Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by lordCarbonFiber 2619 days ago
So we've got to make private industry (facebook has never and will never have the obligation to enforce first amendment rights on their platform, that's for the government) harbor any and all hate groups because if we don't ? happens and suddenly we live in the PRC?

Assuming we all support capitalism here, it should be a pretty simple calculus for Facebook. Does having (neo)Nazis on their site represent more users than they lose for having them.
1 comments
vorpalhex 2619 days ago
What if your ISP doesn't care for security researchers or journalists, and therefore would like to terminate their internet access? Can a telephone company do the same? What about the electric company - they are often times privately owned after all.

What if they don't care for people who are gay, or from a specific country?

Could Facebook say, choose to ban all Christians or anyone who believes in a two state solution in the middle east?

link
lordCarbonFiber 2619 days ago
You've got a couple different ideas going on there.

First, you make a fantastic argument for regulating ISPs as common carriers, bummer that's up in flames, one step forward two steps back.

Secondly, at least in the US, the whole idea of the "protected class" is to combat over reaches just like most of your examples[0]. This is also why civil rights groups are general fighting to expand the definition of protected class (though I doubt fascists ever will be included) since private companies are very happy to act against gay and trans people, for example.

As for non-protected classes ( having opinions on Israel fall pretty firmly into that) Facebook has the opportunity for the same calculus as they have with neo Nazis and the other alt-right menagerie. Are two-state proponents driving away more people than their removal will?

Is this system perfect, I don't think so, but the idea of "forced free speech" is more distastful to me. Individuals or companies are free to curate the experience they want for their users (up and to current laws around protected classes). If the consumers don't like that they're free to set up their own network (this is why Im a huge proponent for federation).

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_group

link
vorpalhex 2619 days ago
But you miss the underlying point. If one of a dozen restaurants ban you because of a trait, that's distasteful. If every bank in your town or the electric company does, that's a problem.

Does Facebook have a meaningful alternative?

link