[galgalesh]

The first amendment right only bans the government from infringing on free speech. It doesn't say anything about private corporations. There are many practices by US companies concerning free speech that would be illegal in European countries.

Many European countries recognize freedom of speech as a basic right that everyone needs to respect; Neither the government, companies nor individuals can infringe on this. However, these freedom of speech laws often exclude certain kinds of speech and governments have some power in defining these exclusions.

This distinction is what makes censorship such a big issue in the US. When censorship is dictated by an elected government, the people have some power over it. When censorship is dictated by a private company the size of Google, people have very little power over it.

The US constitution seems to be mainly about limiting the power of government, not about protecting people and society. As a result, companies have a lot more power and you get unaccountable decisions about what should be censored and what not.

Don't get me wrong, I think censorship is necessary, but you have to admit that there is a real danger when companies are in charge of it.