Reddit communities ‘go dark’ in protest over Covid misinformation
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
> The r/PokemonGo subreddit, representing players of the augmented reality game, announced it was going dark and would stay private until Reddit removed sites spreading misinformation about Covid.
Really? r/PokemonGo mods are to have influence over what kind of discussion people can have about a constantly evolving medical situation?
I think this entire event and the way all parties have reacted to it is extremely embarrassing.
Frustrated with the inaction of the admins some redditors proceeded to make /r/ivermectin into a NSFW subreddit by posting drawn sexual content involving horses: https://old.reddit.com/r/TopMindsOfReddit/comments/pfb2kr/ch...
Meanwhile last night there are accusations being pushed by both sides about pedophilia: https://old.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/pfmbjf/rnon...
It's hilarious and sad, and while it may be technically censorship, IMO the people calling for the removal of Covid misinformation and the subreddits spreading it have just as much right to do so as I have to boo and heckle a performing artist.
There is the usual talk about how companies aren't bound to the first amendment. If you only adhere to it because you are compelled by law you fail the most basic levels of literacy on that topic.
This doesn't mean you are not allowed to oppose the opinions uttered in that subs at all. But its prominency is mainly caused by tantrums like this in the first place. This is destructive in many way and reddit does promote actors far worse than people believing misinformation.
That's fucked.
Trying to blacklist the word, hijacking any channel that mentioned 'libera' in the topic in any context led to you once having the largest IRC network by user count... to... what is it now? 1500 users, tops?
Now Libera is number 1 on Netsplit.de and you would rank at about 22... if they were feeling generous.
In this case, what is being censored is information that leads directly, or almost-directly, to unnecessary deaths. Non-censorship of such speech is ethically unjustifiable to me.
What leads to death is a reactionary movement against vaccination and medical advice. A reaction that is actually healthy, because it is directed against censorship. Censorship some bad actors try to enforce. Any mod on reddit that took part here should be quite ashamed.
It would just be better if people like you just admitted you don’t believe in free speech. It’s a philosophical argument that just goes over your heads.
It would be better if people like you could realise you have no idea what free speech is.
Free speech is not free from the consequences of said speech.
If a private site feels that your words are not warranted, they're free to turn you away.
Nobody owes you a platform to say whatever you want without any responsibility due whatsoever.
Is it censorship to arrest someone for falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater? No. It isn't.
Obligatory XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1357/
Thankfully the use of this argument is generally the loudest signal that can be generated by those who haven't spend much time dealing with the subject in any depth, so it's always a useful tool to gauge how much energy to spend engaging with someone on the topic.
In any case, when activists refer to Free Speech, we are generally referring to the greater principle of Freedom of Speech[2], which has a much broader philosophical and societal scope than the narrow definition of legally protected speech under the first amendment of the US constitution. Apostles for the movement like myself are in favor of greatly expanding the scope of Free Speech protections in the United States and the world at large, and are more generally committed to engineering a deeper appreciation for the broader concept of Freedom of Speech and the enormous influence it bears on our trajectory towards a free society.
1. https://www.popehat.com/2012/09/19/three-generations-of-a-ha... 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech
First sentence:
"Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction."
Emphasis on principle, not on law.
There are certainly much better XKCD than this one but it isn't wrong when it describes behavior of communities. It isn't wrong when it declares the irrelevance of the first amendment of the US.
But where you are wrong is that you support free speech. You are more focused on the consequences for the people whose uttering you dislike. It is intellectual weakness if you are afraid to face opposition.
> Freedom of speech and expression, therefore, may not be recognized as being absolute, and common limitations or boundaries to freedom of speech relate to libel, slander, obscenity, pornography, sedition, incitement, fighting words, classified information, copyright violation, trade secrets, food labeling, non-disclosure agreements, the right to privacy, dignity, the right to be forgotten, public security, and perjury.
Freedom of speech has never been absolute and never been without consequence.
I have the right to tell you to get out of my house, you do not have the right to force me to listen to you.
But that doesn't matter because you said:
> "Free speech is not free from the consequences of said speech."
That is a contradiction to the principle of free speech and you are just moving the goalpost here.
> I have the right to tell you to get out of my house
Of course you have, my speech would not be limited by that. It is also correct that a platform can ban anyone without even stating any reason. If they do that they just plainly don't adhere to the principle of freedom of speech. There is also freedom of association. Also a very important right. I don't have to justify with whom I association in the best case. Doesn't matter if that is ignored all too often in reality.
In case of reddit it is certainly false advertising because they advocated freedom of speech for the longest time. They don't anymore, but they don't get to claim that they still do in that case.
I'm vaccinated.