Stanford urges Supreme Court of the United States to affirm its First Amendment rights

Stanford University and the Stanford Internet Observatory’s (SIO) statement in response to the continued promotion of false, inaccurate, misleading, and manufactured claims regarding the university and SIO’s role in researching and analyzing social media content about U.S. elections and the COVID-19 vaccine in particular:

Stanford will continue to defend its First Amendment rights – including those of its faculty, staff, and students, who are free to investigate all manner of subjects, free to collaborate with other scholars and organizations, and free to communicate their findings to the public, to private enterprise, and to the government. Stanford has the right to fulfill its mission to educate its students, contribute to the public good, and address today’s most pressing societal challenges, like the integrity of U.S. elections and public-health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in September recognized Stanford’s right under the First Amendment to express its views about this research, reversing a district court order prohibiting Stanford from “working” with the government. Even after plaintiffs in the matter requested a rehearing to affirm the injunction against Stanford, the Court of Appeals declined to do so. This matter is now under review by the Supreme Court of the United States, and Stanford in December filed an amicus brief urging the Court to affirm its right to share its research and views with the government and social media companies.

Stanford remains deeply concerned about efforts, including these lawsuits and related congressional investigations, that chill freedom of inquiry and undermine legitimate and much needed academic research – both at Stanford and across academia. The SIO will continue to conduct research on influence operations, including exploration of associated risks and threats.