[homonculus1]

Seen by who? This angle is disingenuous, because no third party is going to single out this file being on Google Drive and punish Google for not censoring it.

Admit it, this is 100% autonomous action on the part of Google to suppress ideas and opinions they disapprove of. There is zero external pressure or risk. The excuse of some nebulous toxic miasma is nothing but a fig leaf for exercising political power.

[smoldesu]

That's all well-and-good, but it doesn't save you from mob justice. Cloudflare almost had their business collapse until they took proactive action against one of their clients. Google sees the writing on the wall, and they know they can posture themselves as "preserving election integrity" or whatever and get away with it. It's nothing new, and it's certainly wrong, but it's also part of our individual freedom as enterprising Americans. This is what happens when you don't regulate the tech sector, is everyone happy now?

Even if it was 100% autonomous opinion-enforcement (which is unlikely, but I'll entertain it), it's 100% Google's right to enforce that. You're on their platform, you don't get to make the rules. If your neighbor gives you a spare shed on their lot, they're not inviting you to decorate it in political regalia and extremist logos. If you become enough of a nuisance, they're probably just going to ask for their shed back and tell you to be more respectful next time.

[pseudo0]

> Cloudflare almost had their business collapse until they took proactive action against one of their clients.

Do you have any proof of an actual business impact on Cloudflare? Some people were making noise on Twitter, but we all know how meaningless likes and retweets are. Something like a dozen people showed up to the in-person protest, which indicates that the anti-Cloudflare campaign was mostly slacktivism and astroturfing.

[smoldesu]

I don't, because I ultimately don't think their cooperation with "the mob" changed much of anything. That being said, businesses live-and-die based on public perception. There obviously must have been some financial threat (a large customer pulling out, shareholder objection, what have you) to make them cave. Whether they're greedy or truly sympathetic to the queer community is for you to decide.

[bitwize]

"Mob justice" prevails because in the USA the government will not penalize purveyors of hate speech.

If you don't want "mob justice", START REGULATING SPEECH ONLINE. Vote in leftists who will protect the marginalized by silencing the powerful when their speech becomes oppressive.

Or deal with the fallout when those marginalized take matters into their own hands because the law doesn't shield them.

[homonculus1]

A transparent shakedown. I and those like me will continue to exercise our rights and pursue our own interests in spite of these threats of coordinated harassment.

By the way, your cries of being perpetually marginalized ring hollow, when in the very same sentence you boast of your ability to silence and damage those whom you hate.