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On January 15th, 2018, World Socialist Web Site reported that users are unable to share a promotional video for a January 16th online meeting, "Organizing Resistance to Internet Censorship."
Facebook has blocked users from sharing a social media video promoting the January 16 online meeting "Organizing resistance to Internet censorship," featuring World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board Chairman David North and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges. The initial post of the video, uploaded Friday, cannot be shared by any user. Those who attempt to do so receive an error message that seems to imply a technical failure.
Users reported, however, that upon clicking "If you think you're seeing this message by mistake, please let us know," they were presented with a notice that clearly indicates the content had been blocked in the name of keeping Facebook "safe."
WSWS published an open letter about internet censorship and net neutrality on November 25. The FCC repealed net neutrality rules on December 14, 2017.
In this AC's opinion, Facebook is certainly within their rights to refuse to host any content for any reasons they choose. However, for many people, Facebook is the internet.
Should we worry about entrenched services such as Facebook and Google using their positions to suppress information? Does the presence or absence of net neutrality change one's analysis of the situation?
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:59PM (2 children)
However, for many people, Facebook is the internet.
Should we worry about entrenched services such as Facebook and Google using their positions to suppress information?
Maybe those people should stop thinking Facebook is the internet, when it isn't. If this simple fact is too hard to comprehend for people, then they don't really deserve freedom from censorship.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by HiThere on Wednesday January 17 2018, @06:38PM (1 child)
The problem is, they may not deserver freedom from censorship, but *we* deserve their freedom from censorship. The acceptable rules of behavior, laws, etc. are all shaped by what the mass of people believe.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday January 17 2018, @08:44PM
The mass of people doesn't believe privacy is important, otherwise Facebook wouldn't be as popular as it is now. Therefore, the acceptable rules of behavior are to ignore privacy issues.