Hacker News Reader

"I'm very pro free speech, but...."

Let's expand on your thought process a bit....how about we just suppress all video that criticizes Islamic sensibilities just on the anniversary of 9/11? Well and maybe through Ramadan too. Just temporarily of course. Until "they" settle down and we get our security stuff straightened out.

Yeah, that's what the framers of the Constitution thought when the wrote the FIRST Amendment.

View on HN

No, I meant that Google would be within their rights as a private company (who is doing business in Egypt, etc.) to pause a video for a few days. The government wouldn't be the one compelling this.

The government not restricting free speech doesn't mean private companies are compelled to rebroadcast, republish, and distribute anything.

Google already has a Terms of Service and felt that this video did not violate it. A position the Obama administration disagreed with. Ultimately, I'm glad that they had a broader view of free speech than the current Administration.

And for the record, delaying or shifting speech is "hindering" it.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com