Asking too much.
In the past couple months, HN users went from “it’s a private company they can do what they want” when Twitter was a public company working with the FBI to enact specific user censorship…
to “OMG Elon banned a handful of journalists, freeze peach was a lie!” when it was a suspension for 12 hours.
Where are all those “it’s a private company they can do what they like” folks now? I haven’t seen that posted recently.
Also, what exactly is the rule you want in place re: banning by social media platforms? Do you have a principle behind your positions that you can articulate?
They were picking a winner and you know it.
Also, you didn't answer the question about principles. I'm still interested in that. I believe I have a rule about social media moderation that I've applied consistently across a wide variety of circumstances. Can you say the same?
Those people were responding to arguments that social media platforms banning people, moderating content or even presenting content under an algorithmic feed were violations of the First Amendment, Section 230 and freedom of speech, by pointing out that all of these actions are allowed by the aforementioned principles and laws.
And notwithstanding that Twitter banning journalists (even for just 12 hours) is a much more serious deal in terms of freedom of speech implications than banning some shitposting Nazis, no one complaining about that is actually claiming that Elon doesn't have the right to do what he's doing, nor are they calling for the government to make it illegal - they're just calling him a hypocrite and an asshole.
This really isn't the dunk you and the countless others who keep bringing it up is, it just demonstrates that the "free speech absolutist" crowd were never arguing in good faith to begin with, because none of them ever bothered to actually listen to or engage with the arguments being made.
I don’t see how suspending a few journalists for 12 hours and being directly able to point to their existing TOS is the same thing.
The bans weren’t 12 hours. They were eventually announced as week-long ones; Musk backed down after backlash and his public poll resulted in a “unban now” vote.
We have every right to point out he promised not to do such things, and that it calls his supposed dedication to free speech into question.
Compared to previously a national media outlet was actually banned for weeks for reporting a completely true story that the US Intelligence bureaucracy decided was in inconvenient to their desired results of an upcoming election.
Fsely equating this isn’t subtle and I don’t believe you are arguing in good faith. Ideologues everywhere.
Come on.
I think to a lot of people it was banged on so hard about the 'free speech absolutist' that he was, until it was suddenly legal speech he didn't like then he cast those people out as fast as he could.
Now if you're those things, you're a "radical right-wing person".
Amazing how when the shoe is on the other foot the victim becomes the oppressor?
When this last happened in the 1960s and 70s, when it was the left that was anti establishment, and didn’t want the Vietnam war, or didn’t want Christian orthodoxy imposed on society, the left was obsessed with free speech and being anti government organisations.
Suddenly no one can think beyond their own party and as long as these organizations interfering with speech are on their side, it’s fine.
People really need to think longer term. It only takes one very determined president or one sided congress and senate to completely change these organisations.