Forums, Facebook and Free Speech
Discussion
Recently a thread in NP&E was closed by Haymarket for not abiding by the Forum rules (this one: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... which prompted lots of tongue in cheek remarks but also some utterances alluding to this being suppression of free speech.
Now with Pistonheads it seems fairly clear cut to me-it's their ball and they choose who can and can't play with it, and how the game is played. They perhaps have to walk a line between ensuring that they don't annoy too many people and ensuring nothing too offensive is posted but IMO they have zero responsibility towards 'free speech' and they can censor what they want on the website if they choose to.
But what about Facebook and Twitter and other massive social networks? Perhaps the same could be said of them-they are commercial ventures and can choose to censor what they like. However for some reason it'd make me very uncomfortable if they began to overtly censor certain political views.
At the moment there are some occasional mutterings about this going on it mostly seems to be small and isolated and those with extreme views that are racist/sexist/otherist that moan about it.
For you do big 'social' businesses have some sort of responsibility to promote/defend free speech? Should they? And if so where would you draw the line at when a commercial venture must preserve free speech, even over it's own business models and views?
Now with Pistonheads it seems fairly clear cut to me-it's their ball and they choose who can and can't play with it, and how the game is played. They perhaps have to walk a line between ensuring that they don't annoy too many people and ensuring nothing too offensive is posted but IMO they have zero responsibility towards 'free speech' and they can censor what they want on the website if they choose to.
But what about Facebook and Twitter and other massive social networks? Perhaps the same could be said of them-they are commercial ventures and can choose to censor what they like. However for some reason it'd make me very uncomfortable if they began to overtly censor certain political views.
At the moment there are some occasional mutterings about this going on it mostly seems to be small and isolated and those with extreme views that are racist/sexist/otherist that moan about it.
For you do big 'social' businesses have some sort of responsibility to promote/defend free speech? Should they? And if so where would you draw the line at when a commercial venture must preserve free speech, even over it's own business models and views?
There is no right to 'free speech' if what you mean is 'you must publish what i rite [sic]'; forum owners - at any scale - are publishers and they own the ball and are liable only in so far as the comment is owned by the poster.
Said notional whinging poster is utterly free to make feelings known in any other medium, letters to press, billboards or actually saying face to face to the person/body concerned what they feel (-somehow, the least likely outlet of the kind of people who whinge loudly about being oppressed on the web). No web forum has to host comments that break their own AUP or indeed, clashes with the owners colour of socks, taste or anything else.
Is there sometimes an odd overlap with 'issues of the day' and 'oh , we can't say that? Perhaps. But rather than witter on twitter, if you feel strongly get up and f'ing do something about it.
Said notional whinging poster is utterly free to make feelings known in any other medium, letters to press, billboards or actually saying face to face to the person/body concerned what they feel (-somehow, the least likely outlet of the kind of people who whinge loudly about being oppressed on the web). No web forum has to host comments that break their own AUP or indeed, clashes with the owners colour of socks, taste or anything else.
Is there sometimes an odd overlap with 'issues of the day' and 'oh , we can't say that? Perhaps. But rather than witter on twitter, if you feel strongly get up and f'ing do something about it.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Says mister professionally offended resident. 'I'm a leftie you can ask me anything but if I don't like the general tone and direction of the conversation il flounce off like a big girls blouse and have a strop. I started this thread, me , not you lot , give me my ball back'. markcoznottz said:
Says mister professionally offended resident. 'I'm a leftie you can ask me anything but if I don't like the general tone and direction of the conversation il flounce off like a big girls blouse and have a strop. I started this thread, me , not you lot , give me my ball back'.
He certainly seems to manage to report nearly every thread he's on. Bottom line, the lefties hate free speech it's in their blood.WinstonWolf said:
markcoznottz said:
Says mister professionally offended resident. 'I'm a leftie you can ask me anything but if I don't like the general tone and direction of the conversation il flounce off like a big girls blouse and have a strop. I started this thread, me , not you lot , give me my ball back'.
He certainly seems to manage to report nearly every thread he's on. Bottom line, the lefties hate free speech it's in their blood.WinstonWolf said:
He certainly seems to manage to report nearly every thread he's on. Bottom line, the lefties hate free speech it's in their blood.
Wrong. Lefties LOVE Free Speech and will defend it to the death.As long as it is something they agree with.
Otherwise they want it banned.....
Jasandjules said:
WinstonWolf said:
He certainly seems to manage to report nearly every thread he's on. Bottom line, the lefties hate free speech it's in their blood.
Wrong. Lefties LOVE Free Speech and will defend it to the death.As long as it is something they agree with.
Otherwise they want it banned.....
Foliage said:
no such thing as freedom of speech, no idea where people get the idea their is from.. Well their is freedom of speech but you are free to be arrested or censored for what you say.
A lot of people seem to get confused between "freedom of speech" and "freedom from responsibility for your speech".Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff