Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

play.google.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 880 posts

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#151

Post by anonacct38 »

post_break wrote: post #4

Wow, is this the great purge? I don’t support certain people, but man I don’t think this is going to end well. This censorship just seems crazy to me.

If wal-mart stops selling a brand of ice cream, is that censorship? Is it censorship that wal-mart doesn't sell playboy in their store?

If not, then why is the removal of an app from the app store censorship? The world wide web still exists. Parler is still on the internet.

Seems like there should be some acknowledgement that there's a difference between refusing to actively participate in distributing content and censorship.

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#152

Post by [deleted] »

dleslie wrote: post #25
kortilla wrote: post #12

It’s pretty coincidental that all of these tech companies are having epiphanies simultaneously now that Democrats will control the house/senate/and presidency. The interesting question is whether they are doing it out fear of anti trust action from Democrats or weren’t doing it for the last four years out of fear of Republicans.

It's almost like there was some sort of catalyst event that occurred very recently that would provoke such a response. /s

[deleted]

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#153

Post by adamsea »

dleslie wrote: post #25
kortilla wrote: post #12

It’s pretty coincidental that all of these tech companies are having epiphanies simultaneously now that Democrats will control the house/senate/and presidency. The interesting question is whether they are doing it out fear of anti trust action from Democrats or weren’t doing it for the last four years out of fear of Republicans.

It's almost like there was some sort of catalyst event that occurred very recently that would provoke such a response. /s

I know. It’s almost like these companies are run by people who are members of society or something. /s

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#154

Post by osgovernment »

systemvoltage wrote: post #21
roberto wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not censorship, it's free market. These are private companies.

Aren't these conservative principles? Like Gov shouldn't have any business in private company's affairs?

Partially, regulation is one thing but being able to kick someone out of your establishment is also part of the law that has been upheld by the Supreme Court and in the constitution. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of communication platforms on the Internet. If Twitter was the only communication platform, then I would be very upset about this decision.

There are some companies that I do not think should be allowed to ban people, like ISPs.. since many times people don't have choices between multiple high-speed ISPs. However, Twitter is not in that same category.

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#155

Post by costsNall »

jpxw wrote: post #28
roberto wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not censorship, it's free market. These are private companies.

You realise that it’s possible for entities outside of the government to censor things, right? That word isn’t only applicable to state actions, and nor should it be.

Sure, by the dictionary definition of censor.

Society is guided by law, not a Webster’s.

At the end of the day, as free people, the people at Google are free to decide who they want to associate with.

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#157

Post by newguy1234 »

marrone12 wrote: post #29
guscost wrote: post #2

Here is my suggestion for Parler’s new moderation plan, which is what at least Apple is demanding: 1. Illegal content is not allowed. That’s it.

Reddit seems to have just as much illegal content. All of this just seems like empty virtue signaling by tech companies way too late to actually change anything.

Most of the big tech companies have been taken over by activist employees anyways. Look at coinbase. They had to do a purge just to get rid of the employees that weren't working and focusing on non-company issues instead.

Palantir also had to completely leave because there was so much pressure being put on them in the valley.

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#158

Post by enkid »

marrone12 wrote: post #29
guscost wrote: post #2

Here is my suggestion for Parler’s new moderation plan, which is what at least Apple is demanding: 1. Illegal content is not allowed. That’s it.

Reddit seems to have just as much illegal content. All of this just seems like empty virtue signaling by tech companies way too late to actually change anything.

I don't know much about parler, but Reddit just removed r/donaldtrump and banned the most egregious mod of r/conspiracy. It's also a much bigger site, so there are going to be more people talking on it, but they are at least taking steps to prevent this kind of content.

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#159

Post by mumblemumble »

post_break wrote: post #4

Wow, is this the great purge? I don’t support certain people, but man I don’t think this is going to end well. This censorship just seems crazy to me.

This decision, in and of itself, doesn't seem particularly unprecedented or untoward to me. Every store, including the Google Play Store, has a right to choose what products it wants to carry, for pretty much any reason whatsoever, including for political reasons. It's probably pretty difficult to find copies of The Turner Diaries in your local Barnes and Noble, and I'd be even more surprised to find a copy of The Vagina Monologues in a Lifeway.

What makes this scary is not that stores are choosing what products to sell. What makes it scary is that, at least in this segment of the economy, there are exactly two stores, and picking at least one of them to shop at is very nearly a precondition for participating in modern society. This gives Google and Apple a degree of influence over peoples' lives that one could quite reasonably recognize as quasi-governmental, and that is worrisome.

Re: Google suspending Parler from the Google Play store

#160

Post by neekleer »

roberto wrote: post #9
post_break wrote: post #4

Wow, is this the great purge? I don’t support certain people, but man I don’t think this is going to end well. This censorship just seems crazy to me.

It's not censorship, it's free market. These are private companies.

The free market approach requires antitrust. It's disingenuous to defer to free market rules when we have big government and big tech so deeply entrenched and largely unchecked.
Post reply on HN