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This has been standard operating procedure at Twitter long before Musk: https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-censors-all-links-to-bitchute/ https://reclaimthenet.o

This has been standard operating procedure at Twitter long before Musk: https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-censors-all-links-to-bitchute/ https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-censors-all-links-to-bitch... And at Google as well: https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-bans-bitchute-app/ https://reclaimthenet.org/google-play-bans-bitchute-app/ Edit: And at reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/ktwypc/warning_reddit_is_sneakily_blocking_bitchute/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/ktwypc/warning_re...

pohl 4y ago
What's the connection you're making between Mastodon and BitChute? I'm missing it.
- pannSun 4y ago
  Censoring competition/alternatives.
  - NewJazz 4y ago
    Was BitChute a significant Twitter competitor? Or just a far-right propaganda and misinformation outlet?
  - wpietri 4y ago
    That is quite a stretch. Bitchute is video hosting, so it's not a Twitter competitor. And you're ignoring that it's well known as a host for hate speech. [1][2] [1] https://www.adl.org/blog/bitchute-a-hotbed-of-hate https://www.adl.org/blog/bitchute-a-hotbed-of-hate [2] https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/ https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the...
    - pannSun 4y ago
      And the internet isn't print journalism, yet it struck a near-fatal blow to newspaper budgets. That's the economic side of it. The other side is, as you say, established media discreetly [1] censoring alternatives that don't toe the line. But I don't care to have my web browsing be censored by the ADL, no matter how they justify it. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/ktwypc/warning_reddit_is_sneakily_blocking_bitchute/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/ktwypc/warning_re...
      - jakelazaroff 4y ago
        All this Reddit/Bitchute/newspaper stuff is a non sequitur — we're talking about Twitter and Mastodon, not any of those other things. Censoring Mastodon is a new policy under Elon. The point of the "hate speech" comment is that there's a plausible reason to suppress Bitchute that doesn't involve stifling competition (especially because, as GP mentioned, Bitchute isn't actually a competitor to Twitter). So it's not even analogous to what's happening here.
        pannSun 4y ago
        > we're talking about Twitter and Mastodon, not any of those other things. I don't view things so narrowly. If you want to limit yourself to only Twitter and Mastodon, you are free to do so, but that does not make similar cases non sequiturs.
        jakelazaroff 4y ago
        You haven’t demonstrated that they’re similar. So far, all you’ve shown is that Twitter previously displayed sensitive content warnings on links to a video site known for hate speech. That’s the whole point of a content warning. It's not analogous to the current situation, which is that Twitter is abusing that warning to stifle a competing service.
        pannSun 4y ago
        It's both censorship, you just like the excuse/justification given in one case. > all you’ve shown is that Twitter And Google, and reddit. Somehow, when shown the gatekeepers of online attention all censoring in concert with each-other, you see only isolated instances. "It's completely different. They censored Bitchute before, but now it's Mastodon."
        jakelazaroff 4y ago
        It's censorship when they take down spam bots and child porn. But I don't hear you comparing that to what's happening here, because they would be ridiculous comparisons. Again, what is the point of a sensitive content warning if not to warn people about sensitive content? If, as you allege, the major social media sites are all in cahoots, why is Twitter the only one making it difficult to share links to Mastodon?
    - cykros 4y ago
      Mastodon is also known for hate speech, with whole instances seemingly devoted to it. Meanwhile, the ADL is also well known to push an agenda far beyond addressing hate speech, acting as an apologist for crimes against humanity in service to Israel's colonial regime. Some people in Texas have been known to be outspoken with their hateful views; does that make Texas a host for hate speech too?
      - wpietri 4y ago
        I hope you warmed up before stretching like that, as I'm afraid you'll hurt yourself. I agree with you that the ADL's recent Israel positions are often short-sighted and terrible. But their century of tracking and fighting hate is solid work, and even if you didn't want to listen to them here, plenty of other groups agree with them on Bitchute. I even linked to one of them for you. As to the rest, I'm not even sure what your point is. If you figure one out, let me know.
- eindiran 4y ago
  I think the idea is that BitChute tries to position itself as an alternative to YouTube, and Google (as the owner of YouTube) is doing its damnedest to prevent people from using the alternative. Replace BitChute with Mastodon and Google/YouTube with Twitter and its a similar pattern.
  - CameronNemo 4y ago
    Sure, but the commenter said that this has been operating procedure for Twitter. But that does not seem to be true -- mastodon links have not been (soft) censored up until this point.
    - eindiran 4y ago
      I was responding to the question about what link OP was trying to draw between BitChute and Mastodon, no idea at all about the second question re censoring Mastodon links on Twitter. But again, responding to your parallel comment, OP is not saying that BitChute is a competitor to Twitter. It's that entrenched player <a> is (soft) censoring new competitor <b> where <a>, <b> are filled in with (Google/YT, BitChute) and (Twitter, Mastodon).
      - pohl 4y ago
        That's the most charitable read I could come up with, too. It's such a tenuous connection, though, that one wonders why it's even worth mentioning in this context.
kgwxd 4y ago
Sounds like another bias Musk should look into removing.
cyberphobe 4y ago
Seems like censoring a website known for hosting hate speech is a bit different to censoring mastodon
- nickthegreek 4y ago
  the call is coming from inside the house.

pohl 4y ago

What's the connection you're making between Mastodon and BitChute? I'm missing it.

pannSun 4y ago
Censoring competition/alternatives.
- NewJazz 4y ago
  Was BitChute a significant Twitter competitor? Or just a far-right propaganda and misinformation outlet?
- wpietri 4y ago
  That is quite a stretch. Bitchute is video hosting, so it's not a Twitter competitor. And you're ignoring that it's well known as a host for hate speech. [1][2] [1] https://www.adl.org/blog/bitchute-a-hotbed-of-hate https://www.adl.org/blog/bitchute-a-hotbed-of-hate [2] https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the-websites-sustaining-britains-far-right-influencers/ https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2021/02/24/the...
  - pannSun 4y ago
    And the internet isn't print journalism, yet it struck a near-fatal blow to newspaper budgets. That's the economic side of it. The other side is, as you say, established media discreetly [1] censoring alternatives that don't toe the line. But I don't care to have my web browsing be censored by the ADL, no matter how they justify it. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/ktwypc/warning_reddit_is_sneakily_blocking_bitchute/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Tartaria/comments/ktwypc/warning_re...
    - jakelazaroff 4y ago
      All this Reddit/Bitchute/newspaper stuff is a non sequitur — we're talking about Twitter and Mastodon, not any of those other things. Censoring Mastodon is a new policy under Elon. The point of the "hate speech" comment is that there's a plausible reason to suppress Bitchute that doesn't involve stifling competition (especially because, as GP mentioned, Bitchute isn't actually a competitor to Twitter). So it's not even analogous to what's happening here.
      - pannSun 4y ago
        > we're talking about Twitter and Mastodon, not any of those other things. I don't view things so narrowly. If you want to limit yourself to only Twitter and Mastodon, you are free to do so, but that does not make similar cases non sequiturs.
        jakelazaroff 4y ago
        You haven’t demonstrated that they’re similar. So far, all you’ve shown is that Twitter previously displayed sensitive content warnings on links to a video site known for hate speech. That’s the whole point of a content warning. It's not analogous to the current situation, which is that Twitter is abusing that warning to stifle a competing service.
        pannSun 4y ago
        It's both censorship, you just like the excuse/justification given in one case. > all you’ve shown is that Twitter And Google, and reddit. Somehow, when shown the gatekeepers of online attention all censoring in concert with each-other, you see only isolated instances. "It's completely different. They censored Bitchute before, but now it's Mastodon."
        jakelazaroff 4y ago
        It's censorship when they take down spam bots and child porn. But I don't hear you comparing that to what's happening here, because they would be ridiculous comparisons. Again, what is the point of a sensitive content warning if not to warn people about sensitive content? If, as you allege, the major social media sites are all in cahoots, why is Twitter the only one making it difficult to share links to Mastodon?
  - cykros 4y ago
    Mastodon is also known for hate speech, with whole instances seemingly devoted to it. Meanwhile, the ADL is also well known to push an agenda far beyond addressing hate speech, acting as an apologist for crimes against humanity in service to Israel's colonial regime. Some people in Texas have been known to be outspoken with their hateful views; does that make Texas a host for hate speech too?
    - wpietri 4y ago
      I hope you warmed up before stretching like that, as I'm afraid you'll hurt yourself. I agree with you that the ADL's recent Israel positions are often short-sighted and terrible. But their century of tracking and fighting hate is solid work, and even if you didn't want to listen to them here, plenty of other groups agree with them on Bitchute. I even linked to one of them for you. As to the rest, I'm not even sure what your point is. If you figure one out, let me know.
eindiran 4y ago
I think the idea is that BitChute tries to position itself as an alternative to YouTube, and Google (as the owner of YouTube) is doing its damnedest to prevent people from using the alternative. Replace BitChute with Mastodon and Google/YouTube with Twitter and its a similar pattern.
- CameronNemo 4y ago
  Sure, but the commenter said that this has been operating procedure for Twitter. But that does not seem to be true -- mastodon links have not been (soft) censored up until this point.
  - eindiran 4y ago
    I was responding to the question about what link OP was trying to draw between BitChute and Mastodon, no idea at all about the second question re censoring Mastodon links on Twitter. But again, responding to your parallel comment, OP is not saying that BitChute is a competitor to Twitter. It's that entrenched player <a> is (soft) censoring new competitor <b> where <a>, <b> are filled in with (Google/YT, BitChute) and (Twitter, Mastodon).
    - pohl 4y ago
      That's the most charitable read I could come up with, too. It's such a tenuous connection, though, that one wonders why it's even worth mentioning in this context.

kgwxd 4y ago

Sounds like another bias Musk should look into removing.

cyberphobe 4y ago

Seems like censoring a website known for hosting hate speech is a bit different to censoring mastodon

nickthegreek 4y ago
the call is coming from inside the house.