• @argv_minus_one@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    5
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    I agree, but Twitter has nothing to do with free speech.

    Twitter positions itself as the Internet’s public square, and free speech certainly does apply in an old-fashioned offline public square, so yeah, Twitter kinda does have something to do with free speech. Don’t seek power if you don’t want the responsibility it comes with.

    • There’s no such thing as “the internet’s public square”. It is the “X-owned public square”. In an offline public square, the government owns the square, so free speech protections apply. But this “square” is privately owned. There’s an incredibly fundamental difference here.

    • garrett
      link
      fedilink
      51 year ago

      I think you’re mostly right but there’s a host of nuance and legalese that muddies this up. Social media is always in a conflicted relationship with speech, wanting to have no culpability over what’s posted while also making decisions over what to feature/restrict/etc. They’re actually really cautious to not position themselves as the “town square” for that reason since it does channel a sort of legal definition of such.

    • @ranandtoldthat@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      51 year ago

      That’s not how it works, what you are talking about is often called freeze peach.

      Until Twitter can fine you or lock you up for saying the wrong thing or exercise prior restraint over all your expression, it’s not a free speech issue.

      • @argv_minus_one@beehaw.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        51 year ago

        By positioning itself as the Internet’s public square, Twitter seeks a monopoly over public discourse. If it is successful, then yes, it can exercise prior restraint over virtually all of your expression.

        • TehPers
          link
          fedilink
          English
          31 year ago

          It can succeed in that endeavor the moment I become unemployable. I’m not making an account there, never will, and I will die on this hill.

    • @Honytawk@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      11 year ago

      Since it is Musk that manages the “Internet’s public square”, it isn’t a public square at all.