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This does not work. Example: I want to set up a forum where people can discuss a specific topic. Such as the Arch Linux forum, or ones for vehicles (https://ww

This does not work. Example: I want to set up a forum where people can discuss a specific topic. Such as the Arch Linux forum, or ones for vehicles (https://www.ninja400riders.com/ https://www.ninja400riders.com/, https://www.civicx.com/forum/ https://www.civicx.com/forum/). I am clearly not a publisher; I do produce content and do not want to produce content. So I am a platform. Am I no longer allowed to decide what is acceptable on my platform? Even if I am running a forum about the Ninja 400 motorcycle, I now have to allow people to post about their Toyota Corolla or about how vaccines cause autism or the earth is flat? What about if I want to moderate the forum to keep discussion on topic and I need to delete trolling or spam, or lock/delete threads that devolve into political fighting among forum members? You can't have platforms without moderation.

mc32 6y ago
Metrics might matter. Exceptions for non profit (no ads) or orgs under undetermined amount of monthly active users?
- tylerhou 6y ago
  That still doesn't answer the question — as soon as my forum gets popular, I can't moderate anymore? Do I limit the number of users so that I never hit these metrics? If I'd have to be non-profit (which doesn't mean no ads, by the way), then this kills a lot of business models.
  - snerbles 6y ago
    > Do I limit the number of users so that I never hit these metrics? A darkly amusing solution to Eternal September.
  - mc32 6y ago
    Right. After certain revenue or certain viewership or commercialization you have new responsibilities.
juniper_strong 6y ago
>> You can't have platforms without moderation The cell phone network is a platform and it has no moderation. If you want to decide what is acceptable content, you're not a platform, you're a publisher. A stated rationale for protecting internet platform providers was to provide true diversity of political discourse. It wasn't to make it easy to run a forum for Ninja 400 motorcycle fans. You want to moderate content, fine, you're a publisher and you should be liable for the content you publish. The same way you would be if you published that content as a newspaper or magazine instead of over the internet.
- khuey 6y ago
  > A stated rationale for protecting internet platform providers was to provide true diversity of political discourse. Citation needed. The most prominent case that led to the passage of section 230 was the decision in Stratton Oakmont, Inc. v. Prodigy Services Co. which had nothing to do with politics.
  - juniper_strong 6y ago
    The "Findings" passage of section 230 itself called out the internet as "a forum for a true diversity of political discourse".
- jolmg 6y ago
  I think you both have a different idea of what a platform is. Given your idea of a platform, I think web forums are neither platform nor publishers, so where does that leave them? To be clear, it's not fair to classify them as publishers. Newspapers and magazines are not mediums of discussions like forums are, they're compilers of articles that people spend days to write and submit for approval. To use an offline metaphor, forums are like clubs where people meetup in a room and have informal discussions about the topic of the club. Such clubs often have someone acting as a moderator, since if discussions derail from the club topic then the host of the club will become disinterested, as well as potential newcomers who have an interest in the club topic. In my opinion, if a club must be classified as either a "platform" or a "publisher", I think the word "platform" fits better. However, you consider platforms as being limited to communication mediums like postal mail and phone networks. If that's the case, then I think clubs classify as neither.
AnHonestComment 6y ago
It sounds like what you want is to publish an anthology of submitted content, all about Ninja 400s. The behavior you describe is simply automating an existing business practice: acting as an editor when deciding what’s included in an anthology. That’s fine — but it makes you a publisher, not a platform.
- davorak 6y ago
  > The behavior you describe is simply automating an existing business practice: acting as an editor when deciding what’s included in an anthology. Forums are typically about back and forth communication among community members that does not match the business practice of publishing an anthology or how anthologies typical work.
  - AnHonestComment 6y ago
    Late reply: Counter-examples would be anthologies of the Anti/Federalist essays or topical anthologies of newspaper editorials. Was your point that a newspaper editor picking letters to publish would be a better example? I don’t think that contradicts my point that we’re discussing automating established printing practices.

mc32 6y ago

Metrics might matter. Exceptions for non profit (no ads) or orgs under undetermined amount of monthly active users?

tylerhou 6y ago
That still doesn't answer the question — as soon as my forum gets popular, I can't moderate anymore? Do I limit the number of users so that I never hit these metrics? If I'd have to be non-profit (which doesn't mean no ads, by the way), then this kills a lot of business models.
- snerbles 6y ago
  > Do I limit the number of users so that I never hit these metrics? A darkly amusing solution to Eternal September.
- mc32 6y ago
  Right. After certain revenue or certain viewership or commercialization you have new responsibilities.

juniper_strong 6y ago

>> You can't have platforms without moderation The cell phone network is a platform and it has no moderation. If you want to decide what is acceptable content, you're not a platform, you're a publisher. A stated rationale for protecting internet platform providers was to provide true diversity of political discourse. It wasn't to make it easy to run a forum for Ninja 400 motorcycle fans. You want to moderate content, fine, you're a publisher and you should be liable for the content you publish. The same way you would be if you published that content as a newspaper or magazine instead of over the internet.

khuey 6y ago
> A stated rationale for protecting internet platform providers was to provide true diversity of political discourse. Citation needed. The most prominent case that led to the passage of section 230 was the decision in Stratton Oakmont, Inc. v. Prodigy Services Co. which had nothing to do with politics.
- juniper_strong 6y ago
  The "Findings" passage of section 230 itself called out the internet as "a forum for a true diversity of political discourse".
jolmg 6y ago
I think you both have a different idea of what a platform is. Given your idea of a platform, I think web forums are neither platform nor publishers, so where does that leave them? To be clear, it's not fair to classify them as publishers. Newspapers and magazines are not mediums of discussions like forums are, they're compilers of articles that people spend days to write and submit for approval. To use an offline metaphor, forums are like clubs where people meetup in a room and have informal discussions about the topic of the club. Such clubs often have someone acting as a moderator, since if discussions derail from the club topic then the host of the club will become disinterested, as well as potential newcomers who have an interest in the club topic. In my opinion, if a club must be classified as either a "platform" or a "publisher", I think the word "platform" fits better. However, you consider platforms as being limited to communication mediums like postal mail and phone networks. If that's the case, then I think clubs classify as neither.

AnHonestComment 6y ago

It sounds like what you want is to publish an anthology of submitted content, all about Ninja 400s. The behavior you describe is simply automating an existing business practice: acting as an editor when deciding what’s included in an anthology. That’s fine — but it makes you a publisher, not a platform.

davorak 6y ago
> The behavior you describe is simply automating an existing business practice: acting as an editor when deciding what’s included in an anthology. Forums are typically about back and forth communication among community members that does not match the business practice of publishing an anthology or how anthologies typical work.
- AnHonestComment 6y ago
  Late reply: Counter-examples would be anthologies of the Anti/Federalist essays or topical anthologies of newspaper editorials. Was your point that a newspaper editor picking letters to publish would be a better example? I don’t think that contradicts my point that we’re discussing automating established printing practices.