21–30 of 48 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A foreign country is imposing companies to self-censorship according to their thoughts. It's also not the first time, by a long shot. Fun part Blizzard "has" a motto, "Every voice matters".
"Self-censorship" happens every day. I'm allowed to say whatever I want but I'm not allowed to force someone to give me a platform for my speech. This is not a violation of free speech in any way.
The GDPR has provisions for companies suddenly being flooded with requests, extending the deadlines for responses in those cases.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think in an era where almost all communication happens over a small number of platforms that are controlled by companies, we might have think about that one really hard.
Considering so many are in favor of deplatforming things they don't like we're a long way from this outcome. The last few years of de-platforming have laid the groundwork for the CCP, that's what happens when you don't have principles.
Is there no way to (mostly) automate GDPR responses? I too want to see Blizzard crash, but I don't like abuse of the law, and even less when the law in question has as many upsides as the GDPR.
I'm obviously exaggerating a bit, but for companies like Blizzard that have been continuously developing Battle.net for over two decades, you can bet there are some dark corners in the data pipeline.
I'm very much in support of the protests, I think what Blizzard did was shameful, and I loved seeing the hundreds of memes on their subreddits. I'm not completely against civil disobedience and some tasteful vandalism. But still, that doesn't mean anything goes at the drop of a hat, there's a thin line between solidarity with a cause or a group by a massive number of people, and a mass stampede to smash and destroy all enemies of said cause or group, which can easily lead the whole thing into a ditch, not to mention rob it of all moral standing.
DMCA is the other one that can be abused easily. I've seen people weild DMCA on Reddit like a weapon, attacking entire forums with copyright requests and Reddit automatically taking stuff down and even suspending accounts for "repeat copyright infringement". Always the sign of a poor law, but sometimes useful to expose it. I hope it gets documented well.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What both ways? Freedom of speech and speak out of belief is core to humanity for quite some times now. Money not an excuse to violate it.
So anyone providing a platform owes you "free speech"?
http://bmkgaming.com/statement-on-blitzchung/
> I do think that Blizzard was correct in issuing him a penalty for his actions. They do not want to set the precedent for their official broadcasts being used as political tools. The players agreed to particular rules for behavior, and he violated those rules.
[..]
> All that having been said, there are additional factors at play here. The punishment meted out to Blitzchung is incredibly harsh. I could understand a fine, or even a short suspension from competitive play, but removal from Grandmasters, clawing back the prizes he already earned, and banning him for a full year seems completely overboard to an extent that feels completely unwarranted and unfair.
> I won’t pretend to understand either the intricacies of the geopolitical situation in China and Hong Kong or the full extent of Blizzard’s business interests there, but to me this penalty feels like it is deeply rooted in both. The heavy-handedness of it feels like someone insisted that Blizzard make an example of Blitzchung, not only to discourage others from similar acts in the future but also to appease those upset by the outburst itself.
> That kind of appeasement is simply not something I can in good conscience be associated with. When I learned about the ruling, I reached out to Blizzard and informed them that I no longer feel comfortable casting the Grandmasters finals at BlizzCon. I will not be a smiling face on camera that tacitly endorses this decision. Unless something changes, I will have no involvement in Grandmasters moving forward.
What isn't even mentioned there is that the two casters apparently got fired, too. They didn't know he was going to say that, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe they laughed supportingly, or didn't show enough disapproval, I haven't seen it. But the punishment was extremely heavy-handed and disproportionate at any rate, no matter how you look at it.
Is there no way to (mostly) automate GDPR responses? I too want to see Blizzard crash, but I don't like abuse of the law, and even less when the law in question has as many upsides as the GDPR.
DMCA is the other one that can be abused easily. I've seen people weild DMCA on Reddit like a weapon, attacking entire forums with copyright requests and Reddit automatically taking stuff down and even suspending accounts for "repeat copyright infringement". Always the sign of a poor law, but sometimes useful to expose it. I hope it gets documented well.
> Misrepresentations.—Any person who knowingly materially misrepresents under this section— > (1) that material or activity is infringing, or > (2) that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, > shall be liable for any damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by any copyright owner or copyright owner’s authorized licensee, or by a service provider, who is injured by such misrepresentation, as the result of the service provider relying upon such misrepresentation in removing or disabling access to the material or activity claimed to be infringing, or in replacing the removed material or ceasing to disable access to it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
So anyone providing a platform owes you "free speech"?
They certainly don't, but then you have to be ready to face the consequences of silencing people based on your internal politics (i.e. those people not being your customers anymore, or, in this case, wanting you to delete all the personal data they have on you). ActiBlizz can certainly decide that appeasing the chinese market is worth more to them than the western one, but I don't understand why then their western cu…
This creates an interesting little micro-paradox. Customers in the US claiming they will boycott Blizzard over this situation are precisely why Blizzard is motivated to act in this fashion. Because there would be a mirror situation in China with a vastly larger customer base acting in an equal but opposite fashion. Until people (around the world) can accept individuals behaving in a way they find deplorable, we're only going to end up in a world where the biggest wins. And as the geopolitical status quo changes, that's no longer simply synonymous with USA or even the west in general.
This is one of the many reasons I think the trend of 'free speech is only the government' is so incredibly myopic. People don't consider that the views they support will inevitably also come under fire from the powers that be - and they'll rapidly find themselves facing silencing and censorship with no recourse. Free speech is a value, not an amendment. Dismissing this because it's convenient is something that will only come back to haunt people as the tides shift, which they inevitably do. We should base our values on a system of ethos, not whichever chain of often contradictory positions we think will work as a means to achieve whatever ends we think we're going to get.
[1] - https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-number-of-chinese-game...
[2] - https://newzoo.com/insights/rankings/top-10-countries-by-gam...