#3 On tech oligarchs, seen over at The Woodpile Report:
They took over means of publishing which they did not create and then succeeded in claiming it as their property while at the same time excusing themselves from any legal liability for what was published by claiming they are merely “platforms” and then began to Thought Police the publishing they deny they are engaged in.
This is the crux of the matter. A common carrier like the phone company is not responsible for content, like death threats, sent over it's wires and cannot censor your conversation. A publisher, on the other hand, is responsible for what they print and must filter legally objectionable stuff.
Right now, as the law stands, Twitter and Facebook enjoy the best of both worlds. They can't be held responsible for content, no matter how immoral or illegal AND they freely suppress political content they disagree with. Congress could fix this, but since the tech oligarchs lean Democratic, don't hold your breath. |