“This petition would destroy Free Republic”
Quite.
Facebook, Twitter, etc are NOT unstoppable juggernauts. I’ve seen enough come & go over the years (since I could follow every posting on Usenet daily). Don’t overestimate their user base. Don’t overestimate their influence.
And don’t overestimate unintended consequences. Remember, FR banned InfoWars etc for YEARS - do we really want to impose “public speech on private presses” rules? no. Don’t. Go. There. You’ll regret it.
“What, you’re one of those ‘get your own press’ types?” Yes indeed. Get on Gab.ai, folks. Register your own website. Use any of the many services out there. Get off Facebook (I have, cold turkey). Get off Twitter (I’ll dump that soon). Liberate yourself from the BS managing those sites. They win because the Right feels beholden to using them. Get off en mass, deny them users, take your speech where it’s wanted.
The ONLY suggestion in support of this petition: push “common carrier” rules, to wit - if a site is going to moderate content, then absolutely hold their feet to the fire for anything that’s illegal, make them responsible for content if they’re going to cull content. Give them a reason to appeal to “common carrier”, where they’re not responsible for what’s posted, and as such leave content the heck alone.
Freedom of the press means you don’t get to use someone else’s - even if they’re really influential with theirs.
We aren't talking about "Presses" we are talking about humongous, billion user mass communications systems that manipulate elections.
I've been saying we need to stomp a mudhole in the existing broadcast media, let alone these mega corp leviathans.
Yes, if your system of communications has the ability to reach hundreds of millions of people, the entire purpose of enshrining free speech as a right, requires this mass communications system to be available to all political points of view.
Were it up to me, i'd be prosecuting the networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN) for biased hiring practices because half their employees aren't conservative.
I would be sledgehammering these people with any legal tool I could fine, and I would not stop beating them until people like Mark Steyn are evening news anchors.
We should have Rush Limbaugh on NBC, Mark Steyn on CNN, Thomas Sowell on CBS, and Sarah Palin on ABC.
They are manipulating the American public with their broadcasting power, and until we force them to stop it, we will never solve the problems we have in this nation.
Lets end this ridiculous slippery slope handringing right now.
1. Facebook, Google, Twitter are ALL International multi-Billion dollar Commumications platforms that governments use for emergency management and community services messages to the public - not much different TELEVISION stations.
2. A number of business sectors (Marketing for instance) actually require employees have a Facebook or Twitter account as a condition of employment to ensure identity authentication, and reputation - not much different than an employer expecting a candidate to have a PHONE number.
Free Republic, a small US based private political forum, does not enjoy such international utility.
Case closed.