> What features make a private website a public square? * The fact that that's what these sites bill themselves as (a place to connect everyone). * Their user

> What features make a private website a public square? * The fact that that's what these sites bill themselves as (a place to connect everyone). * Their user base cross-cuts most demographics (even if the samplings are always representative). > Would people feel differently if platforms were honest and direct about being a private club of some specific kind? Yes. You don't hear much about the government wanting to regulate Reddit, do you? It has roughly comparable number of monthly active users in the US as Twitter (26.4 million vs. 68 million) but it's built around the idea of independently moderated virtual clubs. > If Twitter came out and said they wanted to be a private club for people with progressive views to discuss politics and sundry, would that dampen the criticism of censorship? I think people (and advertising revenue) would move to a different platform.