ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses harmful speech on the Internet. It focuses on misinformation/disinformation and hate speech and highlights a commitment to the idea of constitutional democracy. Consequently, it reflects on the legitimacy of political power, promotion of pluralism and protection of basic rights. Hate speech, falsehoods and speech manipulation weaken the conditions for healthy democratic debate. This demonstrates the necessity of creating specific public policies that address democratic threats on the Internet beyond the already known policies put into place before the Internet’s creation. However, we need to consider strategies to counter such threats to avoid oversights in the response that may, in turn, further the perils of democracy.
