Blocking social media access a ‘slippery path,’ civil liberties advocates say

That British government officials are considering blocking access to social media sites as a means of curbing the rioting that has plagued that nation’s cities has led some Americans to wonder if such government actions could happen here. Michael Macleod-Ball, legislative chief of staff at the American Civil Liberties Union, said any similar measure in the United States would face significant legal hurdles.

Under the First Amendment, any government action curbing free speech must be narrowly drawn to serve a compelling government interest, according to Macleod-Ball. "That's a very high threshold for any law or executive action to pass," he said. Cynthia Wong, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's project on global Internet freedom, said blocking access to social media is "an extremely slippery path to head down."