The Internet, Social Media, and Big Tech
While the laissez-faire approach to regulating the internet generated enormous wealth, it also inflicted significant harm. Hear from Olivier Sylvain, former senior advisor to the Federal Trade Commission, law professor, and communications scholar, about key arguments in this debate, including internet regulation and privacy liability. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act provided First Amendment protections; however, it has also acted as a legal shield for companies like Alphabet and Meta. So who is responsible? How free should the internet's marketplace be? And who gets to decide?
About the speaker
Olivier Sylvain is a Professor of Law at Fordham University and a Senior Policy Research Fellow at Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute. He is also a graduate of Columbia Journalism School's PhD program and a former senior advisor to the Federal Trade Commission. His research focuses on information and communication laws and policy. His recent book, Reclaiming the Internet: How Big Tech Took Control-and How We Can Take It Back, came out in March 2026. You can read Professor Nicholas Lemann's thoughts on it in the Columbia Global Reports.