| > Free speech is hardly the only value in a democratic state. You're making a straw man argument, I never said it was the only value. Still, a democratic state can't function without free discourse. > The First Amendment protected Internet intermediaries from obligations to censor Not exactly. While they would not be forced by the State, people could still sue them for the content. This is why section 230 exists which allows providers not to be liable for content posted on their platform provided they do not select content unless they do it under the Good Samaritan clause (offensive content, criminal content, etc.). > while at the same time rebuffing efforts to impose stricter privacy obligations on Internet enterprises Unauthorized publishing of private information was never 1st amendment protected speech, what are you talking about? > The First Amendment thus created the business model of new media, permitting it to publish vast amounts of speech but not be held liable for that speech Again, see section 230. > while at the same time earning income through advertising based on personal profiling which again has nothing to do with the 1st. > For the first time, individuals could now speak to the nation—through YouTube, Twitter.. profiting from lies is now a viable economic model. Snake oil merchants existed way back and the democracies thrived all the same. Magazines, journals, public discourse, universities, books... all existed way back. Really, you should read old magazines from the 1920s. I personally have one from 20s where Nicolas Tesla made some outrageous claims complete with ads that sell complete BS. Making a profit out of BS is nothing new. > It’s a threat to democracy and undoubtedly will be its undoing unless we censor. This reads like a the beginning of a dystopian movie. A least the cat is out of the bag I guess. The problem is, the people with that kind of power will use that same power to stay in power. This always happen; even if they are elected. Censorship never led to a better society. Also who the hell is "we"? |