News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by ratsmack on Monday April 25, 2022 @03:34PM (#31159539)
I don't see why that would be a problem as long as he complies with all rules... or do you believe that Trump needs to be treated differently?
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by gorgoiler on Monday April 25, 2022 @03:39PM (#31159591)
If you have this crazy guy in town who keeps buying dozens of raw chickens and stuffing them into trash cans in the town square on the hottest summer days… and you are the one store in town selling raw chickens… you probably just ban the crazy guy, right?

He can run for office. He can win office. But just no more chicken stuff please. It really upsets the community. It’s your chicken store and you can ban anyone you like, especially the weird chicken trash can guy.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by brigandish on Monday April 25, 2022 @04:11PM (#31159919)
You have a guy in town that is powerful because many people support him. His opponents call him the "crazy chicken guy" and get him banned from the town square. They also try, and sometimes succeed, to get other people in the town banned from the square. Several business owners are fearful of this illiberal group. A Saudi prince and his family control access to the square, along with a group of incredibly rich investors. Criticism of them is strictly controlled.

That would seem a more accurate depiction. Regardless, Trump has not been stuffing chickens into bins, you're comparing speech to actions other than speech in order to justify that speech being curtailed because you don't like it. Are you okay with the Saudi royal family controlling Twitter too?

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by andrepd on Monday April 25, 2022 @05:25PM (#31160840)
So because Saudi prince + rich investors are bad, it's better to have one centibillionaire own it instead?
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by brigandish on Monday April 25, 2022 @09:41PM (#31163049)
> it's better to have one centibillionaire own it instead

Did I write that? I find it endlessly fascinating when people think in black and white and come back with some kind of false dilemma because I was able to make an entirely legitimate and obvious criticism.

I've a better question: is there anyone worse to own Twitter than the Saudi royal family?

I think so but there aren't many.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by bduerst on Monday April 25, 2022 @04:20PM (#31160060)
Please cite how you can't criticize Saudi families on Twitter.
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by brigandish on Monday April 25, 2022 @05:09PM (#31160640)
> Please cite how you can't criticize Saudi families on Twitter.

That wasn't the claim, if it was one. This is what I wrote:

> A Saudi prince and his family control access to the square, along with a group of incredibly rich investors. Criticism of them is strictly controlled.

We know that certain critical speech is suppressed on the platform, part of the problem is we don't know how much (hence Musk's wish to increase transparency). That does not, however, mean that all criticism is stopped at source. Do you reject, for example, the existence of shadow bans? If not, do you think they are only used against trolls?

As to citations… I'm not giving a viva. If you want me to clarify things I write, you can ask in a normal way.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by andrepd on Monday April 25, 2022 @05:31PM (#31160921)
>Musk's wish to increase transparency

What makes you think that his ownership will increase transparency. He has sued whistleblowers, he has sued and insulted and bullied people he disagrees with, he employs gilded-age tactics against workers who want to unionise... Words are cheap (especially when you're virtue signalling about things which don't impact your bottom line), but actions speak louder.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by brigandish on Monday April 25, 2022 @09:54PM (#31163139)
> he has sued and insulted and bullied people he disagrees with, he employs gilded-age tactics against workers who want to unionise...

Those aren't related to transparency.

> He has sued whistleblowers,

The logic is that Tesla/Musk are suing whistleblowers to silence them because of embarrassing information. Why would Twitter's algorithms be embarrassing to Musk? Or its moderation policies?

> Words are cheap (especially when you're virtue signalling about things which don't impact your bottom line), but actions speak louder.

Exactly, all the more reason to treat words as a special case and not restrict them.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by gorgoiler on Monday April 25, 2022 @04:19PM (#31160044)
Thank you for the thoughtful rebuttal. It’s definitely making me rethink my analogy within your framework.

Long live HN.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by xmprt on Monday April 25, 2022 @05:17PM (#31160749)
> you're comparing speech to actions other than speech in order to justify that speech being curtailed because you don't like it

I think it's more than this. Trump's tweets have had significant real world consequences. Questioning the integrity of the US elections based on no real evidence eventually led to an insurrection at the US Capitol. When someone's speech is actively dangerous, it makes sense to block it, akin to shouting fire in a crowded theater.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by brigandish on Tuesday April 26, 2022 @09:58PM (#31175385)
> When someone's speech is actively dangerous, it makes sense to block it

I can see a thousand ways that could be misused in the aid of authoritarianism. Try speaking it in a German accent, perhaps with "vhere iz your mister Churchill?", and I'm sure you'll see the problem.

> akin to shouting fire in a crowded theater

That was the example given by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr for the clear and present danger test[1] in Schenk vs United States[2]:

> The ruling established that Congress has more latitude in limiting speech in times of war than in peacetime and set out the clear and present danger test, in which Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. indicated that the most stringent interpretations of the First Amendment would not protect a person who causes public panic by shouting “Fire!” in a theater when no fire exists.

I don't see how that test would apply to Trump, even in wartime.

[1] https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/898/clear-and-prese...

[2] https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/193/schenck-v-unite...

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by monksy on Monday April 25, 2022 @03:46PM (#31159648)
He didn't before, still behaved badly, and finally got removed for demonstrating significant harm to the US.

There is no reason to believe that he's changed.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by nerdjon on Monday April 25, 2022 @03:44PM (#31159627)
The chances of him actually complying with any rules? (Well maybe after Musk sets his new rules I guess...).

But Trump broke the rules multiple times and then was trying to get around his first ban. Treating Trump differently would be giving him his account back, I don't see any reason that if you try to get around your ban you should get your account back.

[dead]
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by zimpenfish on Monday April 25, 2022 @04:40PM (#31160311)
> Why would Twitter want to be associated with a guy who attempted to overthrow the US government?

Because there's a better than even odds chance he'll be the next POTUS and if you're a billionaire with a reputation (deserved or no) for sketchiness, why antagonise the party that explicitly supports sketchy billionaires?

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by overtonwhy on Monday April 25, 2022 @05:12PM (#31160675)
Trump will not be eligible to run in 2024 because he engaged in seditious conspiracy against the government. He will be disqualified under the 14th amendment along with his sycophants.

"Fourteenth Amendment

Section 3 No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14/sectio...

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by stale2002 on Tuesday April 26, 2022 @01:52AM (#31164390)
No, thats not going to happen.

The supreme court, which is 6-3 conservative would not let Trump be disqualified like you are suggesting.

Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by MrMan on Monday April 25, 2022 @06:35PM (#31161690)
Because if he succeeds next time you don't want to get executed with the other liberals
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by slg on Monday April 25, 2022 @03:39PM (#31159578)
Well he didn't follow the rules the first time and we should all know by now that Trump is going to change. So what does change, the rules or the equal application of the rules?
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by BurningFrog on Monday April 25, 2022 @04:15PM (#31159971)
Pretty sure Elon will change the rules.
Re:Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources by ratsmack on Monday April 25, 2022 @04:20PM (#31160058)
I suspect they will be more fairly applied than what is currently done.