Caitlin Johnstone writes in a blog post over at Medium that corporate censorship is ramping up while people are distracted by the menace of government censorship.
It is true that it is the most controversial and repulsive speech which is most severely in need of protection, and that a government which is granted the power to silence Nazis can be expected to use that power to silence political dissent. But there is no danger of this ever happening in the United States, because corporate censorship can be used to silence anti-establishment voices with far less pushback.
Egged on by the resurfacing of obnoxious and sometimes illegal groups, more groups are pushing for, and sometimes getting, full online silence from other voices. Those in power will have corporations do any of the dirty work that might generate push back.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Wednesday August 16 2017, @09:33PM (4 children)
Exactly. Also, a corporation won't* put you in jail, confiscate your belongings, your home, take your money without your consent, or execute you.
* Not yet, anyway.
(Score: 3, Informative) by meustrus on Wednesday August 16 2017, @09:49PM
Not unless you live in the company town patrolled by Pinkertons.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @12:15AM (1 child)
Tell that to all the people who were illegally foreclosed on.
(Score: 3, Informative) by fyngyrz on Thursday August 17 2017, @03:21AM
Foreclosure is a legal act, done by the state, on behalf of the lender. Just as I said, the violence comes from the state.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday August 17 2017, @03:13AM
Of course they will confiscate your home -- they just pay local governments to condemn your property so they can build whatever. Illegal foreclosures have already been mentioned, but we could throw in price gouge medicines to such a degree, that people die. Of course, when corporate officers kill you, they don't get jail time, they get bonuses.