Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
1–10 of 89 posts
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#2It's absolutely a threat to free speech, but I don't think the article goes far enough. Consider the following from Randall Munroe: https://xkcd.com/1357/
On the surface, he's right. You don't have to listen to what you don't want to. On the other hand, I have seen his comic frequently cited as justification for not ignoring, but actively hunting down and quashing dissent. In many oppressive regimes, it's not the government enforcing speech restrictions, but rather the party and its independent zealots.
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#3Another poster hit the nail on the head in a related thread earlier today https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15152412
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#4It's absolutely a threat to free speech, but I don't think the article goes far enough. Consider the following from Randall Munroe: https://xkcd.com/1357/ On the surface, he's right. You don't have to listen to what you don't want to. On the other hand, I have seen his comic frequently cited as justification for not ignoring, but actively hunting down and quashing dissent. In many oppressive regimes, it's not the gov…
Ok, private entities can refuse you business--or can they? The court system told us that we actually do have to bake that cake. In other words, we can't selectively serve customers based on our disagreements with their personal lives or politics.
But if you're a libertarian congressman, and Google doesn't like your videos, apparently that is not the case anymore.
If you dont think these infringements on free speech will be used to serve the 1%, empower authoritarianism, and be selectively applied: you are already wrong.
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#5It's absolutely a threat to free speech, but I don't think the article goes far enough. Consider the following from Randall Munroe: https://xkcd.com/1357/ On the surface, he's right. You don't have to listen to what you don't want to. On the other hand, I have seen his comic frequently cited as justification for not ignoring, but actively hunting down and quashing dissent. In many oppressive regimes, it's not the gov…
Ok, private entities can refuse you business--or can they? The court system told us that we actually do have to bake that cake. In other words, we can't selectively serve customers based on our disagreements with their personal lives or politics. But if you're a libertarian congressman, and Google doesn't like your videos, apparently that is not the case anymore. If you dont think these infringements on free speech w…
That's a bit of a false equivalence. Hate speech and harassment are not equal to being openly gay.
I agree with your last point, care to explain more?
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ok, private entities can refuse you business--or can they? The court system told us that we actually do have to bake that cake. In other words, we can't selectively serve customers based on our disagreements with their personal lives or politics. But if you're a libertarian congressman, and Google doesn't like your videos, apparently that is not the case anymore. If you dont think these infringements on free speech w…
That's a bit of a false equivalence. Hate speech and harassment are not equal to being openly gay. I agree with your last point, care to explain more?
Uh huh. And what exactly is "hate speech"? Black lives matter? White lives matter? The NRA? Abortionists?
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ok, private entities can refuse you business--or can they? The court system told us that we actually do have to bake that cake. In other words, we can't selectively serve customers based on our disagreements with their personal lives or politics. But if you're a libertarian congressman, and Google doesn't like your videos, apparently that is not the case anymore. If you dont think these infringements on free speech w…
That's a bit of a false equivalence. Hate speech and harassment are not equal to being openly gay. I agree with your last point, care to explain more?
>hate speech != speech professing homosexuality
I have never come across anything Congressman Paul has said that is remotely close to qualifying ads hate speech. He is actually all about granting individuals rights and freedoms. Can you explain?
But anyways, is it really a false equivalence, or is the false equivalence based on newly-invented terms? In other words, even if we both agree we dont like what currently qualifies as hate speech; if we start the process of compartmentalizing speech into acceptable and unacceptable baskets, what is going to stop it? After they finish with Ron Paul and libertarians, who is next up to be silenced?
Now you may think, 'they're just crushing a the alt right and moving on towards libertarians.' "I won't protest because I find the alt right repulsive, and I am not a libertarian."
So tell me, when is the time to protest? When "there's no one left to speak for me?"
To me, we need to protect free speech, not to protect hate speech, but to protect the right to say things unacceptable to say, even if your government, or Google, or anyone, doesn't want you to say it. If you care about the 90%, this fundamental right will always be one of the strongest safe-guards possible against authoritarianism.
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#8It's all good, just reinforces that they never were free platforms to begin with. Free speech has always been an illusion, society always ostracises those who go against the status quo anyway.
Seriously though, you can use neo-Nazis to justify censorship, but then what about the less extreme alt-right? How about the slightly less extreme religious right? How about economically right-wing libertarians? Neo-conservatives? Where do you draw the line? At what point do you decide to move the line slightly one way or the other? This is the problem. You'll always need to draw the line, and wherever you draw it, you're essentially imposing your worldview since your worldview governs where you think that line should be.
And for the record, I don't think tech companies are akin to utilities, they can do what they want within the law, but just drop the charade that their platforms were ever totally free...
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#9I say yes. Because you probably disagree with what most people will call hate speech. Criticism of religion, criticism of some historical events, is considered by some as hate speech.
Ex-muslims routinely complain that youtube censors their videos criticizing islam. Videos of brutality (that often contains legal proofs of crimes) are removed if they are used by some hate groups, even if the intent of the recorder was to denounce violence.
In France, hate speech laws are now extended to jail terrorism apologists. OK, why not, I don't have a lot more love for them than I have for nazis. But we are also at war with ISIS, that is labeled a terrorist group. So taking its defense potentially leads to jail and censorship (it has already, actually)
And this is a worrying situation for a democracy: we are at war but we can't have a debate on the justification of that war, because such a debate would require making arguments in favor of ISIS, which is illegal.
Remember, fascism is an ideology that comes from many sides. It is not because there is a racist buffoon in the white house that we must not watch the other fronts it could come from.
Re: Tech companies declare war on hate speech and conservatives are worried
#10It's absolutely a threat to free speech, but I don't think the article goes far enough. Consider the following from Randall Munroe: https://xkcd.com/1357/ On the surface, he's right. You don't have to listen to what you don't want to. On the other hand, I have seen his comic frequently cited as justification for not ignoring, but actively hunting down and quashing dissent. In many oppressive regimes, it's not the gov…
Ok, private entities can refuse you business--or can they? The court system told us that we actually do have to bake that cake. In other words, we can't selectively serve customers based on our disagreements with their personal lives or politics. But if you're a libertarian congressman, and Google doesn't like your videos, apparently that is not the case anymore. If you dont think these infringements on free speech w…
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