Freedom of speech is in retreat

Re:Freedom of speech is in retreat by xienze on Tuesday June 07, 2016 @10:56AM (#11854915)

The problem is that today's suppression of "free speech" by private organizations helps shape public opinion about the government doing it tomorrow. I.e., when a generation have grown up believing Google, Facebook, etc. silencing "free speech" on their platforms to be reasonable actions they may become more amenable laws being passed in the future ("Facebook bans hate speech and it's a better place for it, I think maybe federal laws against hate speech would be a good thing").

It's a worthwhile thing to be concerned about.

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Re:Freedom of speech is in retreat by mangeletti on Tuesday June 07, 2016 @11:10AM (#11855007)

If you're given the right to control what Facebook has the right to censor, then you're actually removing Facebook's freedom of expression. After all, their code and their website is a form of expression of their own, despite being composed in part by users' content.

The problem that exists with Facebook is actually just a symptom of another, largely unspoken problem; Facebook has a monopoly, and this monopoly gives them unprecedented influence over the population.

Getting to the bottom of things is important, because the bandage that addresses the symptom you're describing is the tyranny you fear.

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