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Freedom to moderate one's platform is not freedom from consequences for doing so. There will be regulatory, legal, and investigative punishment for Big Tech wit

Freedom to moderate one's platform is not freedom from consequences for doing so. There will be regulatory, legal, and investigative punishment for Big Tech within the next 10 years, as a direct consequence of their style of moderation. It would be more understandable if social media, for example, advertised "only opinions consistent with current left-wing ideology are welcome here", then proceeded to ban anyone presenting right-wing content. But they don't do this. There was a time when Twitter called itself "the free speech wing of the free speech party". In less than ten years, they became a mouthpiece for the government, banning any countervailing thought. People like me will gleefully vote for any politician who promises to punish Big Tech for this doublespeak. And there are way more of me than you would like to believe.

shadowgovt 4y ago
And ironically, such punishment may chip away at the First Amendment also, because the power to punish Big Tech for how it mediates communication is more power in the government's hands to curtail private rights. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but such power has unintended consequences and must be ceded very thoughtfully. We are forever charting a course between a Brave New World and a 1984 future.
- staticman2 4y ago
  The previous president called the news media the enemies of the people and said he wanted to open up libel laws so he can sue the news media and win. A plan to "increase free speech" which actually reduces it would not necessarily be an unintended consequence.