Free speech is vital to human flourishing, but it’s in a decade-long slump

Freedom of expression and freedom of information aren’t just important for democracy, they’re also crucial to peace, economic growth and even food security. While the 20th century saw a worldwide expansion of free-speech protections, over the past decade, press freedom and human rights organisations have reported a troubling rise in governments cracking down on free speech, especially in areas related to digital communication. In this instalment of Aeon In Sight, Agnès Callamard, the director of Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression initiative, explains why free speech has been threatened by state-level responses to the rise of the internet and the international war on terror.