Comment on Sex-ed content creators discuss shadowbanning and censorship on Meta platforms
Adalast@lemmy.world 6 months ago
As much as I am anti-censorship and hate all of this, there is no “Freedom of Speech” on social media platforms. They are private companies and are allowed to use any restrictions that do not fall into violations of the very few laws which restrict how companies can treat customers. In the USA, “Freedom of Speech” only guarantees that government agents and laws will not restrict it, and even that is not absolute.
Now the laws and policies about it need stripped along with all non-symmetric indecent exposure laws.
runefehay@kbin.social 6 months ago
The phones are run by private companies. Should they be allowed to restrict what you say over the phone (or sms)?
Adalast@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Already happens. Facebook and other message systems have content filters built in to their chat systems.
runefehay@kbin.social 6 months ago
And in the early days of the telephone, switchboard operators would listen in on conversations and cut off anyone they didn't like. Then in civilized countries, they required phone companies to be common carriers and required police to get warrants if there was anything illegal suspected, to listen in on someone.
Similar thing with the postal service.
Adalast@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Yup, as I mentioned in my other response to Mr. Strawman that is the difference between a private corporation and a utility. Utilities ARE subject to the first and fourth amendment protections because they are a strange hybrid between public and private.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Why did you say it already happens in phone and SMS communication, then name a company that does neither, and reference other services that explicitly are neither, as an example of this happening?
“People are already dying from stubbing their toe, just look at all the deaths caused by car accidents!”
Adalast@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Way to strawman my man. SMS is not the only mode of communication and SMS and cell phone communication in general fall under a whole litiny of laws because they are considered a utility along with landlines. This extends the constitutional protections for the first and fourth ammendment protections to them. Your initial suggestion was a fallacious argument to start because utilities are not wholly private corporations, and thus do not qualify for the initial discussion. I tried to save it by suggesting that alternative means of communication which are utilized that serve the exact same purpose as SMS and telephone calls but are controlled wholly by private corporations DO fall victim to arbitrary censorship and it is allowed because they are not subject in their business dealings with consumers by any state or federal oversight.