HOW THE LEFT IS OUTSOURCING CENSORSHIP OF THE INTERNET

Powerline ^ | AUGUST 17, 2018 | John Hinderaker

[SES1066]

Unfortunately, most political conversation these days occurs not on the “free” internet, where independent sites like Power Line reside, but rather on social media–Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and so on. Other players include Google (in its search capacity), Apple, Pinterest, Spotify, etc. Happily–if you are a leftist–all of these tech companies are run by liberals. And because they are private companies, they are not constrained by the First Amendment. They can restrict or ban conservative communications on the ground that they are “hate speech,” or on no grounds whatsoever, with impunity.

[gattaca]

Video on free speech...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_ZAwNoWB_I&feature=youtu.be&blm_aid=20321293

[logi_cal869]

This is my problem:

“And because they are private companies, they are not constrained by the First Amendment.”

Social media is still media. Newspapers and cable news are private companies as well.

If “media” is the new genre for “free press” to act as a bulwark against abridging the 1A then we need to view social media differently, or this will not end well.

[stillfree?]

I closed my Facebook account a few months ago. It just prompts me to do some errand or hobby rather than spend time on Facebook. For close family and friends we do group texts when travelling or doing something fun. I rode my bicycle on some of the famous surf spots in So Cal yesterday and showed the family what the adventure looked like via text. Good fun.

[MUDDOG]

From La Jolla to Leo Carrillo and... up to... Pismo.

[stillfree?]

Yup, I did Trestles and San Onofre. I do Doheney and Dana Point weekly. Very good for the soul.

[MUDDOG]

10-4, Big Daddy!

[FreeReign]

I readily admit to being on the horns of this dilemma, as a libertarian and believer in private enterprise, I abhor governmental intervention here.

Government has already intervened and caused the problem.

Through cronyism it's encouraging Big Tech to become the Big Brother propaganda arm of Big Government. Competition to Big Government is being destroyed. Once this control goes all the way through the infrastructure of the internet and all the way down to your service provider, there will be no competition whatsoever to their power. Big Government will be the ultimate monopoly.

[FreeReign]

I think that even libertarians should be comfortable with action against corporate monopolies when: 1) They act in concert (think cartels and business trusts) to violate human rights. 2) They take up the power of governments (Set the rules of commerce and become law givers. Google’s, Twitter’s Facebook’s and Apple’s private morality has become more powerful than statutory law). 2) Incite violence against citizens who disagree with them by granting asymmetrical free speech rights on their platforms. 4) Collusion to eliminate lawful competition. 5) Defrauding, manipulating and stealing from their customers and shareholders. All of which the “Big 4” have participated in.

The faux libertarian argument that “private companies can run their businesses any way they want” is not supported in statutory or case law in the United States.

Worth repeating.

[upchuck]

The only way to fight them is, to stop using them. Believe it or not, you will survive without Facebook, Twitter, and other liberal, social, media.

Even better, never use them to start with.

If a conservative with the right knowledge decided to start a conservative version of Facebook and Twitter and left off all the tracking, spying, etc., I'd be willing to pay for the service.

Especially considering it would be a private enterprise it would have the ability to filter leftist views.