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Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

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Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#381

Post by moduspol »

de6u99er wrote: post #181

It needs to be regulated first by law makers to prevent companies applying arbitrary rules and discriminate clients based on subjective/someone's personal preferences. Countries like Austria and Germany have a law called Wiederbetätigungsgesetz which prevents public display of neonationalistic symbolism or speech. I think such a law would be a great starting point for a new law preventing hate speech and discriminati…

We've survived 244 years as a country without government bureaucrats regulating what is and isn't "hate speech." I don't think we need it now.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#382

Post by lucb1e »

disposekinetics wrote: post #291
twirlock wrote: post #73

I'm glad I degoogled. This kind of thing is why. It wasn't even hard after I got email switched over. If they didn't have a video monopoly, I would never have to use their stuff.

The only thing still tying me to google is Gmail. I'm a bit timid about running my own mail servers.

Any other mail service is already better than Google's. You don't have to host your own to get off Google, if that's what you're aiming for! There are a lot of other trustworthy providers. As someone who hosts their own email, I'd thank you for diversifying.

While, one the one hand, I don't have a lot of trouble with delivery even from a residential IP address and I'd recommend self-hosting, I understand anyone who's hesitant. My mail lands in Google spamboxes much more often than it should (I don't send any automated mail these days, i.e. not even website notifications or anything: everything is hand-written or at least triggered by the person receiving the email; my sending IP has been stable for a decade). Another downside of Google is that they hide the existence of the spam folder and many people will simply never see it and be able to update its filters by replying to me or marking it as not-spam. Heck, some Google-for-corporate mail service even blocks your email at smtp level and there is no recourse. By diversifying receiving servers, at least Google doesn't get to set one standard: if your mail doesn't arrive in a Google inbox, it's currently extremely hard to argue that "but it's google's fault" (when it totally is). Clearly I as an individual have an issue and the big google doesn't.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#384

Post by centimeter »

gilrain wrote: post #92
grahoho wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A reminder that F-Droid banned Gab from their store. https://reclaimthenet.org/f-droid-bans-gab-app/

A reminder that Gab is not a gray area edgecase, but a purpose-built platform for conspiracies and hate speech.

I follow comedians on there that got banned from twitter because they said a bad word.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#385

Post by mike00632 »

limteary wrote: post #354
viro wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When your content is too cancerous for Reddit ...maybe the issue isn't Reddit.

I liked /r/watchpeopledie in a morbid curiosity way.

I know you're just expressing a common curiosity. A friendly reminder that snuff film production is a thing and if a community creates a big audience/market for this stuff then the consequences are horrific.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#386

Post by Mxs2000 »

krapp wrote: post #194
quotemstr wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The danger here is viewpoint based discrimination . It should be illegal for a big platform to shut down certain points of view when these points of view are legal and expressed in a normal manner. You can shut down spam without harming the principle of free expression because you can express any idea in a way that isn't spam. The law gives you a legitimate and stable line that you can draw between allowed and disall…

> It should be illegal for a big platform to shut down certain points of view when these points of view are legal and expressed in a normal manner. Platforms aren't public venues, they're private businesses offering access to a service under terms that serve their interests and business needs first and foremost... terms that everyone agreed to before being able to use the platform. >The law gives you a legitimate and…

Given that they are not operating as neutral public venues then they should also not be afforded protection under Section 230. If they actively moderate they should be fully liable.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#387

Post by notyourday »

antoinealb wrote: post #296
notyourday wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great. Google should become liable for all the illegal content that slips through, all the way to the officers and directors of the company. I think we as the society agree that child porn and child sexual abuse is a criminally punishable offense. A platform in a possession of it clearly is in a possession and distribution of child pornography, hence officers and directors should be charged under those statues.

Isn't that why we have safe harbor laws to encourage platforms to self regulate and collaborate with law enforcement in exchange for not being sued for those violations ? Without those provisions no website could allow user created content, as they would instantly be sued to oblivion. (Standard disclaimer of working for Google)

> Isn't that why we have safe harbor laws to encourage platforms to self regulate and collaborate with law enforcement in exchange for not being sued for those violations ? > Without those provisions no website could allow user created content, as they would instantly be sued to oblivion.

I want to make it clear that I do not have a problem with a safe harbor what so ever.

If Google wants to prevent its users who ask it from being able to access some portion of internet, Google absolutely can do that. That portion of the internet should not be able to go after Google for acting on behalf of the users.

What Google is doing is preventing users that did not ask for that from being able to access that portion of the internet. It is akin to Verizon deciding "that content is bad so we are going to block it in our pipe". If Google wants to do that, then fine it is providing the "clean internet experience" and it should absolutely be punished when it fails at doing that (hosting child porn)

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#388

Post by hinkley »

Retric wrote: post #238
thomascgalvin wrote: post #169

> Like hate speech is bad and it’s not censorship if it’s not mandated by the government. To be fully accurate, this is absolutely censorship , but it's not a violation of anyone's First Amendment rights. People often conflate the two. We can argue about whether or not Google should ban certain opinions on their platform, or where the line should be drawn, but it is arguable that hey have the legal right to do so. An…

Censorship is allowed under the first amendment on obscenity or national security grounds. Private organizations just have more freedom in this area. EX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FCC_v._Pacifica_Foundation

I wonder when someone is going to figure out that obscenity laws violate separation of church and state and are thus unconstitutional.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#389

Post by Proven »

masukomi wrote: post #366
croes wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a clever trick. Make the medium you want to censor a private property than it's legal.

not really. it's just saying "this is mine, it's not public property or a public service, and thus i get to manage it how i want." I think MOST people would agree that that's a reasonable approach. just because a lot of people rely on the google play store doesn't mean it's a public service in the legal sense. It's a very private piece of software that is NOT open source and is very obviously owned and managed by a s…

> side note: monopoly is a separate issue.

I upvoted you but regarding this last sentence - monopoly shouldn't be a separate issue. The same private property rights should apply.

Re: Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

#390

Post by raxxorrax »

thomascgalvin wrote: post #169

> Like hate speech is bad and it’s not censorship if it’s not mandated by the government. To be fully accurate, this is absolutely censorship , but it's not a violation of anyone's First Amendment rights. People often conflate the two. We can argue about whether or not Google should ban certain opinions on their platform, or where the line should be drawn, but it is arguable that hey have the legal right to do so. An…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech

This is actually still a good Wikipedia article to educate yourself.

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