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The analogy only holds if you expect Reddit to behave like an open/libre platform. As a private organization, they have no obligation to do so. They have very s
by JeremyBanks 14y ago
The analogy only holds if you expect Reddit to behave like an open/libre platform. As a private organization, they have no obligation to do so. They have very strong motivations to crack down on activity that reflects badly on them (as these recents events threatened to), yet they do permit much more than many organizations would.
By contrast, the government is supposed to have free speech as one of their fundamental legal principles.
It's a poor argument to suggest that people advocating censorship on Reddit are very similar to those advocating censorship in society at large.
- clavalle 14y agoI don't think it is a weak argument at all. Sure Reddit is a private organization but being so makes it a softer target for censorship advocates. They can try different techniques and arguments in that sandbox and get an amplified, but not dissimilar, return on their actions. It can also serve as a morale booster for those groups. As they hone their message and techniques against a large, democratic, and heterogeneous population, they can use those same tactics in society at large to provoke the same change in more inertial government.