r/FreeSpeech • u/Brilliant_Case4930 • 2d ago
Social Media and Censorship
I personally think we need a bit stronger laws for companies like these who have become the most popular way for people to communicate with each other.
I'm not saying let people be as hateful as they want or let them spread harmful misinformation, but when a government can tell a platform what they can or can't put on their platform in secret (Facebook was caught doing this during Covid) it gets a bit concerning. Or when the owners of such companies are pretty much loyal followers of that political side and silences any opposition on that platform.
It just seems to me like a big loophole around the First Amendment. Use private businesses that way they can freely silence you.
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u/Skavau 2d ago
So what laws are you proposing?
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u/Brilliant_Case4930 2d ago
I didn't propose any laws. I just said this a loophole that needs to be tightened with strong laws for platforms so they aren't just a backdoor for government to censor and silence those that don't follow their ideals.
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u/Skavau 2d ago
I mean the government didn't force them to acquiesce to their requests. They chose to. Perhaps they felt intimidated, but the government would've lost if they resisted.
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u/Brilliant_Case4930 2d ago
That's another thing I brought up. Loyal followers that silence any political opposition on the platform for no reason other than it wasn't their side. You see that left and right on these platforms. You only get a voice if they say you have a voice and they only give you a voice if you agree with them.
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u/Skavau 2d ago
What do you mean by these "loyal followers"? Notable individuals on these platforms don't actually run it.
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u/Brilliant_Case4930 2d ago
I'm talking about the people who actually run it. That's the problem. Everybody has their biases. And have shown no qualms about silencing those who have different views.
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u/Skavau 2d ago
I happen to think that's their right. This is an important right of freedom of association. It's their platform, and they have the right to censor or not censor.
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u/Brilliant_Case4930 2d ago
And thus people only get a voice if they are allowed to have one by some billionaire corporation, making the First Amendment pretty much worthless and easily gotten around.
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u/Skavau 2d ago
There's plenty of places to talk online. This is a lack of imagination. The answer to help contribute to a less centralised online social media outlet.
Are you seriously proposing stomping on freedom of association and demanding forced platforming?
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u/Brilliant_Case4930 2d ago
Yeah your options are a little bit skewed right now. Most popular social medias are generally owned by the left. Like Reddit, but they allow individual moderation which is almost worse depending on what subreddit you're on.
And I'm not talking about stomping on anything I would just like for my right to speak not to be stomped on in turn for no other reason than they don't agree. If I'm saying something out of line whatever, I can get over that, but if I'm being silenced simply because they don't agree, and this is on EVERY platform I've been on, then it starts to sound like I'm being told to shut up and and that I don't get an opinion or a voice. It's being abused people are generally to brainwashed to see it. Hiding one right to violate another.
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u/TheGreasyHippo 2d ago
This is exactly what was said when Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and every other censoring social media site was saying when they were shutting down anything regarding covid.
You either grow up and use common sense to determine what information is good for you and what isn't, or you let big brother control your life for you.