Legal and ethical issues of chilling effect / Gergely Gosztonyi, Gergely Ferenc Lendvai, editors

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gosztonyi, Gergely, 1978- editor.

Lendvai, Gergely Ferenc, editor.

Series:

Ius gentium (Dordrecht, Netherlands) ; v. 137.

Ius Gentium, 2214-9902 ; volume 137

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Freedom of speech.

Intellectual freedom.

Censorship.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 425 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Cham, Switzerland : Springer, [2026]

Summary:

"What is a chilling effect on speech? It’s a phenomenon frequently invoked by courts, regulators, and activists; cited in litigation, policy debates, and public discourse; and relied upon as an explanatory shorthand. Yet -- until now -- it has never been examined with the rigor it demands. This edited volume is the first work to offer a systematic, interdisciplinary examination of the chilling effect as a core analytical problem. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars and experts in the fields of law, sociology, political science, communications studies and the social sciences, the book directly addresses the conceptual, methodological, and normative dilemmas and paradoxes that have long surrounded the discussion on the silencing of those exercising their freedom of expression. The chapters cover topics such as free speech, surveillance, artistic and academic freedom, digital governance, and self-censorship. The approach pursued involves close engagement with legal doctrine and sociological theory, as well as empirical research, making it possible to move beyond anecdotal claims and toward analytically grounded inquiry. Particular attention is paid to conceptual ambiguity, causal uncertainty, and the perennial difficulty of identifying and assessing indirect forms of deterrence. Rather than offering a single definition or solution, the book probes a central question: how can chilling effects (often anticipatory, invisible, and contested) be meaningfully distinguished from legitimate regulation or ordinary social constraint? To address that question, issues such as evidentiary standards, measurement, cultural polemics, judicial reasoning, and democratic accountability feature prominently throughout the chapters. In addition to general conceptual frameworks, they explore a wide range of regional and contextual perspectives, including case studies from Africa, Asia, and Europe, and transnational governance settings. This book will appeal to researchers and scholars in all fields concerned with human rights and free speech and make a decisive contribution to chilling effect scholarship by transforming a widely invoked concept into a rigorous object of analysis"-- Springer Nature Link

Contents:

So, what is chilling effect?—(Re)conceptualizing the phenomenon of chilling effect in the context of legal doctrine and social perception / Gergely Gosztonyi and Gergely Ferenc Lendvai

Chilling effects theory and research as a field of study / Jonathon W. Penney

Global standards on the chilling effect : A comparative analysis of the case law from the African, European, and Inter-American human rights systems / Hawley Johnson, Anderson Javiel Dirocie De León, Juan Manuel Ospina Sánchez, Lautaro Furfaro, and Estefanía Mullally

Chilling effect : Caution, please handle with care / Mohor Fajdiga

The chilling effects of foreign agent-style laws / Jasmine Cameron and Fernanda G. Nicola

Chilling effect and fake news laws : Lessons from East and Southeast Asia / Elena Sherstoboeva and Valentina Pavlenko

Digital protectionism measures on internet content : A “carte blanche” justifying interference with human rights / Elena Lazar

Silenced voices : The chilling effect’s psychological and professional aftereffects on Kenyan journalists / Protus Akwabi Murunga

State suppression and press freedom in Iran : The impact of censorship and self-censorship on free expression / Shahriar Khonsari

The great chill : Unpacking temporary and long-term chilling effects on digital LGBT+ advocacy in the wake of the Ugandan 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act / Cecilia Strand and Anders Olof Larsson

The populist assault on free speech : Chilling effect on freedom of expression in North Macedonia / Renata Treneska Deskoska

Geopolitics, knowledge production, and the chilling effect : Chinese academic responses to the Russia–Ukraine war / Grace X. Yang

Framing silence : Independent filmmaking under censorship in China / Mo Li

Press freedom and the protection of journalistic sources under fire : The case of the Belgian federal police raids on the Kurdish television channels Sterk TV and Medya Haber (Medya News) / Ngangum Peter Tiako

Western academic gatekeeping and the chilling effect on decolonial African research in sociology and sociolinguistics / Céline Tremblay

The internal chill / Tamas Dezső Ziegler and Anna Unger

Empowering youth : Institutional initiatives and online campaigns to counter hate speech in Southeast Europe / Senad Alibegović, Oleksandra Gudkova, and Katharine Sarikakis

From advocates to targets : Chilling effects of red-tagging on peace advocates in Mindanao, Philippines / Kenneth C. Lisbo, Novie Arren P. Barretto, and Renz Anthony R. Sumapal

Cancel culture and the impact on freedom of expression : A civil right or an instrument of exclusion? / Carmen Moldovan

Artistic expression and chilling effect / Kaanaeli Bariki Kaale

The chilling effect of media manipulation and the existential threats it creates through systematic (mis)information, (dis)information, and stochastic terrorism / Joseph Michael Squillace and Justice Cappella

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Springer Nature Link, viewed April 28, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Legal and ethical issues of chilling effect

ISBN:

9783032176547

3032176549

OCLC:

1586339207

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license