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707 points patd | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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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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clairity ◴[] No.23330267[source]
it's clearly impossible for trump to shut down twitter. he doesn't know how his own government works and doesn't care to know, because his goal is entirely self-promotion and personal profit. he's not a hard person to figure out.

it's more concerning that people are taking it seriously enough to create so much chatter. it's not even a free speech issue, insofar as twitter is not a government entity. there's literally no 'there' there.

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1. wmeredith ◴[] No.23332182[source]
This. He's selling to his base, not Twitter.
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2. taylus ◴[] No.23332862[source]
Exactly. This fits right into his playbook of (1) cry loudly about something and say you’re going to take action (2) do nothing while his base gets pumped on how Trump is “hard on Twitter” and not putting up with their obvious bias (3) the next scandal drops in a week, everybody moves on and forgets.