3 ms·

That sounds like an opinion, and I disagree. Electricity, water, natural gas, internet, and district heating are utilities. Facebook isn’t. There are no transm

That sounds like an opinion, and I disagree. Electricity, water, natural gas, internet, and district heating are utilities. Facebook isn’t. There are no transmission lines or pipes running to each Facebook user directly from Facebook, there’s no physical reason that other social networks can’t exist. It’s not a utility just because several billion people use it.

debesyla 4y ago
> internet > no transmission lines > no physical reason that other [social networks] can’t exist Sorry for nitpicking, but you can get internet without transmission lines too (just as phone service) - and it's still an utility :V But I am just nitpicking, sorry :V
cykros 4y ago
It certainly doesn't operate as a utility, but rather, a publisher that relies heavily on editing. And you know what? That's probably fine. BUT...they shouldn't get section 230 protections, which are for common carriers. They can have their cake, XOR they can eat it.
- dragonwriter 4y ago
  > BUT...they shouldn't get section 230 protections, which are for common carriers. No, they are expressly for what would be, under the law without Section 230, publishers. The entire purpose of Section 230 is to allow platforms (and users!) to freely moderate content on based on their own views of what is appropriate without incurring liability as a publisher as would otherwise accrue to those exercise such control of distribution. (Section 230 protections wouldn't be needed for common carriers, who would, as such, be forbidden from exercising the kind of editorial control which would, without a safe harbor, produce the kind of liability from which Section 230 provides a safe harbor.)
heavenlyblue 4y ago
> It’s not a utility just because several billion people use it. Yeah but you can also make the same argument for education: education is not a utility because several billion people like to be educated. Facebook connects people and businesses, groups. It’s basically the same as if someone decided to ban you from using SMS or snail mail or libraries at this point.

debesyla 4y ago

> internet > no transmission lines > no physical reason that other [social networks] can’t exist Sorry for nitpicking, but you can get internet without transmission lines too (just as phone service) - and it's still an utility :V But I am just nitpicking, sorry :V

cykros 4y ago

It certainly doesn't operate as a utility, but rather, a publisher that relies heavily on editing. And you know what? That's probably fine. BUT...they shouldn't get section 230 protections, which are for common carriers. They can have their cake, XOR they can eat it.

dragonwriter 4y ago
> BUT...they shouldn't get section 230 protections, which are for common carriers. No, they are expressly for what would be, under the law without Section 230, publishers. The entire purpose of Section 230 is to allow platforms (and users!) to freely moderate content on based on their own views of what is appropriate without incurring liability as a publisher as would otherwise accrue to those exercise such control of distribution. (Section 230 protections wouldn't be needed for common carriers, who would, as such, be forbidden from exercising the kind of editorial control which would, without a safe harbor, produce the kind of liability from which Section 230 provides a safe harbor.)

heavenlyblue 4y ago

> It’s not a utility just because several billion people use it. Yeah but you can also make the same argument for education: education is not a utility because several billion people like to be educated. Facebook connects people and businesses, groups. It’s basically the same as if someone decided to ban you from using SMS or snail mail or libraries at this point.