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Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

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Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#381

Post by aaaaaaaaaaa10 »

t0mas88 wrote: post #233
akersten wrote: post #130

I will reemphasize an opinion I expressed on an earlier thread: this is an overtly totalitarian move designed to intimidate and suppress private entities' protected expression, disguised as a reaction to perceived bias (which would still be an invalid pretense for any such order). It's a disgusting attack on an American industry by our own executive.

That own executive will attack any industry he doesn't agree with at any point he pleases. It's how he has done it for years in business and it's how he will do it in politics for as long as he isn't prosecuted and removed from office. As long as the Republicans keep supporting him and have a majority he will just continue to pull more and more crazy stunts and get away with it.

The Supreme Court has ruled that it “does not disable the government from taking steps to ensure that private interests not restrict...the free flow of information and ideas.”

See the case here: https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-44.ZO.html

The full text: "The First Amendment's command that government not impede the freedom of speech does not disable the government from taking steps to ensure that private interests not restrict, through physical control of a critical pathway of communication, the free flow of information and ideas."

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#382

Post by akersten »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #218
akersten wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a government official, you cannot take action to try to impede someone's access to your official statements. That is independent of the platform, and independent of how much work someone has to do to still access the information.

But when Trump tweets, are those official statements? (IANAL, and I don't know. I can see why they might be considered to be so, and I can see why they wouldn't.)

A lot of folks[0] are saying yes, they are official statements. But I'm not a lawyer either.

[0]: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=are+tru...

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#383

Post by roamerz »

JChase2 wrote: post #205
nostromo wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be aware that the DC Circuit leans left, by a lot -- so it's an unsurprising result. The Supreme Court may eventually take one of these cases and come to a different conclusion.

I'm not sure this is the case anymore. McConnell and Trump have been rapidly filling the courts with young, right leaning justices. See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/02/28/thanks-tru...

From my observations left leaning means apply liberal criteria to decisions. Right leaning means adhere to the Constitution and law of the United States of America.

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#384

Post by holler »

kbenson wrote: post #285
holler wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why would Twitter ban their most popular user? not in a million years... they need him just as much as he needs them.

> they need him just as much as he needs them. Not if he's threatening their business, and I think you overestimate how much Trump brings to Twitter. I'm sure he drives a level and engagement and discourse, but that's still going to be there to a large degree even if his account isn't. It's not like people aren't posting news clips about him from other websites all the time. Trump is one of many thousands of popular…

> Twitter is the one preferred platform for Trump to speak to his followers

Funny you mention that, Trump doesn't realize the real power he has to help solve his own problem AND benefit the rest of us, is by lending his voice to a different platform. If, like me, you believe the solution to the stranglehold that the current social cartel has had for the past decade is to build new, competing platforms, and encourage their growth, then it's easy to see how getting Trump to use a different site would be beneficial, regardless of what he's spewing.

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#385

Post by majormajor »

partyboat1586 wrote: post #289
vkou wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who should host this discourse instead? The government? A perfectly impartial Vulcan? CNN? Fox?

It can be a private company it just needs to be regulated. I think you are underestimating how big Twitter is... It's way bigger than CNN its way bigger than Fox in fact those networks regularly quote tweets.

So you suggest the government gets to decide, through your proposed regulatory agency.

Looking forward to an army of bureaucrats making sure every tweet is kosher, then? An agency will last longer, with staff that lasts longer, than any single presidency.

Sounds like a nightmare scenario for an "un-PC" asshole like Trump.

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#386

Post by mundo »

akersten wrote: post #130

I will reemphasize an opinion I expressed on an earlier thread: this is an overtly totalitarian move designed to intimidate and suppress private entities' protected expression, disguised as a reaction to perceived bias (which would still be an invalid pretense for any such order). It's a disgusting attack on an American industry by our own executive.

Thank you; I find it concerning that so much of the response to this has been focused on Twitter's behavior, and so little on the President's. I would hope that even people who think Twitter's fact-check links amount to censorship would agree that Trump would be wrong to censor Twitter in retaliation.

Although, I will say that if you've ever moderated a forum or subreddit, you probably know that when you ban a user for stepping over the line one too many times, "I'm gonna shut this place down!" is a pretty common first response. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and we won't have to find out what happens when the President and the first amendment come to blows.

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#387

Post by javagram »

kanox wrote: post #343
meragrin_ wrote: post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Social media are the broadcasters of this age. I see no reason why they should be exempt from the same rules and regulations as old school broadcasters.

I believe the correct model for large social media platforms (for example above 10m users) is that of a telecom provider. Comcast can't block CNBC or Fox and at the same time nobody assumes that Comcast is responsible for view expressed on the networks it carries

Pretty sure comcast is legally allowed to block CNBC or Fox.

Cable channels regularly get dropped from lineups due to disputes over fees. Here’s a recent example of NBC in threat of being dropped. https://www.pressherald.com/2019/10/02/spectrum-may-drop-nbc... Edit: that link has a paywall, but here’s another discussing cable channels being dropped https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2016/02/14/TV-Q-A-D...

There’s no general right to force cable providers to have your cable channel.

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#388

Post by Avicebron »

kanox wrote: post #360
akersten wrote: post #130

I will reemphasize an opinion I expressed on an earlier thread: this is an overtly totalitarian move designed to intimidate and suppress private entities' protected expression, disguised as a reaction to perceived bias (which would still be an invalid pretense for any such order). It's a disgusting attack on an American industry by our own executive.

As far as I understand stripping these protections from social media companies will strongly encourage them to do far far more editorializing. This is bad for the companies (more liabilities) bad for freedom of speech (fewer views are expressed) and also bad for the president and his party (since social media companies already lean against them). Trump is an idiot.

I can also see it going the other way, over editorializing could easily lead to more competition in the space.

Re: Trump signs executive order targeting protections for social media companies

#389

Post by partyboat1586 »

thwave wrote: post #374
partyboat1586 wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is and isn't fact is for people to decide by themselves based on evidence. Not whatever Twitter decides is the truth. There are very few hard facts in this world especially surrounding politics.

What is and isn't evidence is for people to decide by themselves based on facts?

Again up for people to decide. Let people post facts and their sources in replies rather than have Twitter do it.
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