> the first amendment is about protecting free speech principles, which are actually much bigger than just what the first amendment says. The First Amendment d

> the first amendment is about protecting free speech principles, which are actually much bigger than just what the first amendment says. The First Amendment definitely is not about "free speech principles." It's the first of a short list of absolute restraints on the previous text, which is a description of US government, insisted upon by interests suspicious of federalization under that government. Free speech writ large is good and something to fight for, but the First Amendment is not an ideology, it is law. The reason (imo) to talk about the First Amendment in terms of these giant social media platforms is simply because of their size, which was encouraged by friendly government acts such as Section 230 in the first place, without which they couldn't scale. Government encouragement and protection of these platforms gives the government some responsibility for them.