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DominikR | 9 years ago

> A private company censoring the content on their platform is not a violation of freedom of speech

It's not, but a third party forcing FB to censor or me to shut up is censorship.

> I believe that the point being argued is that they have a responsibility to filter out automated messaging.

No, there is no responsibility whatsoever. Users are free to not use the service if they don't like it.

If you see this different then we have different views on what private property is.

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d_e_solomon|9 years ago

> No, there is no responsibility whatsoever. Users are free to not use the service if they don't like it.

I own private property. It's true that I'm free to paint my house an obnoxious color and let it fall into ruin. It doesn't mean that I don't have a responsibility to my neighbors and community to provide upkeep to my house and ensure it's aesthetically pleasing.

Similarly, I believe social media and the media has a larger responsibility to our civic discourse even if they are a private company. Is that a legal obligation? No, but it's a moral obligation.

DominikR|9 years ago

> It doesn't mean that I don't have a responsibility to my neighbors and community to provide upkeep to my house and ensure it's aesthetically pleasing.

Can your neighbours sue you if you paint your house in an obnoxious color? No? Then there is no responsibility.

Why is it that I, for whom English is only my 4th language has to explain to you what the English word responsibility means?

If for you responsibility is just a fuzzy term with some feelings attached then we don't need to discuss this matter as FB can't be held accountable to that kind of responsibility anyways.

> Similarly, I believe social media and the media has a larger responsibility to our civic discourse even if they are a private company

I do not doubt that you believe many things, but first you have to show what responsibility actually exists and then show if and how that applies to Facebook if you are going to make such an argument.

grzm|9 years ago

"a third party forcing FB to censor or me to shut up is censorship."

Would you expand on this? I don't follow how a third party other than the state could force Facebook to censor?

rokosbasilisk|9 years ago

Are you serious? Germany forces facebook to censor, and thats just one example.

DominikR|9 years ago

I'm not going to answer such a question pretending you are a 3 year old that really doesn't know how media + government collude and operate to control society.

You are incapable of seeing how it poses a threat to freedom of speech when all major media combined call for censorship? There's no point for me to engage in a discussion with you.