There has, for the past few decades, been an increasing tendency from states to hold social media and other information intermediaries liable for the illicit or undesirable speech of their users. Much less debated, however, has been the question of intermediary responsibility for the freedom of speech and information of internet users. In the EU, as well as the US, there are no clear legal safeguards for protecting freedom of speech on privately owned networking platforms – albeit the exponential growth of these platforms as spheres for public expression and discourse. This thesis argues that the content moderation practices and policies of some of the largest social media platforms, in several respects, correspond poorly to Swedish and European freedom of speech standards, as established in human rights law. Considering the rationale behind speech rights, as well as the increasing significance of social media for public discourse, the thesis suggests alternative legal measures to establish corporate responsibility and ensuring online freedom of speech.

The opposition against Gustavus III (1746–1792) had limited access to the printing press, but managed to spread a variety of political pamphlets through clandestine manuscripts. The main purpose of the dissertation is to analyse this communication and thereby enhance our understanding of the political culture of the period. The manuscript published oppositional works against Gustavus III have hitherto been little explored. With source material consisting of 120 manuscript libels, this study makes use of three interrelated methodological perspectives: media analysis, rhetorical analysis and analysis of ideas. The combination of media studies and classical rhetoric is inspired by the works of Peter Burke. Questions of production, distribution and consumption frame the discussions. The libels – published anonymously for fear of persecution – were spread through what Harold Love calls “user publication”. This means that many readers contributed to their distribution and through the act of copying also functioned as co-authors. The majority of the libels originated among the estate of the nobility and their political allies. The authors were often accomplished writers, skilfully using a variety of rhetorical strategies to interest and entertain their readers. When viewed in an international context, the Swedish material is revealed as relatively conservative. The arguments in the Swedish works were generally founded on established and traditional values and ideas, and treated Monarchy and Lutheran Christianity as given institutions which stood unquestioned. In comparison to French libels against royalty, Swedes were also more reluctant to use sexual slander. One explanation for this conservatism is that the authors were aiming for a wide audience, and therefore strove to ground their arguments in common values. Another explanation can be found in the fact that many of the works originated within the noble classes: a privileged group which had much to gain from the preservation of traditional social structures.

Vårt syfte med undersökningen har varit att analysera censurdebatten kring Tintin i Kongo från 2012. Med utgångspunkt från argumentet att barn måste skyddas från kontroversiell litteratur har vi framför allt varit intresserade av att förstå hur nyanser av debatten skapats genom den argumentation och det språkbruk som debattörerna har använt sig av.   Teoretiska utgångspunkter: Dagordningsteori. Gestaltningsteori. Frågeställningar: På vilka sätt är debatten kring Tintin, censur och barns förmåga att hantera kontroversiell litteratur intressant för vår förståelse av hur vi använder språk för att kommunicera? Vilka uttalar sig i debatten kring censuren av Tintin? Vilka argument används? Vilka är några vanligt förekommande teman i böcker för barn mellan 6-9 år 2017?   Metod: Vårt tillvägagångssätt för att kunna besvara frågorna har varit att använda oss av textanalys. Material: Vi har till vår undersökning valt att analysera artiklar. Urvalet har skett från de två dagstidningarna Dagens Nyheter och Svenska Dagbladet och kvällstidningarna Aftonbladet och Expressen. Resultat: Det gör skillnad vilka ord vi använder och hur. Ord är makt och avslöjar normer i samhället. / Purpose: Our purpose with this study has been to analyze the debate regarding the attempt to ban Tintin in the Congos in 2012. With the starting-point being the argument made that children have to be protected from literature that is considered to be controversial, we’ve been interested in seeing how the nuances of the debate have been shaped by the use of arguments and language by those participating in the debate. Theoretical points of departure: Agenda setting theory, Framing theory Objectives and focus: The study has the following questions In what way is the debate surrounding Tintin in the Congos, censorship and children’s ability to handle literature considered controversial of interest in understanding how we use language to communicate? Who are the ones taking part in the debate regarding the ban of Tintin in the Congos? What are their arguments? What are some common themes presented in books aimed towards children between the ages of 6-9 2017?   Method: To answer our questions, we have analyzed our material through text analysis. Material: We have for our questions analyzed articles. They have been selected both from the newspapers Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet as well as from the evening newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen. Result: Your words matter. It matters how and when we use them. Words are an expression of power and reveals the norms of society.

The aim for this essay is, along with the four included case studies, is to examine the social media platform, Instagram's strict guidelines when it comes to showing nudity.  On the platform there is a certain double standard, artists as well as art institutions are censored, that is, they get pictures removed or their accounts blocked when they try to show works that have nudity depicted, but at the same time nudity exists on the platform, this essay wants to highlight the double standard by setting the example that images from accounts of celebrities, which show as much nudity as a work of art, if not more, are allowed to be available on the social platform. This essay then also wants to emphasize that why it is this way is because fundamentally it is a social problem, it is the structures and norms that exist around us that are the contributing factors. How we see the ideal body and beauty and how the male gaze is the gaze that is precisely the dominant gaze. Another factor that this essay will analyse is the difference between art and pornography, and how it affects censorship among a number of artists. With the support of interviews and the theoretical frameworks, this essay will examine Instagram as a modern place to display art, while the platform is mostly double standards and bias. In addition, this essay will highlight that in the game of nudity celebrities have different and easier rules of the game, compared to artists, they are instead dealt with the strict rules of the game. / Målet med denna uppsats är tillsammans med de fyra inkluderade fall studierna, undersöka den sociala media plattformen, Instagrams strikta riktlinjer när det kommer till att visa nakenhet. På plattformen förekommer det en viss dubbelmoral, konstnärer samt konstinstitutioner blir censurerade, det vill säga, de får bilder borttagna eller deras konton blockerade när de försöker visa verk som har nakenhet avbildat, men samtidigt existerar det nakenhet på plattformen, denna uppsats vill framhäva den dubbelmoral genom att ge exempel på att bilder från kända personers konton, som visar lika mycket nakenhet som ett konstverk, om inte mer, får vara tillgängligt på den sociala plattformen. Denna uppsats vill då även framhäva att varför det är på detta sätt är för i grunden är det ett samhällsproblem, det är strukturer och normer som existerar runt omkring oss som är de bidragande faktorerna. Hur vi ser den ideala kroppen samt skönhet och hur den manliga blicken är den blicken som är just den dominanta blicken. En annan faktor som denna uppsats kommer analysera är skillnaden på konst och pornografi, och hur det påverkar censuren bland ett antal konstnärer.  Med stöd av intervjuer och de teoretiska ramverken kommer denna uppsats undersöka Instagram som en modern plats för att visa konst, samtidigt som plattformen är till mesta del dubbelmoralisk och bias. Dessutom kommer denna uppsats att framhäva att i spelet om nakenhet har kända personer andra och enklare spelregler, jämfört med konstnärer, de blir i stället utdelade de stränga spelreglerna.