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The reason this is more HN-relevant than your average article on pure American politics is the top comment. Someone suggested to a well-known VC that he could d
by logandavis 10y ago
The reason this is more HN-relevant than your average article on pure American politics is the top comment. Someone suggested to a well-known VC that he could do something about the fact that software he invests in powers the comments on Breitbart, and he said "on it". Something like 5% of Breitbart visits currently come through Disqus. Removing Disqus integration from Breitbart would be a remarkable use of tech industry tools for political activism.
Of course, the fourth Google hit for "Fred Wilson Disqus" is now a post on right-wing reddit clone Voat entitled "F*#%^t Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson who owns Disqus threatening to pull comments from Breitbart website" [0]. So that's a real thing, apparently.
[0] https://voat.co/v/whatever/1603591 https://voat.co/v/whatever/1603591
- humanrebar 10y ago> Removing Disqus integration from Breitbart would be a remarkable use of tech industry tools for political activism. I'm not sure more fracturing of American political discourse would be a beneficial form of 'activism'.
- cronjobber 10y agoActual fracturing wouldn't necessarily be in his interest, but I guess we can assume that's not the goal anyway. The goal would have to be silencing the social media presence of the right, a return to the status quo ante of public discourse.
- fridsun 10y ago> The goal would have to be silencing the social media presence of the right *the alt-right Or, less euphemistically, the neo-Nazi.
- humanrebar 10y agoI'll reference the other thread about 'racism'; I don't know what 'alt-right' even means, so I don't know how to have an opinion about it.
- hsod 10y agowho's fault is that? there's plenty of articles out there, pick one or read a few and synthesize. Or go straight to the source: reddit.com/r/altright (warning: contains explicit white nationalism/anti-semitism)
- humanrebar 10y agoI'm broadly read on the subject. The problem isn't what I've read, it's what the next person or article means by the term. It varies wildly.
- programmernews3 10y agoAgreed. As a thought experiment: Imagine the owner of Google turned out to be a massive Trump supporter. Would it be acceptable to remove Hillary supporting websites during the run up to the election from search results as a political protest?
- 762236 10y agoThe VC clarified in a later comment that he wouldn't ask Discus to drop Breitbart, but that he wants to have a talk with Discus.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- adam419 10y agoCorrection: it would be a remarkable use of tech industry tools for political censorship. When the hell did people forget that free speech also includes the speech you vehemently disagree with, justifiably or not?
- marssaxman 10y agoThe right to free speech constrains only the government. As a private individual or corporation you remain free to censor anything within your power. If Disqus doesn't want to work with Breitbart, they have no obligation to continue working with Breitbart, whether that decision is based on politics or anything else.