Should a union be denied freedom of speech? Because a union is a corporation as well. What about the Sierra Club? Should they be silenced? They too are a corporation. Should a teachers union be allowed to speak, but Khan Academy denied the same right? Should organizations advocating free WiFi be allowed speech, but Comcast be denied the same right?
The “companies are not people” tripe being parroted since Citizens United is a naïve and dangerous road down which people are attempting to travel. At the core of the issue is the right of free association. Free association is fundamental to free speech and a free society. Profit motive is irrelevant because profit is just as valid of a goal as “better schools” or “better public policy” or whatever the cause might be.
Governments are people who have joined together for the common purpose of governing. Does that make a government indistinguishable from an individual person, which is basically just a cell?
Is there a difference between one kid running across your lawn and 10,000 kids organized for the purpose of running across your lawn?
A corporation is a piece of paper registered for $100 that can be destroyed without penalty. It is a tool for achieving an objective, just like a computer. Many people join together to make Wikipedia, but we don't grant that website free speech...
I upvoted you and I am seeing this on HN more often now. That people would use downvote as a signal of disagreement.
The GPDR might end up being bad regulation, but we we're already getting bad results for the average citizen. If the industry wasn't going to regulate itself, and it's hurting citizens, are governments supposed to just stand back and hope it works out for the best? Maybe in a libertarian paradise, but no national government is currently running on that paradigm
Edit: also free speech != No regulations. Companies aren't people and they shouldn't be getting the same rights as people. You can't just do whatever you want to make a dollar and then try and claim free speech protections