New Delhi, Dec. 2 -- Hate speech and disinformation online can never enjoy the protection of constitutional free speech, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said on Friday, adding that there could be no compromising on an individual's privacy in the digital age, regardless of their socio-economic status, in the name of access to welfare entitlements.
Delivering the 14th Justice VM Tarkunde Memorial Lecture in Delhi, Justice Chandrachud also said privately owned social media firms donning the role of arbiters of free speech by deciding what goes on platforms can have "disastrous" effects in the absence of any accountability.
"Demonstrably, false facts are not protected by traditional free speech theories... tolerating the...