Dear Colleagues,

The Trump administration is using immigration law to punish and silence disinformation researchers, advocates, and trust-and-safety professionals on the basis of the misleading premise that by doing research and advocacy, they are ‘complicit’ in censorship. Four researchers have publicly been "barred" by the State Department, including several who had their visas revoked. But the policy is so vague it can potentially encompass researchers working on everything from fact-checking to researching propaganda, misinformation, disinformation, algorithms and social media as its potential targets. The government’s actions send a powerful chill through all of these researchers currently on visas in the United States, including me. 

By making an example of these four researchers, it has become clear that every researcher is under threat. We all get the message. This is why, as a member of Coalition for Independent Technology Research, I have added my own declaration next to those of threatened researchers in CITR v. Rubio. We hope this important case being fought by the Knight First Amendment Institute will protect the constitutional rights of visa-holders. 

The First Amendment exists precisely to prevent the government from punishing speech it dislikes. Right now the Trump Administration is stifling the ability to have an informed debate about online platforms, their responsibilities to their users and what role regulation should play. 

Read more about the case, or read my declaration and the others submitted here.  

And if you'd like to spread the word and support, here are my posts on this: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/emmalbriant_coalition-for-independent-technology-research-activity-7443350169766682624-Kwx8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAa1s9sBvLpKfG3TEcfab8iXokCuK1ULI-s

Substack: https://dremmalbriant.substack.com/p/my-declaration-in-citr-v-rubio?r=97fyx&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

And Knight First Amendment Institute's post on this: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/knightcolumbia_technology-researchers-ask-court-to-block-activity-7443286210866724864-Q_k-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAa1s9sBvLpKfG3TEcfab8iXokCuK1ULI-s

Thank you,

Emma