‘Vindicated’: Embattled misinformation researchers celebrate key US Supreme Court decision

The justices rule that the US government can keep talking to scientists and social-media firms with the aim of curbing falsehoods online.
By
  1. Jeff Tollefson
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The US Supreme Court has ruled that the government can continue communicating with researchers and social-media platforms in an effort to reduce misinformation on subjects such as elections and vaccines. The decision stops short of declaring that such activities are protected as free speech under the US Constitution, but it nonetheless represents a win for researchers who continue to face lawsuits alleging that they worked with the government to suppress conservative opinions.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01766-2

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 27 June 2024: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Virality Project researchers reported more than 900 cases of mis- and disinformation to health authorities and social-media companies. In fact, the researchers identified more than 900 problematic cases, but reported only 174 of them.

  • Correction 16 July 2024: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Virality Project researchers reported problematic misinformation cases directly to US health authorities. In fact, US health authorities received summaries of the researchers’ findings.

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