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Is the problem of mindless censoring of content the “mindless” or the “censoring”? Or, as the first comment indicated, it’s not really a problem?

smt88 8y ago
The problem, in my opinion, is that Facebook has too much control over public discourse. Whom Facebook does/doesn't censor wouldn't be a big news story in an ideal world. Ignoring that point, Facebook has the right to censor its own platform and, like any human organization, is going to screw it up, sometimes laughably badly.
- gremlinsinc 8y ago
  FB has the right to censor anything, they're a private owned company after all. They could censor anything with a right wing bent at all for example, and it'd be perfectly acceptable, unless the government took over facebook, and we had communism instead of democracy. Freedom of speech only goes so far as the government can't block speech on public land, etc. Private businesses can expel people for using foul language/etc and disrupting other customers.
  - eesmith 8y ago
    I don't think your view is quite right. That is, some private companies operate as common carriers, and therefore are not allowed to censor what their users do. For example, your local phone company cannot censor someone on the basis of their political speech, nor can FedEx refuse to deliver material with a right wing bent. Also, Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins established that "under the California Constitution, individuals may peacefully exercise their right to free speech in parts of private shopping centers regularly held open to the public, subject to reasonable regulations adopted by the shopping centers", and that "under the U.S. Constitution, states can provide their citizens with broader rights in their constitutions than under the federal Constitution, so long as those rights do not infringe on any federal constitutional rights." (Quoting from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruneyard_Shopping_Center_v._Robins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruneyard_Shopping_Center_v._R... .) That is, there can be free speech rights even at a private business.

smt88 8y ago

The problem, in my opinion, is that Facebook has too much control over public discourse. Whom Facebook does/doesn't censor wouldn't be a big news story in an ideal world. Ignoring that point, Facebook has the right to censor its own platform and, like any human organization, is going to screw it up, sometimes laughably badly.

gremlinsinc 8y ago
FB has the right to censor anything, they're a private owned company after all. They could censor anything with a right wing bent at all for example, and it'd be perfectly acceptable, unless the government took over facebook, and we had communism instead of democracy. Freedom of speech only goes so far as the government can't block speech on public land, etc. Private businesses can expel people for using foul language/etc and disrupting other customers.
- eesmith 8y ago
  I don't think your view is quite right. That is, some private companies operate as common carriers, and therefore are not allowed to censor what their users do. For example, your local phone company cannot censor someone on the basis of their political speech, nor can FedEx refuse to deliver material with a right wing bent. Also, Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins established that "under the California Constitution, individuals may peacefully exercise their right to free speech in parts of private shopping centers regularly held open to the public, subject to reasonable regulations adopted by the shopping centers", and that "under the U.S. Constitution, states can provide their citizens with broader rights in their constitutions than under the federal Constitution, so long as those rights do not infringe on any federal constitutional rights." (Quoting from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruneyard_Shopping_Center_v._Robins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruneyard_Shopping_Center_v._R... .) That is, there can be free speech rights even at a private business.