From Human Rights to Platform Rules: How X is reshaping freedom of expression online
(2026) SOLM02 20261Sociology of Law Department
- Abstract
- This thesis examines how freedom of expression and misinformation are governed within contemporary digital environments, focusing specifically on the relationship between platform governance on X and international human rights discourse developed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. As social media platforms increasingly shape political communication and public debate, questions regarding who has the authority to regulate online speech have become central within global governance. The study examines how X frames and justified its moderation practices concerning misinformation and freedom of expression, and how these practices interact with international human rights norms.
The thesis is grounded in a qualitative and interpretive... (More) - This thesis examines how freedom of expression and misinformation are governed within contemporary digital environments, focusing specifically on the relationship between platform governance on X and international human rights discourse developed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. As social media platforms increasingly shape political communication and public debate, questions regarding who has the authority to regulate online speech have become central within global governance. The study examines how X frames and justified its moderation practices concerning misinformation and freedom of expression, and how these practices interact with international human rights norms.
The thesis is grounded in a qualitative and interpretive research design and applies Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine public statements, policy documents, platform communications, and reports produced by X and the United Nations Human Rights Council between 2022 and 2025. The analysis is guided by three theoretical perspectives: legal pluralism, theories of normative authority and legitimacy, and scholarship on algorithmic governance and platform power. Together, these frameworks allow an examination on how authority over online speech is negotiated between public international institutions and private digital platforms.
These findings imply that X increasingly positions itself as an autonomous governance actor by framing moderation through principles such as “freedom of speech, not reach” and emphasizing decentralized moderation mechanisms such as Community Notes. Simultaneously, the United Nations Human Rights Council promotes a human rights-based framework grounded in legality, necessity, and proportionality under international law. The analysis demonstrates that while X frequently adopts the language of freedom of expression and human rights, these references often function as legitimacy producing strategies rather than direct compliance with international human rights standards. The thesis further reflects that governance of online speech increasingly operates through overlapping and competing normative systems in which private platforms exercise significant regulatory influence through both policy and algorithmic infrastructures.
The study highlights how authority over freedom of expression is shifting beyond traditional state-centered legal frameworks toward a plural form of governance shaped by interactions between international institutions and private technology companies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9237778
- author
- Nurdal, Aylin LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOLM02 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 9237778
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-24 14:47:16
- date last changed
- 2026-06-24 14:47:16
@misc{9237778,
abstract = {{This thesis examines how freedom of expression and misinformation are governed within contemporary digital environments, focusing specifically on the relationship between platform governance on X and international human rights discourse developed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. As social media platforms increasingly shape political communication and public debate, questions regarding who has the authority to regulate online speech have become central within global governance. The study examines how X frames and justified its moderation practices concerning misinformation and freedom of expression, and how these practices interact with international human rights norms.
The thesis is grounded in a qualitative and interpretive research design and applies Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine public statements, policy documents, platform communications, and reports produced by X and the United Nations Human Rights Council between 2022 and 2025. The analysis is guided by three theoretical perspectives: legal pluralism, theories of normative authority and legitimacy, and scholarship on algorithmic governance and platform power. Together, these frameworks allow an examination on how authority over online speech is negotiated between public international institutions and private digital platforms.
These findings imply that X increasingly positions itself as an autonomous governance actor by framing moderation through principles such as “freedom of speech, not reach” and emphasizing decentralized moderation mechanisms such as Community Notes. Simultaneously, the United Nations Human Rights Council promotes a human rights-based framework grounded in legality, necessity, and proportionality under international law. The analysis demonstrates that while X frequently adopts the language of freedom of expression and human rights, these references often function as legitimacy producing strategies rather than direct compliance with international human rights standards. The thesis further reflects that governance of online speech increasingly operates through overlapping and competing normative systems in which private platforms exercise significant regulatory influence through both policy and algorithmic infrastructures.
The study highlights how authority over freedom of expression is shifting beyond traditional state-centered legal frameworks toward a plural form of governance shaped by interactions between international institutions and private technology companies.}},
author = {{Nurdal, Aylin}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{From Human Rights to Platform Rules: How X is reshaping freedom of expression online}},
year = {{2026}},
}