Architect of the UK Online Safety Act Calls for Its Complete Repeal

Post by Defletter » Wed, May 20, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC

streetfighter64 wrote: post #20

Defletter wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is where the propaganda surrounding American-style free speech clashes with reality. Many people assume it protects all speech unless it's incitement to imminent lawless action, "fighting words", etc. But that is simply not the case. This is in large part due to how American law doesn't do what it says. Read their First Amendment, actually read it: it's a limitation on Congress. It's become much, much more than…

> Many people assume Oh, did I do that? Where? > This is how you get ... Not really, you're just naming a shopping list of examples of what I mentioned earlier: "USA has many deep problems in their politics", with a very tenuous connection to the laws on speech. > Did you not hear about Mahmoud Khalil? Or Alex Pretti? Ect? I did hear about that, why are you assuming I didn't? Can you explain the connection to the iss…

Post by streetfighter64 » Wed, May 20, 2026, 12:20 PM UTC

Defletter wrote: post #21

streetfighter64 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Many people assume Oh, did I do that? Where? > This is how you get ... Not really, you're just naming a shopping list of examples of what I mentioned earlier: "USA has many deep problems in their politics", with a very tenuous connection to the laws on speech. > Did you not hear about Mahmoud Khalil? Or Alex Pretti? Ect? I did hear about that, why are you assuming I didn't? Can you explain the connection to the iss…

Okay, so let me make the question plain: what would American-style freedom of speech fix for the UK that isn't also a problem in the US despite having said freedom of speech.

Post by Defletter » Wed, May 20, 2026, 12:25 PM UTC

streetfighter64 wrote: post #23

Defletter wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, so let me make the question plain: what would American-style freedom of speech fix for the UK that isn't also a problem in the US despite having said freedom of speech.

If you read my original comment ("actually read it") you'll see I was simply stating that, in my opinion, it is better to not have ridiculous archaic laws on speech than to have them. What problem does having the restrictions on speech that are currently in place in the UK solve? Are you claiming the problems in the USA that you mentioned are because of or despite having freedom of speech? You earlier seemed to claim…

Post by GJim » Wed, May 20, 2026, 1:20 PM UTC

api wrote: post #18

streetfighter64 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Done? I'm having a hard time seeing how not jailing people for objectionable tweets led to the election of Trump (which I'm assuming you're referring to). USA has many deep problems in their politics and if you haven't noticed, have been waging unjust wars for almost their entire history. The recent events are nothing more than a continuation of how it's always been going. If you want to attribute that to free speech…

Are those things because of speech? Or would they be worse if America did not have free speech? Imagine if Trump could outright ban criticism of him or his policies, or if protests against unjust wars could be banned, or if we had UK style libel laws how would the Epstein thing have come out? Everyone who talked about it would have been shut down by lawsuits.

Post by Defletter » Wed, May 20, 2026, 1:39 PM UTC

streetfighter64 wrote: post #26

Defletter wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If all you have to offer is mere ideological preference, then I think this conversation has reached its limit of what it'll be able to achieve.

LOL. At least I'm intellectually honest about my "mere ideological preference" for not restricting speech, instead of trying to somehow construe that free speech is the cause of all the evils in the world.