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Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

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Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#111
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This underlying principle would argue that democracy itself is unjust...while such an argument is technically true, we have yet to find a better way to structure society. We certainly have found a better way to structure society: a Constitutional government that honors certain principles that even the democratically elected Congress and President can only override with much more than a majority, with judges trusted…

Who writes the constitution, and more importantly, who gives it their assent? Who appoints the judges and decides that they are trustworthy? I'm not arguing for rule by simple majority. I do agree that important things need the consensus of much more than 51% of society (let alone 51% of people who bother to vote). If it were only a simple majority of cloud hosts, text messaging services, email providers, and lawyers…

> I do agree that important things need the consensus of much more than 51% of society (let alone 51% of people who bother to vote).

Even if all the cloud hosts, text messaging services, email providers, and lawyers in America agreed, that's still much less than a simple majority of Americans.

I haven't seen any evidence that a supermajority supports banning Parler, which was the #1 downloaded app on both Google and Apple app stores back in November[1].

1: https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/09/parler-app-store-facebook/

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#113

The way this forum was purged from the internet is making me uncomfortable. I never used Parler, and I really don't care about the fact that it's gone. But the way that a handful of private companies effectively decides who gets to reach an audience and who doesn't is deeply troubling. We're increasingly becoming a world where what is and isn't allowed in the public sphere is controlled by a handful of corporate lead…

nice try blaming the lefties

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#114
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ehhh I've looked at parler out of curiosity. Basically full of hate, conspiracy, calls for violence, blatant racism "kill blacks" type stuff. I'm amazed companies were willing to work with them in the first place. Providing services to a company like that is like providing service to the KKK

Is this speech illegal?

[deleted]

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#115

The way this forum was purged from the internet is making me uncomfortable. I never used Parler, and I really don't care about the fact that it's gone. But the way that a handful of private companies effectively decides who gets to reach an audience and who doesn't is deeply troubling. We're increasingly becoming a world where what is and isn't allowed in the public sphere is controlled by a handful of corporate lead…

I don’t think the goal of banning these folks is to change the banned person’s mind. It’s to slow down the spread of the banned person’s rhetoric. To your suggestion that folks who witness the ban take place suspecting “there’s something afoot”, while that could be right, I’d bet that’s a much smaller number than the number of folks who would’ve otherwise seen the rhetoric and came around to agreeing with it, if not reinforcing their own.

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#116
post #107
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this speech illegal?

Hate speech, discriminatory speech and defamation, lots of speech is criminal. It depends on context and intent, for which misguided tolerance for bullying we're now witnessing. For especially bad cults, ie. Germany banned Nazi symbols and speech. Policy is made in a context, not just blind ideology.

What are tech companies liabilities for hosting criminal speech?

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#117
post #99

When several vendors drop the same customer at the same time, and there are no state attorneys general bringing legal actions (and thus no grounds to assert illegal activity), then it seems like conspiracy to destroy a business, and a likely cause of action for tortious interference and possibly a RICO violation.

You’d have to prove conspiracy, but there’s no reason to believe any of these businesses conspired with each other.

Why did my other comment, that the timing is a possible proof of conspiracy, get flagged?

Can someone enlighten me -- in what way does that violate site guidelines?

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#118
post #99

When several vendors drop the same customer at the same time, and there are no state attorneys general bringing legal actions (and thus no grounds to assert illegal activity), then it seems like conspiracy to destroy a business, and a likely cause of action for tortious interference and possibly a RICO violation.

You’d have to prove conspiracy, but there’s no reason to believe any of these businesses conspired with each other.

Why did my question get flagged as well?

One of the moderators or someone with flagging power is rather quick on the flagging button.

Seems like downvoting would be more appropriate, especially given the context of this discussion.

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#119

The way this forum was purged from the internet is making me uncomfortable. I never used Parler, and I really don't care about the fact that it's gone. But the way that a handful of private companies effectively decides who gets to reach an audience and who doesn't is deeply troubling. We're increasingly becoming a world where what is and isn't allowed in the public sphere is controlled by a handful of corporate lead…

nice try blaming the lefties

I don't really blame the companies doing the bans. In fact, if I were in their position I'd probably do the same thing. The pressure to do something would probably outweigh my suspicions that the bans are ultimately counterproductive.

If I were to place blame on something, it'd have to be the increasing conflation of hosting content with approving or agreeing with said content. E.G. Facebook gets decried as a conservative echo chamber by left leaning people who point at right wing content they find offensive or extreme. And then it gets decried as a leftist echo chamber by right leaning people who see left wing content on the platform they find extreme and objectionable. In reality people should see that Facebook is a platform, and the content on Facebook is made up of individual people's views. It's a mirror of society. If we see something we don't like we should talk to the people we see in the mirror, not ask the mirror to hide them.

Re: Parler CEO Says Service Dropped by “Every Vendor” and Could End His Business

#120
post #99

When several vendors drop the same customer at the same time, and there are no state attorneys general bringing legal actions (and thus no grounds to assert illegal activity), then it seems like conspiracy to destroy a business, and a likely cause of action for tortious interference and possibly a RICO violation.

You’d have to prove conspiracy, but there’s no reason to believe any of these businesses conspired with each other.

@dang why are these responses being flagged?
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