Worldwide, people are circulating damaging lies and falsehoods through powerful social media platforms that reach billions. They range from claims that COVID-19 is a hoax to the theory that vaccines cause autism. In Liars, Cass Sunstein argues that free societies must generally allow falsehoods and lies, which cannot be excised from democratic debate. At the same time, governments should regulate specific kinds of falsehoods: those that genuinely endanger health, safety, and the capacity of the public to govern itself. Sunstein concludes that government and private institutions, like Facebook and Twitter, currently allow far too many lies, including those that threaten public health and democracy.
