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by 75dvtwin 2077 days ago
If HN, or Twitter or FB, selectively apply their 'Terms of Service' in a way that reduces access to pro-conservative positions -- then they are not a neutral platform.

If they are not a neutral platform, they cannot claim shields of section 230.

It is like for a business that hides money in a Organization with a Charity status. We would have that business facing criminal charges in no time.

Why the execs of these platforms demand something different ?
2 comments
jakelazaroff 2077 days ago
That is not how Section 230 works. It has nothing to do with “neutrality” — it simply shields platforms from liability for legal content created by third parties.
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75dvtwin 2077 days ago
a platform, assumes 'neutrality'. If it is not neutral, it is not a platform.
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jakelazaroff 2077 days ago
That is neither the letter nor the spirit of the law. Section 230 shields “website operators” (since “platform” seems to be a loaded word) from liability for third-party content, even if they use discretion in moderating that content. There is no requirement of “neutrality”.
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root_axis 2077 days ago
Explicit partisan bias is legally protected speech. The conservatives you refer to have no problem with bias when it comes to the mediums they dominate (cable news, talk radio), but when it comes to the wide open internet they now want to bring back the fairness doctrine, as if it's even possible to establish consistent standards for the political composition of a given post on the internet.
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75dvtwin 2077 days ago
Of course it is.

So is a 'for-profit business' is a perfectly fine thing. But having a for-profit business using tax code for a non-profit charity -- would be criminal.

So why does 230 or other shields apply to Twitter or HN or FB?

My point I think more that a social networking company can apply crowdsourced or individual editorialization to political speech. And that application can also be biased, selective and therefore unfair.

It is ok that these companies might do that, but not OK to hide under shields meant for the companies that do not do that (like ISPs)

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root_axis 2077 days ago
> It is ok that these companies might do that, but not OK to hide under shields meant for the companies that do not do that (like ISPs)

What shields? What kind of consequences do you imagine these sites should face for biased content moderation?

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