[michaelt]

Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and so on are following (or being pushed for political reasons) down the traditional slippery slope where first they ban child porn, KKK recruiters, anarchist groups exchanging bomb-making instructions and people openly selling illegal drugs.

Then things get broadened because yes, that is copyrighted stuff being shared, guess we should stop that. Yes, if that revenge porn isn't illegal it will be soon, guess we should block that. Yes, if they literally chose a nazi flag as their logo we can agree they're a hate group. Yes, that user's post about the smooth taste of Lucky Strike cigarettes does look like it was upvoted by a botnet. Yes, we could probably detect those rape threat messages you received and block them, senator.

And before you know it, you're adjudicating whether that person was joking when he said he'd blow up the airport for cancelling his flight; whether that 'parody news' website claiming vaccines cause autism is clearly enough a parody; and whether the letter Q is a hate symbol.

[aspenmayer]

Guys in suits getting interviewed on cable news wear Q lapel pins for a reason. It’s to show the 8channers that they’re part of the in-group. Just like Trump tweeting a doctored CNN chyron on top of a doctored Carpe Donktum video. Propaganda and dog whistles can be obvious; placebo effects still work even in cases where you know it’s a placebo.