Conference # Return of the Gatekeepers: Section 230 and the Future of Online Speech Date and Time March 10, 2020 10:05 AM - 3:05 PM EDT Location Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC Share This Event ##### Featuring ![Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-01/Sen.%20Ron%20Wyden%20%28D-OR%29-circle-cropped.jpg?itok=TJgxhovI) Senator Ron Wyden (D‑OR) Alex Feerst [![Media Name: flemming-rose-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/flemming-rose-cropped.jpg?itok=tldylCqu)](/people/flemming-rose) [Flemming Rose](/people/flemming-rose) Senior Fellow [ ](https://x.com/FlemmingRose6) ![Eric Goldman-circle-cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-01/Eric%20Goldman-circle-cropped.jpg?itok=vKJ-h5ie) Eric Goldman Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Law, and Co-Director, High Tech Law Institute, Santa Clara University School of Law Craig Parshall Adam Candeub ![Cathy Gellis](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-02/cathy-bellis.jpeg?itok=SvXDchEu) Cathy Gellis Attorney ![A Kazaryan portrait](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-02/a-kazaryan.jpeg?itok=q20YvQ95) Ashkhen Kazaryan Senior Legal Fellow, The Future of Free Speech [ ](https://x.com/Ashkhen) ![Jeff Kosseff cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-06/jeff-kosseff-cropped.jpg?itok=i1LzDUey) Jeff Kosseff Author and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, The Future of Free Speech [![Matthew Feeney](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Matthew%20Feeney.jpg?itok=O149-e08)](/people/matthew-feeney) [Matthew Feeney](/people/matthew-feeney) Head of Technology and Innovation, Centre for Policy Studies [ ](https://twitter.com/m_feeney) [![john-samples-cropped-final.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-08/john-samples-cropped-final.jpg?itok=YC0xH8Hf)](/people/john-samples) [John Samples](/people/john-samples) Senior Fellow, Cato Institute [ ](mailto:jsamples@cato.org) [![Julian Sanchez](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Julian%20Sanchez.jpg?itok=TOVwbG_X)](/people/julian-sanchez) [Julian Sanchez](/people/julian-sanchez) Former Senior Fellow [ ](https://twitter.com/normative) [![Media Name: duffield-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/duffield-cropped.jpg?itok=ZEt-E-lJ)](/people/will-duffield) [Will Duffield](/people/will-duffield) Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute [ ](https://twitter.com/will_duffield) ![Evelyn Asward](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-08/Evelyn-Aswad.jpeg?itok=mfS3zwna) Evelyn Aswad Professor of Law and Herman G. Kaiser Chair in International Law, University of Oklahoma College of Law, and Board Member, Oversight Board [ ](https://twitter.com/evelynaswad) Alan Butler Jessica Ashooh In the past few years, debates about free speech online have become a staple of Washington policy discussions. Concerns over harassment, alleged political bias in Silicon Valley, the spread of extremist content on social media, and the influence of Big Tech on the integrity of elections have prompted a variety of policy proposals and legislation. Meanwhile, social media companies have responded by creating institutions to moderate content on their platforms. The future of online speech governance may lie in California, not DC. The Cato Institute is hosting Return of the Gatekeepers: Section 230 and the Future of Online Speech, a conference that will address these and other important topics. We hope that you will be able to join us. Participants will include lawmakers, policy professionals, industry experts, academics, and others. 10:05-10:10AM **Opening Remarks** [**Matthew Feeney**](https://www.cato.org/people/matthew-feeney), Director, Project on Emerging Technologies, Cato Institute 10:10-11:00AM **Panel 1: The Future (and Past) of Content Moderation** **Jessica Ashooh**, Director of Policy, Reddit **Flemming Rose**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute **Evelyn Aswad**, Professor, The University of Oklahoma College of Law Moderated by [**John Samples**](https://www.cato.org/people/john-samples), Vice President, Cato Institute 11:00-11:15AM **Break** 11:15AM-12:15PM **Panel 2: Bias in the Valley: Do Allegation of Political Censorship Justify 230 Reform?** **Adam Candeub**, Professor of Law, Michigan State University **Eric Goldman**, Professor of Law, Santa Clara University **Craig Parshall**, Special Counsel for Government Affairs, American Center for Law and Justice **Ashkhen Kazaryan**, Director of Civil Liberties and Legal Research Fellow, TechFreedom Moderated by [**Julian Sanchez**](https://www.cato.org/people/julian-sanchez), Senior Fellow, Cato Institute 12:05-1:05PM **Lunch** 1:05-1:55PM **Panel 3: Content Moderation without Government** **Emma Llanso, Director**, Free Expression Project, Center for Democracy & Technology **Jacob Mchangama**, Director, Justitia **Alex Feerst**, General Counsel, Neuralink Moderated by [**John Samples**](https://www.cato.org/people/john-samples), Vice President, Cato Institute 1:55-2:10PM **Break** 2:10-3:00PM **Panel 4: Tackling Abuse and Extremism** **Cathy Gellis**, Digital Age Defense **Jeff Kosseff**, Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity Law, United States Naval Academy’s Cyber Science Department **Alan Butler**, General Counsel at EPIC Moderated by [**William Duffield**](https://www.cato.org/people/william-duffield), Research Associate, Cato Institute 3:00-3:05PM **Closing Remarks** [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).