye.

www.techpolicy.press

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Beatriz Gallardo Paúls

Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 2h

"Online hate and disinformation do not have easy solutions. But the Trump administration’s lies are not about free speech. They are about power – [...] promoting its far-right allies in Europe, and protecting its partners in Big Tech." @davidakaye.bsky.social

www.techpolicy.press/the-trump-li...

The Trump Lie About Europe and Why it Matters | TechPolicy.Press

The Trump administration is promoting disinformation about European law and policy for reasons that go well beyond social media regulation, writes David Kaye.

www.techpolicy.press

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2h

one of the most consequential choices a nation makes is when to use military force. that choice is now claimed by one person, without constraint and, thanks to john roberts’ court, without accountability. that is not democracy but tyranny.

Reposted by David H. Kaye

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 7h

The Trump admin's sanctions on researchers and regulators who work on content-moderation, fact-checking, and disinfo are part of an effort to protect the tech ecosystem that has allowed the the far right to flourish. Good piece from @davidakaye.bsky.social. www.techpolicy.press/the-trump-li...

The Trump Lie About Europe and Why it Matters | TechPolicy.Press

The Trump administration is promoting disinformation about European law and policy for reasons that go well beyond social media regulation, writes David Kaye.

www.techpolicy.press

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 19h

bullying and force are unlawful & limited tools. decimating your diplomatic corp & its lawyers, slashing human rights funding & destroying foreign assistance, rashly leaving int'l orgs - these are destructive acts that i think the trump ppl will see (but never admit!) have real consequences.

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 19h

i think this is true, but even beyond the technical, the language @annabower.bsky.social quoted reflects the muskian, non-legal, kind of cultural imagining that free speech is an absolute right that cannot be constrained at all. it's beyond law.

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 19h

this is almost literally the position of the right's free speech phonies

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 20h

it's grim, with few people of stature really speaking out about the consequences of us aggression

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Bessma Momani

Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 20h

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/u...

Reposted by Shibley Telhami, David H. Kaye

Dalia Dassa Kaye @dassakaye.bsky.social · 20h

The news that's coming out of Iran despite the continued internet blackout is horrific and makes it clear the regime is using deadly force on protesters.

Trump's redline has been crossed. The possibility of a US strike has grown, with all the unpredictable consequences.

Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 22h

"A medic at one Tehran hospital said there were "direct shots to the heads of the young people, to their hearts as well", while a doctor said an eye hospital in the capital had gone into crisis mode"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Iran medics describe hospitals overwhelmed with dead and injured protesters

Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed and injured by the security forces, with more than 70 bodies brought to one hospital.

www.bbc.co.uk

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 20h

the first dj to beam the music to headphones all the kids wear so the parents can have their meal & drinks in peace will make a killing

Reposted by Kori Schake, David H. Kaye, Fabrizio Coticchia , and 4 more Kori Schake, David H. Kaye, Fabrizio Coticchia, Robert C. Richards, Robert Wolfe, Federica Genovese, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social · 22h

Iran medics describe hospitals overwhelmed with dead and injured protesters

Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed and injured by the security forces, with more than 70 bodies brought to one hospital.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by David H. Kaye, W. Andy Knight, Bessma Momani

Mark Little @marklittle.bsky.social · 1d

"Online hate and disinformation do not have easy solutions. But the Trump administration’s lies are not about free speech. They are about power – preserving its own, promoting its far-right allies in Europe, and protecting its partners in Big Tech." techpolicy.press/the-trump-li...

The Trump Lie About Europe and Why it Matters | TechPolicy.Press

The Trump administration is promoting disinformation about European law and policy for reasons that go well beyond social media regulation, writes David Kaye.

techpolicy.press

Reposted by David H. Kaye

Ami Fields-Meyer @fieldsmeyer.com · 1d

@davidakaye.bsky.social Most striking to me was his use of "ethnic cleansing." Don't know why (beyond the basic anemic posture toward authoritarianism) more U.S. Dems leaders haven't seized on the term. It breaks through noise and conveys the sense of raw horror we reserve for "other places."

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 1d

i regularly and yes glibly often say 'americans don't speak human rights'. but . . . maybe i'm wrong. maybe one thing that comes from a regime of violence here, where impunity reigns & the supreme ct is unavailable for rights protection, is a new commitment to human rights law/language.

Reposted by Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 1d

this young guy refers to the UN Charter and talks about the "fundamental human right" of freedom of movement - on FOX! - in response to an inane hannity question and damn if i don't have renewed hope for our future

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Hannity has a Fox reporter in Minneapolis talk to a random protester walking through the city who goes on to spit bars for 2 minutes

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Rosemary A. Joyce, Jonathan Hopkin , and 1 more David H. Kaye, Rosemary A. Joyce, Jonathan Hopkin, Ann Bartow

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Hannity has a Fox reporter in Minneapolis talk to a random protester walking through the city who goes on to spit bars for 2 minutes

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

republicans have long been encouraging drivers to hit protesters

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 3d

this is quite a lie. but also it’s shameless hypocrisy. republicans at the state level have been trying for years to immunize those who use their vehicles to harm/kill protesters.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Noem: "People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons ... it's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained"

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

The Trump Lie About Europe and Why it Matters | TechPolicy.Press

The Trump administration is promoting disinformation about European law and policy for reasons that go well beyond social media regulation, writes David Kaye.

www.techpolicy.press

Reposted by David H. Kaye

ARTICLE 19 @article19.bsky.social · 2d

At this crucial time people in Iran must be able to express themselves + access and share the information they need.

ARTICLE 19 urges authorities to restore the internet & all communications now.

#FreeIran #ایران_آزاد #اعتراضات_ایران اعتراضات_سراسری# #KeepItOn

www.article19.org/resources/ir...

Iran: Communication blackout puts lives at risk and violates human rights - ARTICLE 19

Iranian authorities must restore the internet and all communications to ensure people can access information, communicate and remain safe.

www.article19.org

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Beatriz Gallardo Paúls, Kate Starbird

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 2d

Online hate and disinformation do not have easy solutions. But the Trump administration’s lies about European regulation are not about free speech. They are about power – preserving its own, promoting its far-right allies in Europe, and protecting its partners in Big Tech, writes David Kaye.

The Trump Lie About Europe and Why it Matters | TechPolicy.Press

The Trump administration is promoting disinformation about European law and policy for reasons that go well beyond social media regulation, writes David Kaye.

www.techpolicy.press

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

i am sure that's right. i'd like to see the transcript because this is suggesting that he articulated a worldview that doesn't reflect merely how he can use any instrument etc, as you put it well, but that it's a form of *national* strength. sounds like a puff-up of whatever he actually said.

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

😂😂😂

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

are there treaty deals for a lexus now in the washington area?

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

this could even be worse than a translation. it could be effectively an edit of what trump said. b/c what he actually told the reporters is not that "national strength" matters, just his own whim/will.

Asked in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times if there were any limits on his global powers, Mr. Trump said: “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”

David Kaye @davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d

is there a transcript of the times interview with trump?

for instance, the last line of this report makes it seem like trump has a national-interest "worldview". i find that highly bogus. but what did trump say exactly to articulate that? anything? gobbledygook translated for us?

“I don’t need international law,” he added. “I’m not looking to hurt people.”

When pressed further about whether his administration needed to abide by international law, Mr. Trump said, “I do.” But he made clear he would be the arbiter when such constraints applied to the United States.

“It depends what your definition of international law is,” he said.

Mr. Trump’s assessment of his own freedom to use any instrument of military, economic or political power to cement American supremacy was the most blunt acknowledgment yet of his worldview. At its core is the concept that national strength, rather than laws, treaties and conventions, should be the deciding factor as powers collide.

Reposted by Stacie B. Dusetzina, David H. Kaye, David R. Miller , and 2 more Stacie B. Dusetzina, David H. Kaye, David R. Miller, Henry Jones, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 2d

I'm monitoring first awful reports of two people shot in Portland by federal law enforcement. I'll keep you updated, but Trump's deployment of federal agents in my hometown is clearly inflaming violence — and must end.

Reposted by David H. Kaye

Doug Madory @eldomador.bsky.social · 3d

As of 18:45 UTC (10:15 PM local), traffic to Iran has stopped as the country has completely severed itself from the global internet.

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