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0 pointscommandlinefan3y ago0 comments

> the ability to post obscene content, threats, state secrets, corporate IP, or any other legal restrictions

Free speech opponents always like to point to these examples when the topic of free speech comes up, but I've never seen free speech advocates use an example of any of these as examples of problematic censorship - instead, they (we) point out voluminous examples of unfashionable opinions being removed. In fact, if Kanye or Musk came out and said "free speech except for" and listed your (specific, easily definable) examples, I'd still agree with them that they were advocating for free speech.

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awb3y ago

> I've never seen free speech advocates use an example of any of these as examples of problematic censorship

Just look at some of the exceptions to free speech: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_free_speech_exce...

* Incitement

* False statements of fact

* Obscenity

* Fighting words

* Threatening the president of the United States

These are all grey areas that are constantly being tested and censored to varying degrees on multiple Social Media platforms. Trump was banned from Twitter because of “the risk of further incitement of violence” after Jan. 6. So it's very much at the crux of the issue on the debate whether or not Trump's speech on Twitter should have been protected by the platform or not, which is what really catalyzed Parler and Truth Social's branding in the market place as "pro- free speech".

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