The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation named internet law expert Eric Goldman as a Knight Visiting Scholar. Along with Knight Visiting Scholar Mary Anne Franks from the University of Miami School of Law, Professor Goldman will curate a research series and convene thought leaders from industry, policy and academia on the internet, democracy and society.
Eric Goldman is a professor of law and associate dean for research at Santa Clara University School of Law. He is a preeminent legal scholar whose seminal work has documented the interpretation of Section 230 internet law. His scholarship spans over 25 years, having been one of the first to teach internet law as part of the law school’s curriculum.
He is also co-director of Santa Clara’s High Tech Law Institute, through which he trains lawyers to find innovative legal solutions to intellectual property and technology issues. He has testified in Congress about legislation centered on free speech and the internet and conducts research on intellectual property and marketing. He writes extensively about these topics at the Technology & Marketing Law Blog.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named a Knight Visiting Scholar,” Goldman said. “I greatly admire how Knight has advanced our understanding of challenging online speech issues. In my visiting scholar role, I’m eager to contribute to that foundational work and drill deeper into the ways that internet services contribute to–and solve–the problems our society faces.”
Goldman is a previous recipient of a Knight grant through a major initiative to support new research on how our democracy is changing in the information age. Since 2019, Knight’s $50 million investment has supported the creation of new research centers at five major universities, as well as a range of research initiatives and projects at dozens more universities and policy think tanks. Scholars in the Knight Research Network are producing rigorous independent research that is informing public dialogue and policy debates on important topics such as disinformation, digital manipulation and interference in democratic processes, free expression online and the roles of private technology companies in our democracy.
“Mary Anne Franks and Eric Goldman are influential figures in internet law and policy, and are among the most consequential thinkers on digital services today,” said John Sands, Knight’s director of learning and impact. “We’re delighted they will have this platform to advance a more informed public dialogue on networked technologies and the future of our democracy.”
“Eric is an internationally recognized expert on Section 230, and this well deserved honor both recognizes the important contributions he has made to this field and enables him to further the dialogue on the direction of internet law,” said Interim Dean Anna Han.
Franks and Goldman will convene a diverse group of tech industry leaders, researchers and commentators for a wide-ranging conversation on the internet and society during a symposium in Fall 2021. Date and times will be announced via Knight’s website.
