Free speech?
What are you? Some kind of terrorist?
Twitter removed more than 270,000 accounts for terrorism-related violations in the last six months of 2017 – and most of these were detected by internal tools. According to the anger platform's latest transparency report, which covers 1 July to 31 December 2017, this takes the total removed to date to 1.2 million. In the most …
Tell me anywhere in the world where you actually have free speech.
Or where you actually have free speech (of a kind) like the UK, where that doesn't just means the right to spew lies and propaganda.
The most vocal proponents of free speech are the ones using it to abuse others and make as much cash as possible into the bargain (look at the daily mail and the like for examples)
In twitters case they may have a point, if it were not for the fact that their system seems to be used mainly by world leaders acting like children and the Kardashions.
Think of the children!!
"Tell me anywhere in the world where you actually have free speech."
"Think of the children!!"
on a college campus in the USA [more often than not], if your 'free' speech is in-line with the established political correctness, then it's ok. Otherwise, you get BANNED!
I am concerned that Twitter may easily fall into THAT trap, censoring those opinions it doesn't like. for now, it's terrorism. As for gummint requests for information, you just have to assume they'll comply if you're up to something no good...
And, if you want *TRULY* free speech, there's USENET and IRC.
The bigger problems with censorship happen in the 'political correctness' realm, ALL of the time, from outright bullying to actual policies squelching "unwelcome" opinions. THAT is where the freedom of speech fight needs to happen. Tw[a,i]tter, not so much.
The bigger problems with censorship happen in the 'political correctness' realm, ALL of the time, from outright bullying to actual policies squelching "unwelcome" opinions.
Hah! I happen to agree with your conclusion. But I suspect we may have reached it for different reasons.
I doubt that people who truly seek equality for minorities hate free speech. I strongly suspect that those who want to suppress certain types of free speech have latched onto political correctness as a disguise that many will not question. Suppressing certain types of free speech is the end, and political correctness the pretence used by some to achieve that end.
I agree strongly with John Stuart Mill. Everyone should have the freedom to say anything, no matter how wrong we believe it to be, no matter how offensive we find it (he gives lengthy justifications for this). Everyone. Even you, bob. :)
"I agree strongly with John Stuart Mill."
John Stuart Mill had the good fortune to be brought up in a very upper middle class academic environment and to be found a suitably well paid job that meant he had no economic worries and never had to come into contact with less fortunate people. Whatever his theories, he was so shielded from the everyday reality of Victorian England that I wouldn't rely on him for anything remotely practical.
Also, his views on free speech only applied to people like him. Inferior other "races" like the Chinese or the Indians didn't get a look in. They were barbaric and it was our job to tell them how to run their affairs.
Mill was progressive in some ways, but I doubt he would like Twitter. The wrong people (i.e. not philosopher kings like himself) would be using it.
While I am an absolutist on Free Speech in that anyone has the right to say anything, anywhere I also realize there may very serious consequences based on the content. The mistake often made about Free Speech is there are no consequences; there are. Deliberately cause a panic leading to innocent deaths and you will see what kind of vacation facilities the locals provide for long term vacations. Make threats against someone and see what happens.
"the party in power is allowed to delete the other parties"
a few years ago, back when Putin was first elected in Russia, there was this one Russian guy that posted on the alt.hacker newsgroup. After a few months, he stopped posting. he was occasionally saying anti-Putin kinds of things, didn't like Putin, thought it was the end of everything when he got elected, etc.. I was not convinced back then. Now I'm not so sure...
There is a reason countries like China mandate that every account has a legit, registered name behind it. While at first I thought this was just an attempt to stifle comments about the government by holding people accountable to their laws, its also a way of holding people accountable for other things as well. People are arguable dumb and will listen to almost anything and start believing anything.
The question is where do you draw the line and who draws the line . :( :(
Somebody needs to find Dr. Forbin and have him build an impartial colossus.
They have to talk all about how it was "Terrorists" now because their mountain of, "it's Russian Bots Bull Crapola" didn't work. As one of the thousands of Americans who Twitter closed accounts on for being a "Russian Bot", I'm not letting them get away with it. Jack Dorsey and his Twitter Generals are all about "Censorship". I don't think we should let them squirm out of their mountain of "Russian Bot" BS so quick...