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Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

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Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#61

Post by cnlwsu »

the_drunkard wrote: post #34

This action doesn't hold up to historical treatment of other apps /platforms. Was Facebook banned from app stores when shooters live streamed on their platform? Was Twitter banned from app stores when calls for violence against Nick Sandmann were spreading? Was Youtube banned from app stores when it was discovered that child predators were lurking in the comments and exploiting underage children?

Facebook deleted and moderated the shooters content. Twitter and youtube also both delete and moderate content that violates reasonable TOS that overlaps with apples and googles terms of service. Comparison isn’t even remotely the same. Parler had posts inciting violence and refuse to moderate

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#62

Post by awak3ning »

threeseed wrote: post #35
awak3ning wrote: post #21

As someone who enjoys technology and liberty this is a very disturbing development. We do not have a well diversified portfolio of options of tools and platforms for communication due to corporations monopolizing and conspiring together to concentrate power. I do not imagine that this will end positively.

This is nonsense. Web is as open and free as it has ever been. Arguably more so given that the barrier to entry e.g. cost for creating and promoting a site has come down. And we have examples such as Parler and TheDonald.win. You just don't have a right to demand that the Facebook and Apple's of the world help to amplify your voice.

threeseed, I do not believe that you have an accurate mental model of the world or technology and social platforms in particular.

It could be argued that "the web is as open and free as it ever has been", but I do not think this argument could be made honestly. Even though many of the mechanisms for accessing websites exist as they did many years ago, the "surface area" of the internet that most people are able to discover and access is significantly reduced due to search engine algorithms (which are monopolies) and advertisement allowing individuals to pay for traffic and attention. Moreover, in the present moment we are near a peak level of intrusive data collection and surveillance.

Do you truly believe that the web for the average user in 2020 is as free as the web for the average user in 2000? Please give it some thought (15-30 minutes of quiet reflection) and let me know what you think.

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#63

Post by archi42 »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #5

This is the Night of The Long Knives 2.0.

I am not sure how you're seriously considering this comparison. The actions by Apple, Google or Twitter are not a massacre on the political enemy (in fact, I don't consider companies to have political enemies beyond the SEC and other regulatory instances). It's not even a call to murder anyone. On the other hand, the "Nacht der Langen Dolche" was a coordinated massacre of (among others victims?) political enemies, with the goal to reinforce the political power of a discriminatory regime (which, just to be perfectly clear, was governed by an ideology that openly planned and then proceeded to kill of millions of human beings). That killing blow on the German democracy is a different league, even compared to the recent attack on democracy the world witnessed in DC (an attack on the elected representatives of the US, fueled by the elected president, so there are some parallels, but not the ones you intended to point out?).

Some (imho much too large) companies getting their act together and moving in against hate speech and people outright calling for the killing of their political enemy, however, is not about murdering people. (I guess[!] it's about covering their ass, because mentioned regulatory instances will investigate why it became so easy to spread wild murder fantasies across the Internet and into the real world. With, surprise, people getting killed and democracy seriously endangered).

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#64

Post by jcranmer »

TigeriusKirk wrote: post #6

I'd really hoped for de-escalation, but we're going in exactly the opposite direction.

The people who want to see Trump commit a coup and were disappointed that the sedition on the 6th failed to effect that were already calling for violence on the 20th. While they won't succeed in effecting the coup on the 20th either, there is a very real chance that violence will happen and people will die as a result.

Those people were already planning for violence before any of the deplatforming started. The only way you're going to deescalate the situation is either to give in to the terrorists and give them a Trump coup, or you're going to have to convince them that violence is not going to be tolerated and the underlying grievance is not worth it. The latter probably requires Trump (and only Trump can be the standard bearer at this point, and I'm not even sure he could pull this off) admitting that the election was not fraudulent and that he has been lying to his supporters, in addition to calling for legal punishments to those that committed violence in his name. If you haven't noticed, those were pretty much the exact opposite of what he chose to do in the brief time he had access to Twitter today.

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#65

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

archi42 wrote: post #63
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #5

This is the Night of The Long Knives 2.0.

I am not sure how you're seriously considering this comparison. The actions by Apple, Google or Twitter are not a massacre on the political enemy (in fact, I don't consider companies to have political enemies beyond the SEC and other regulatory instances). It's not even a call to murder anyone. On the other hand, the "Nacht der Langen Dolche" was a coordinated massacre of (among others victims?) political enemies, wi…

This is a coordinated silencing political enemies, with the goal to reinforce the political power of a discriminatory regime.

You are banned on Twitter and Facebook, you can not have your own app, your web hosting will drop you (they call on Cloudflare to drop thedonald), they'll revoke your domains and ssl certificates... Literally giving you no options at all to speak online, CCP style.

So the only difference here is that the political opponents are merely silenced instead of massacre. To think of it further, if you control all sources of information, you can not stop at silencing, no one will know if you kill them anyway - and even if they do, and somehow post about it, just write 'this has already been debunked', and a nice factcheck banner.

This is an incredibly sad day for all world and a turn for the worse. You'll see.

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#66

Post by holler »

cafed00d wrote: post #56
holler wrote: post #10

Is there any argument for anti-competitive behavior here? It's weird because Google/Apple don't directly compete with Parler or other alternate social media sites, but they are clearly in the same bed with those who do, Facebook, Twitter. For instance Jack Dorsey recently admitted that his employees coordinate with employees at the other big tech companies on moderation actions. I'm just wondering what if any legal c…

There is absolutely nothing competitive about coordinating about moderation policies. If Twitter and Facebook software engineers were coordinating about what rules to define in their respective orgs for a company-wide JavaScript linter then that would not be considered anti-competitive. That is precisely what content moderation policies are — rules to prevent filthy code from perpetuating. Filthy code can sometimes c…

That's true re: moderation. I guess I'm more curious about the fact that Google/Apple have an effective monopoly on "app stores". I need to read the details but what were the exact violations that caused Parler to be removed? Can they be reinstated if they resolve the issue? The timing is what feels suspicious and politically motivated.

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#67

Post by illuminati1911 »

lame-robot-hoax wrote: post #4

Oddly enough, if Storm Front tried to put an app on the Google Play Store, I don’t think many would be up in arms over it being removed. Yet when they remove an app used to coordinate the invasion of the capitol building by people with pipe bombs, molotovs, guns, zip ties, bats, etc. it’s suddenly not acceptable? An app that has people openly calling for death to US congressional leaders and the Vice President, and t…

Twitter, Youtube and Facebook were also used to coordinate last years Antifa/BLM riots that caused 25-ish deaths, hudreds or thousands of injuries, uncountable financial damage to government, local businesses, homes yet this was never a problem.

Also cartels and terrorist groups have used these platforms to spread their propaganda for a decade now with barely any censorship.

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#68

Post by tzs »

Yetanfou wrote: post #58
threeseed wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So when will Signal and Telegram be targeted and banned They won't. Because neither is promoting the use of its platforms for illegal behaviour. Or refusing to take responsibility if such behaviour is found. Parler CEO said "I don't feel responsible for any of this and neither should the platform".

Twitter was and is used to coordinate illegal behaviour, the riots of last summer are a good example. When will Google and Apple ban Twitter? They won't. The question is why Twitter is allowed on these platforms but not Parler or Gab or whatever other Twitter-competitor.

Twitter moderates user content. They have suspended or banned a large number of accounts for calling for violence, or even for wishing ill upon people (e.g., a lot of people got suspended for Tweeting when Trump got COVID that they hoped he would die from it).

Parler does not. There are numerous accounts on Parler calling for the killing of Pelosi, Biden, Pence, Chief Justice Roberts, assorted judges that ruled against Trump's lawsuits, state and local election officials, Republican governors and legislators who are not fighting hard enough for Trump, and numerous others. There were numerous accounts their calling for storming the Capital on January 6th and stopping the electoral vote counting using any force necessary to achieve this.

In short, Twitter is not banned because Twitter tries to comply with Apple's and Google's requirements to moderate user content and remove threats of violence, and Parler is getting banned because they do not.

Re: Google Bans Parler from the Google Play Store

#69

Post by _y5hn »

ng12 wrote: post #44
threeseed wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is nonsense. Web is as open and free as it has ever been. Arguably more so given that the barrier to entry e.g. cost for creating and promoting a site has come down. And we have examples such as Parler and TheDonald.win. You just don't have a right to demand that the Facebook and Apple's of the world help to amplify your voice.

So to be clear: Facebook allowed Trump to win in 2016 but them censoring him in 2020 isn't a concerning form of censorship? I think we're past the point were we have to admit social media and the tech monopolies aren't just websites anymore.

The context is 2021 and after treason.
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