[mimog]

>> Trip Advisor is a tech startup

So a nearly 15 year old company with a billion dollar revenue still qualifies as a startup?

>> The situation couldn't have occurred without a service like them

Freedom of speech infractions have occurred for way longer than online services have existed.

So if someone tweets something stupid/political it should be posted on hackernews as well, simply because tweeting wasn't possible prior to twitter? Or what if someone reacts badly to something on tumblr, is that relevant for hn'ers as well in case they are trying to innovate in the micro-blogging space?

[askinakhan]

Unless i'm understanding you wrong... Trip Advisor has democratised hotels and yeh people had freedom of speech but not widely accessible freedom of speech. Without Trip Advisor it would be much harder to find someone's opinion on a specific hotel.

Maybe consumers should be democratised too? Shall we assess the quality of a consumer? Do they piss up the hotel walls or do they tidy up before they leave?