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On the occasion of his forthcoming book, Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet, Kaye takes us behind the scenes, into Facebook’s “mini-legislative” meetings, European Commission’s closed-door sessions, and meets journalists, activists, and content moderators who are paid mini-mum wage to flag hundreds, even thousands, of horrid videos on the Internet every day. He tells the story of people around the world who are trying to get it right, while facing an almost impossibly massive task with huge consequences. Kaye finds that it is time to rethink how we use social media, and find a way to a way to build a better, more democratic Internet.

To start off the night, Madeleine Ildefonso, a managing librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library, opens with a presentation, and after the conversation Reggie Watts closes the night with a special performance.

David Kaye

David Kaye is the author of Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. A clinical professor of law at the University of California, Irvine, he began his legal career with the U.S. State Department. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, his writing has appeared in American and international law journals, Foreign AffairsForeign Policy, Washington PostLos Angeles TimesNew York TimesGuardian and other publications.


Katherine Lo

Katherine Lo is the Content Moderation Program Lead at Meedan and visiting researcher at the University of California, Irvine specializing in online moderation and harassment. Lo consults with technology, social media, and game companies on platform policy and enforcement. She also serves on the advisory board for nonprofits and advocacy organizations that focus on online harassment and mental health.


Madeleine Ildefonso

Madeleine Ildefonso is a Managing Librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) for the Department of Lifelong Learning. She has worked in six LAPL locations over fifteen years as a children’s librarian, a branch manager and now as a project manager for system-wide library initiatives like the New Americans Initiative. Madeleine is interested in connecting library users with engaging and meaningful services and programs to empower their decisions and support their wellness and resilience.


Reggie Watts

Reggie Watts is an internationally renowned vocal artist, beatboxer, musician, and comedian known for his live and completely improvised performances, which blend and blur the lines between music and comedy. Watts is also currently the bandleader on CBS’ Late Late Show with James Corden and has a stand-up special, Spatial, available on Netflix. Praise for him includes: Rolling Stone has listed him as one of the “50 best stand-up comics of all time,” New York Magazine hailed Watts as “spectacularly original,” and LA Times called him “a superstar.”


Image credit: 1st Amendment Walk courtesy of Brian Wolfe via Flickr


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