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The extremely strong freedom of speech laws we have in the US is definitely something we got right. Reading things like this make me really grateful about those
by dev_dull 7y ago
The extremely strong freedom of speech laws we have in the US is definitely something we got right. Reading things like this make me really grateful about those protections.
- HNthrow22 7y agoexcept at the moment we're dealing with highly organized paid misinformation campaigns and widespread propaganda under the guise of free speech. This will not be popular on Hn but in my opinion holding users and platforms responsible for the messages they distribute to millions is the inevitable evolution and future of social media, society has demonstrated the inability to responsibly handle anonymous unchecked mass communication - anti vax is just one example and those consequences (Measles is back) are just the tip of the iceberg.
- jrs95 7y agoAll mainstream media is also guilty of running misinformation campaigns and widespread propaganda all the time as well, so who exactly are we going to hold responsible here? To me it seems like a recipe for giving more power to the people who already have the most.
- dev_dull 7y agoI’m not sure I agree. When they debated how our democracy should function, they were actually quite aware of the power of the mob. How easily swayed and passionate people can become. They built safeguards for it everywhere. But at the end day they agreed that freedom of speech is too important even with all of its dangers.
- DevKoala 7y agoI strongly disagree. There are many ways to combat misinformation that do not involve censorship. There is nothing to applaud about oppression driven government censorship.
- uxcolumbo 7y agoCan you list those methods of combating misinformation? Not trying to be confrontational, just curios to know as I don't know of many and haven't done the research.
- edejong 7y agoAnswering for GP: 1. Education (how to form solid arguments and how to view topics from multiple sides) 2. Plurifomity. By combining people from different social-economic groups. Basically an anti divide and conquer which state sponsored media have driven us towards. 3. Acceptance. Everyone picks their fruits of freedom of speech. Just because the fruits of one are the pains of others does not mean we should throw the baby away with the bath water. 4. New policy and law. The anti-vac movement indicates the necessity of new laws and policies. Perhaps vaccines should be mandatory. Perhaps we should let the anti-vaccers pay for the damages. 5. Work on the public perception of that which is embattled. In this case of anti-vac it is science as a whole. In my opinion we should do loads and loads more of #2, but it seems everyone and everything is in its own filter bubble. We need much more social cohesion.
- jachee 7y agoThe "problem" with your #2 is that only one side wants that. The other side fears losing their privilege/capital/power/reputation and cares not a whit for those they consider sub-human. Putting some foxes into the henhouse won't go well for the hens when it's dinner time.
- edejong 7y agoWell, obviously we can effect change outside of the social networks. We can invite people into dialogues. We can provide them with vision and narrative based on higher principles.
- CompanionCuuube 7y ago> The "problem" with your #2 is that only one side wants that. If this were true, only one side would have wedge issues.
- d0100 7y agoStill better than highly organized misinformation campaigns that you must agree with or go to jail, forced labour camps or death
- aristophenes 7y agoBear with my perhaps unusual opinion. If we want to preserve our freedom, every generation needs to have it threatened to realize its importance, and learn to fight to protect it. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants". If the current generation needs to undergo a propaganda war, it will either fail or rise above like the generations before. And then we will be protected from that particular attack, like our national immunity has grown stronger from a particular type of sickness. If we try to avoid the problem we at best are just weakening ourselves for the next attack, at worst we give up our freedoms in the cause of maintaining them. Fight it out, good ideas kill bad ideas. Live free or die.
- echevil 7y agoIf you read the referenced article in Chinese, you'll see the point of the regulation in China is cracking down illegal activities that often occurs in group chats, e.g. selling illegal stuff, organizing crime. I doubt US would take no actions against these activities.
- rtpg 7y ago>Besides obscene and illegal content, it is not allowed, as this article lists, to post “politically sensitive information”, “spread rumors,” “bring news about Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan that has not been reported by official news channels,” or to publish “military information.” The scope of "illegal activities" is what's at fault here, not the means by which they are enforced. The fact that we can even have this discussion is in itself proof that there's orders of magnitudes of difference in allowed speech.
- echevil 7y agoI didn't see anywhere in the Chinese article that mentioned "politically sensitive information", "bring news about Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan that has not been reported by official news channels", publish “military information.” The sentence "spread rumors" is mentioned in combination with "scamming" and should be focusing on "scamming" part.
- blago 7y agoWe all know what "spread rumors" stands for.
- PavlovsCat 7y agoThe laws are useless when the spirit upholding them evaporates. http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/33151-marriott-employee-fired-for-twitter-error-speaks-out/ http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/33151-marriott-employee-fi... > Jones told the WSJ he wasn’t aware of any instructions on dealing with China. He also said he didn’t fully understand what the issue was about. > “This job was all I had,” Jones also said. “I’m at the age now where I don’t have many opportunities.”