(01-12-2021 10:57 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote: (01-12-2021 10:15 AM)tanqtonic Wrote: (01-12-2021 09:52 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote: (01-12-2021 09:48 AM)tanqtonic Wrote: Turns out Parler found a provider that wont blackball them. I have ended up moving all of my hosting services from Amazon to that provider.
But here is the fun thing to do I found out by accident --
I wanted to check if the Parler website was back up, so lazily I typed 'parler' (I didnt say that lad, I am delineating the word, just so you dont go apeshit) into the upper field of my search engine. The shortcut way we almost all do -- all of my websites get the first 'hit' in the resulting list returned. That is, type 'quotescanmeandelineatingwords' into the upper browser bar and you get the site quotescanmeadelineatingwords.com as the first hit.
That is except for one search engine and browser.
Doing it in Opera with duckduckgo you get parler.com.
Doing it in Opera with Google there is zero return to the actual site. The fkwads have delisted the site from even being searched for.
Im going to ask some people I once knew through work to see if I can pick up some secondary based ownership interest in it. Parler is going to have a fun time with their anti-trust actions here.
Progressive politics in full view here folks. Cancel culture at its extreme. I really would like to know the difference between Maoists and progressives in this portion of the issue at this point.
Control the information flow and you control the people. That has worked for innumerable despots and dictators.
Before Big Tech, colleges led the way in de-platforming conservatives. Many of us here noted that then. And many disagreed that it was even happening. Kind of hard to argue that it doesnt exist in full force now.
Question for our leftists here: are you supportive/proud of the current de-platforming orgy that is currently happening? Serious question, although it sound rhetorical. At least, one would surmise it be rhetorical, but I would really like to know your all's perspective on it.
I'm torn about this - it's not binary (but you often have a really hard time with that concept).
Dude -- I am attorney. I am paid to be binary in that sense. Get off your high hat.
Quote:Do we want the government to force these companies to operate in a way where they're required to provide service to all individuals, regardless of content? Political affiliation is not a protected class and there is evidence that some of these people were using these platforms to plan the riots.
Yes some did. Absolutely. But that brings up three points. And a small aside.
Small aside first: did you mean 'riot' instead of 'riots'? Or are there others that happened while I was asleep or blowing up gopher holes?
a) did not facebook and/or twitter allow people in its doors to plan on the BLM side? I would hazard a yes there as well. Given that, for the same transgression, why didn't FB/Twitter get de-platformed?
b) I would agree with your insinuation a little more, if a large proportion of the Parler crowd 'plan[ned] the riots'. But we are talking about a user base of 2.8 million. I dont buy in to having an extremely small subset who 'plan[ned] the riots'.
c) And in 'plan[ned] the riots', I dont mean 'planned the protest[s]'.
Quote:Some of these tech firms are so large that they're basically monopolies [side note removed to below], so do we want these select few companies basically dictating what can go into the public forum? That power is something that should probably not be concentrated in the hands of a few, unelected business people.
Amazing, something that we both agree on. Or my solution is put them under the regime of a 'common carrier' --- if they truly are a common carrier then allow them the protection of 230 as they currently do.
But, if they exercise anywhere near the power of editing that they currently do, then --- let them deal with the ancillary lawsuits that any publisher has and that they have shielded themselves with for the last 20 years. Kind of common sense -- if one is doesnt control what is on their 'pipe', then the full brunt of responsibility devolves to the poster themself. When you decide to be an editor in chief -- then you are responsible.
Quote:(side note: in 2021, we are going to see antitrust laws flex their muscles)
There is no way a Biden administration moves against FB, Google, or Twitter. Criminy, they drug him over the finish line with their heel firmly on anything that made him look bad.
That doesnt preclude the Parler lawsuit that absolutely will be touched off. But there wont be government intervention or a US government DOJ led action.
Quote:I'm not up in arms with the general idea of non-government entities being allowed to choose who speaks to their organizations. The alternative (forcing those entities to be a platform) seems more like communist-China than what we're seeing here.
The idea is not 'forced speech', the idea of making the mega-Tech companies a de facto 'public space for ideas'. That is precisely what they have built. As an example: airports are required to provide for allowing 'public space for ideas' on the theory that while many are public/private efforts, they have become de facto areas of the social commons.
mega-Tech, imo, should be considered as such an entity that must provide a common public speaking space. I would draw the distinction at size ---- obviously CSNBBS is a pipsqueak in the arena of public communication; who really cares what restrictions are placed at that level by private ownership.
In the case of Twitter and FB, they are so large that they have become de facto public spaces.
But the promotion of free speech (even by common carrier designation) doesnt even come anywhere close to being compared to CCP. Free speech is entirely anathema to that system, mind you.
Quote:As I saw elsewhere, do you think China is more likely to allow its social networks to take down Xi supporters or require that they provide a platform for his supporters?
I think the CCP isnt in the business of 'allowing', they tell. And to be honest, in terms of free speech, that concept is about as devoid in that system as water exists on the surface of Mars. China would force its social networks (as it does now) to restrict speech to what the government mandates is allowable.
The question if trying to tie that into this discussion would not be 'provide a platform for the regime's supporters', but to 'provide a platform for their critics'.