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Traster ◴[] No.23322571[source]
I think this is going to be a discussion thread that is almost inevitably going to be a shitshow, but anyway:

There are people who advocate the idea that private companies should be compelled to distribute hate speech, dangerously factually incorrect information and harassment under the concept that free speech is should be applied universally rather than just to government. I don't agree, I think it's a vast over-reach and almost unachievable to have both perfect free speech on these platforms and actually run them as a viable business.

But let's lay that aside, those people who make the argument claim to be adhering to an even stronger dedication to free speech. Surely, it's clear here that having the actual head of the US government threatening to shut down private companies for how they choose to manage their platforms is a far more disturbing and direct threat against free speech even in the narrowest sense.

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1. chlodwig ◴[] No.23327986[source]
Free speech for all political factions on major public forums is the cooperate-cooperate quadrant of the prisoner's dilemma. If forums controlled by the blue faction defect and start censoring the red faction, the red faction needs to threaten to retaliate in order to scare the blue faction into cooperating again. It's simple tit-for-tat. This is game theory 101.

Surely, it's clear here that having the actual head of the US government threatening to shut down private companies

The United States President has neither the authority nor power to start censoring Twitter on his own. Right now, Jack Dorsey has far more power over allowed public speech in America than Donald Trump.

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2. perl4ever ◴[] No.23332010[source]
A lot of people have been wrong about what the current President could or would do. Ann Coulter comes to mind.

It's not really clear why other people enable the President, which is the underlying reason why you can't reassure people that he's ineffectual.

3. likeclockwork ◴[] No.23333122[source]
Why does the "red faction" control no forums? Doesn't that seem odd to you? There's no reason they couldn't. Why don't forums aligned with their values attract broad participation?
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4. whateveracct ◴[] No.23334235[source]
> The United States President has neither the authority nor power to start censoring Twitter on his own. Right now, Jack Dorsey has far more power over allowed public speech in America than Donald Trump.

Exactly! This is American Civics 101. When you become President, you lose things because you have power. You and I have more legal authority to restrict speech than the President.

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5. chlodwig ◴[] No.23336771[source]
I don't have more power to restrict speech than the President, but Jack Dorsey does. Jack Dorsey has total control of one the two most important internet speech utilities in the world, President Trump has no Constitutional powers to ban people on Twitter or Facebook or anywhere else.
6. chlodwig ◴[] No.23336874[source]
The inner party of the "blue faction" is the network of people who really like coordinating and taking over and running institutions. Here is a good article from just the other day on how it works: https://archive.vn/87OEG The "outer party" of the "blue faction" are those people who go along with what those institutions say and do. The "red faction" is the unwashed masses who are generally busy with their own lives, who haven't gotten with the program, haven't been bought off and whine about how the "blue faction" controlled institutions and bureaucracies are screwing them over.