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> hate speech is constitutionally-protected free speech. > mocking presidents ditto. The only things that are actively illegal in the US on the list in the

> hate speech is constitutionally-protected free speech. > mocking presidents ditto. The only things that are actively illegal in the US on the list in the article are CSAM and copyright infringement. There are examples that are illegal in other countries, but in the US, vanishingly little speech can be illegal.

machina_ex_deus 4y ago
I don't think HN is the DMCA fans crowd, so what exactly triggered everyone? The hate speech?
- mmcdermott 4y ago
  I think "freedom of speech" is used in two senses, generally without qualification. The post above references freedom of speech with regards to what is illegal by the government and is, so far as I know, correct. There is almost no speech that is illegal by force of law in the United States. The other usage of the term is more of a principle. That citizens of the United States expect its various institutions to uphold the spirit of the First Amendment even though it isn't a legal requirement. That, in an ideal place, your Twitters and Facebooks would adopt a stance similar to the federal government. There are factors that complect it. Social media platforms are basically entertainment sites and so need to attract advertisers which is at odds with that thinking. Users of the site often want others deplatformed. Standards of legality vary. Then you have cases where the government attempts to influence the moderation standards of a platform, blurring the lines farther. From my point of view, individual users wanting the opinion of others banned and government influence are the ones that are the most worrying, not least because of what they potentially signify for the future. No right will be maintained if the populace doesn't value its protection.
musk_micropenis 4y ago
Twitter extends beyond USA.
- jcranmer 4y ago
  GP is complaining that the problems are because too much speech is illegal, whereas most of the items on the list are pretty explicitly because of unwanted, but legal, speech. Although a lot of the back half of the list is dealing with conflicts with international speech laws, to the point that you can get speech that is illegal to host in one country and illegal to take down in another country. Incidentally, is there anyone on the compliance teams left at Twitter?

machina_ex_deus 4y ago

I don't think HN is the DMCA fans crowd, so what exactly triggered everyone? The hate speech?

mmcdermott 4y ago
I think "freedom of speech" is used in two senses, generally without qualification. The post above references freedom of speech with regards to what is illegal by the government and is, so far as I know, correct. There is almost no speech that is illegal by force of law in the United States. The other usage of the term is more of a principle. That citizens of the United States expect its various institutions to uphold the spirit of the First Amendment even though it isn't a legal requirement. That, in an ideal place, your Twitters and Facebooks would adopt a stance similar to the federal government. There are factors that complect it. Social media platforms are basically entertainment sites and so need to attract advertisers which is at odds with that thinking. Users of the site often want others deplatformed. Standards of legality vary. Then you have cases where the government attempts to influence the moderation standards of a platform, blurring the lines farther. From my point of view, individual users wanting the opinion of others banned and government influence are the ones that are the most worrying, not least because of what they potentially signify for the future. No right will be maintained if the populace doesn't value its protection.

musk_micropenis 4y ago

Twitter extends beyond USA.

jcranmer 4y ago
GP is complaining that the problems are because too much speech is illegal, whereas most of the items on the list are pretty explicitly because of unwanted, but legal, speech. Although a lot of the back half of the list is dealing with conflicts with international speech laws, to the point that you can get speech that is illegal to host in one country and illegal to take down in another country. Incidentally, is there anyone on the compliance teams left at Twitter?