No seriously how deep does this go? Private internet? Balkanize the world so that the only possible outcome is war?

This isn't being thought through.

I'm no longer convinced this isn't thought through. The Biden admin and big tech are working together on this.

No one has a right to incite violence.

I haven't used Parler but I'd wager the vast majority of its content isn't. If you want to pick out content, I guarantee I can match post for post with something identical on Twitter.

So why isn't Twitter being targeted?

If the organizing purpose of Parler was incitement and insurrection, sure. But it isn't. And that means they still get 230 protections whether you like it or not.

> So why isn't Twitter being targeted?

Because Twitter moderates and removes content that breaks the law.

No it absolutely does not.

The incoming VP spent all summer doing exactly that

No one is going to Balkanize the internet over Parler. Just because Parler is near and dear to the readership on this site doesn't mean anyone else is going to make moves because of what's happening to it.

I think HN is more likely to have overlap with Mastodon and other federated networks. Most of us that seem to be arguing in support of Parler are really just worried about arbitrary and authoritarian approaches to content moderation and infrastructure.

HN is for discussing ideas even when they do not affect us directly.

Disclaimer: I have never used Parler.

But I firmly believe in the principle of free speech and not stifling discourse.

And no, not just over Parler. But maybe over Twitter bannings. And Facebook bannings. And Parler. And deplatforming. Eventually people will build their own internet you can't control, and continue to talk. How will you feel about that? Let's say for sake of argument that that occurs, that a whole segment of society builds their own hardware infrastructure that the tech giants do not control and cannot shut down. What would you want to happen?

Free speech concerns government suppression, the government hasn't been involved in the banning so principles concerning Free Speech have no place.

Free speech is not a right granted by the government, it is a principle and a natural right. We all have it.

The government has nothing to do with it.

Even if we all lived in anarchy, free speech would still be a thing.

DNS servers can refuse to list them. ISPs can block their IP. Landlords can refuse to rent to them. Banks can refuse to open accounts for them.

The world is so interconnected, and daily life depends on private companies so strongly, that if someone is disliked enough they can be made homeless, jobless and destitute.

"Spin up their own servers" is just the next step we're up to. It's by no means the last.

How deep does it go?

Not if we know their names and shame anyone who sells them hardware, they won't be.

You can buy secondhand servers in loads of places with cash purchases. The boys on /r/datahoarder do it all the time. This isn't rocket science, but perhaps I'm overestimating the type of people who would would run a service like Parler.

Don't they get most of their hardware off eBay these days? (Not that I'm incredibly familiar with that space - I'm more interested in serious redundancy for small important files.)

Anyway, the government has plenty of experience handling terrorists dealing in cash. It doesn't need to be perfect.