Free Speech and the Decentralized Web with Preston Byrne

​​We will meet in the Enterprise Works building of the Research Park where there is open parking for guests and a CUMTD bus stop. Please RSVP so we know how many to expect, as lunch will be provided!

​Joining us via videoconference will be Preston Byrne, a tech and free speech lawyer currently representing 4chan in its dispute with U.K. regulators over online speech and safety requirements.

​Qualified as both a U.K. and U.S. attorney, Preston will explain why he believes the U.K. Office of Communications is overstepping its jurisdiction by attempting to impose rules on an American company. His responses to regulators have also attracted attention for their deliberately provocative and memeable style, including his remark that their notices would be fed into a paper shredder and used to line his hamster’s cage.

​This conversation reaches beyond traditional message boards like 4chan. Blockchain and crypto companies also serve global user bases, operate through open networks, and depend on legal clarity in the jurisdictions from which they operate. For that reason, questions of extraterritorial regulation, jurisdictional limits, and legal defenses against foreign enforcement are especially significant.