Free speech is a cornerstone of democracy, enabling public debate and civic participation. However, the rise of social media and the global COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted tensions between free speech and public health. The widespread presence of online misinformation poses challenges to public health responses, prompting platforms to adopt policies aimed at curbing its spread. These interventions intersect with free speech rights, making public acceptance critical to their success. Understanding social media users’ attitudes toward such policies is essential for crafting measures that balance free speech and public health.

I discuss the results of empirical studies conducted with active adult Twitter users in the United States to examine their attitudes toward social media policies affecting free speech during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings underscore the significant influence of political views on attitudes toward policies addressing misinformation. Right-leaning individuals tend to prioritize free speech, while left-leaning individuals are more likely to support interventions such as media literacy, health education, and misinformation countermeasures. These differences highlight the difficulty of balancing public health and free speech in polarized societies. Policymakers must take these divergent perspectives into account when designing effective, broadly acceptable interventions to address misinformation. In addition, I discuss broader ethical issues at the intersection of free speech, public health, and misinformation.