4 ms·

This makes me wonder what would happen if Google went down the same path. Gun range? Sorry you're being removed from Google Maps. In the same vein I understand

This makes me wonder what would happen if Google went down the same path. Gun range? Sorry you're being removed from Google Maps. In the same vein I understand private companies can decide what happens on their platform. It's just this odd morality police structure that seems to be growing stronger and stronger.

drivingmenuts 8y ago
Map information doesn't say anything about a company other than it exists, so it seems there's no speech issue on the part of the company. If Google chooses to suppress, rather than accidentally omit, there might be a commercial issue, though. It would be tough to prove, though. Maps are rarely guaranteed to be accurate at all times.
- dogma1138 8y ago
  Really? how would you feel if Google would remove abortion clinics or family violence shelters from it's search results?
  - drivingmenuts 8y ago
    Depends on whether it was provably intentional or an accidental omission. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If the current government has it's way, we may soon find out anyway and that will be an interesting day. Unfortunately, it means I'm also inconsistent in how the right of free speech is applied. I don't like the idea of people being denied access to abortions. At the same time, I despise and detest anyone who tries to hide behind the color of religion to deny services to people in need of abortion services or even just denying services to LGBTQ people who just want a damn cake. I haven't worked out a consistent framework of thought except to say "I hate assholes, people who are intentionally assholes and to hell with the people who support them."
    - dogma1138 8y ago
      Why shift the goal posts? this is a clear case of policy driven censorship. If Google starts to remove all controversial or touchy subjects from it's search results the end result won't be pleasant. People rely on Google as their main and often single source of information if it's not on Google it may as well not exist. Now if Google should have so much power that's a different question but because they (and the rest of their club) already do how they handle free speech and protected speech is a very hot topic and mucking it with 1st amendment issues is a cheap trick to sweep it under the rag because at this point in time their policies match your own views. Societies tend to oscillate between progressivism and conservatism, Gen Z appears to be one of the most conservative generations in recent history so what happens when Google is filled with these guys instead of millenials? If you allow Google of Facebook to remove content that objectively isn't even remotely related to hate speech or anything that should be controversial like a gun range you essentially open the window for them to do the same thing to things you care about down the line. Eventually Facebook or Google will touch an issue that you care about and would like to censor it and at that point you would have no ground to stand on. And while we can debate about positive and negative freedoms all day long alluding to the rest of your post one thing we can agree with is that to be able to have a discussion we need to preserve the freedom of speech and freedom of speech also includes that everyone should have a platform to voice their views. And i somewhat find the last sentence of your comment ironic: >"I hate assholes, people who are intentionally assholes and to hell with the people who support them." You do realize that that LGBT couple admittedly went to multiple places until the found one that would not serve them, and then made a whole fuss about it which was blown out of proportion because specific bakery apparently did not do custom cakes at all you had to order from a specific set of cakes and design and that's it. They offered them a cake from the available selection but the couple wanted a custom one so they were refused. Now considering they went to other places until they found that one and considering that it's questionable that they were refused service in the first place would you consider them to be assholes? and I don't mean the bakers...

drivingmenuts 8y ago

Map information doesn't say anything about a company other than it exists, so it seems there's no speech issue on the part of the company. If Google chooses to suppress, rather than accidentally omit, there might be a commercial issue, though. It would be tough to prove, though. Maps are rarely guaranteed to be accurate at all times.

dogma1138 8y ago
Really? how would you feel if Google would remove abortion clinics or family violence shelters from it's search results?
- drivingmenuts 8y ago
  Depends on whether it was provably intentional or an accidental omission. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If the current government has it's way, we may soon find out anyway and that will be an interesting day. Unfortunately, it means I'm also inconsistent in how the right of free speech is applied. I don't like the idea of people being denied access to abortions. At the same time, I despise and detest anyone who tries to hide behind the color of religion to deny services to people in need of abortion services or even just denying services to LGBTQ people who just want a damn cake. I haven't worked out a consistent framework of thought except to say "I hate assholes, people who are intentionally assholes and to hell with the people who support them."
  - dogma1138 8y ago
    Why shift the goal posts? this is a clear case of policy driven censorship. If Google starts to remove all controversial or touchy subjects from it's search results the end result won't be pleasant. People rely on Google as their main and often single source of information if it's not on Google it may as well not exist. Now if Google should have so much power that's a different question but because they (and the rest of their club) already do how they handle free speech and protected speech is a very hot topic and mucking it with 1st amendment issues is a cheap trick to sweep it under the rag because at this point in time their policies match your own views. Societies tend to oscillate between progressivism and conservatism, Gen Z appears to be one of the most conservative generations in recent history so what happens when Google is filled with these guys instead of millenials? If you allow Google of Facebook to remove content that objectively isn't even remotely related to hate speech or anything that should be controversial like a gun range you essentially open the window for them to do the same thing to things you care about down the line. Eventually Facebook or Google will touch an issue that you care about and would like to censor it and at that point you would have no ground to stand on. And while we can debate about positive and negative freedoms all day long alluding to the rest of your post one thing we can agree with is that to be able to have a discussion we need to preserve the freedom of speech and freedom of speech also includes that everyone should have a platform to voice their views. And i somewhat find the last sentence of your comment ironic: >"I hate assholes, people who are intentionally assholes and to hell with the people who support them." You do realize that that LGBT couple admittedly went to multiple places until the found one that would not serve them, and then made a whole fuss about it which was blown out of proportion because specific bakery apparently did not do custom cakes at all you had to order from a specific set of cakes and design and that's it. They offered them a cake from the available selection but the couple wanted a custom one so they were refused. Now considering they went to other places until they found that one and considering that it's questionable that they were refused service in the first place would you consider them to be assholes? and I don't mean the bakers...