On András Koltay’s Book “The new media and the freedom of speech. Rethinking the constitutional foundations of publicity”

Abstract

András Koltay’s monograph, which was published at the end of 2019, examines countless appearances of the challenges that the digital era brought for the public sphere in the light of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech. After the first chapter introducing the fundamental principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, the book focuses on doctrinal issues related to the regulation of freedom of speech issues related to gatekeepers that are becoming key players of shaping public communication. Pursuant to this, the author discusses relevant issues regarding the specificities of three types of services, namely the internet service providers, the search engine providers, and the social media platforms. Before discussing the future of gatekeeper-regulation, the reader may gain insight to the issues of the specific liability for comments that were published online.