The Knight Institute Demands Army and Navy to Stop Banning Speech About War Crimes on Twitch
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University has issued a demand to the U.S. Army and Navy Recruiting Commands, urging them to lift the bans on viewers who asked about war crimes on their respective Twitch channels, according to a press release.
Institute Challenges First Amendment Rights Violation
The Knight Institute sent a letter to the Army and Navy, arguing that the bans imposed on viewers on government-run Twitch channels violated their First Amendment rights.
Senior staff attorney Katie Fallow stated, “Once the government opens up a space for expressive activity to the public at large, the First Amendment prohibits it from excluding speakers from that space on the basis of viewpoint. The Army and Navy can’t constitutionally delete comments or ban people from these Twitch channels simply for asking questions about issues they would rather not address.”
The letter also calls for the adoption and publication of written policies by the military branches to prevent such bans in the future.
The Challenge Originates from Jordan Uhl’s Case
The issue arose when Twitch user Jordan Uhl, who had previously reported on the military’s use of online gaming to recruit teens, was banned from the U.S. Army esports channel for questioning war crimes. Vice sought the opinion of civil rights lawyers, who deemed the bans a violation of free speech. The U.S. Navy subsequently followed suit and banned Uhl and other viewers for similar reasons, as reported by Kotaku.
In response to the backlash, the U.S. Army esports team has temporarily halted its social activity and will not be streaming on Twitch due to media coverage of fake giveaways and potential violations of constitutional rights, as revealed by esports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau.
The Knight Institute’s Track Record
The Knight Institute gained renown for successfully suing President Donald Trump in 2017 for blocking individuals on Twitter, citing First Amendment violations.