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Leaked draft details Trump's likely attack on technology giants:
The Trump Administration is putting the final touches on a sweeping executive order designed to punish online platforms for perceived anti-conservative bias. Legal scholar Kate Klonick obtained a draft of the document and posted it online late Wednesday night.
[...] The document claims that online platforms have been "flagging content as inappropriate even though it does not violate any stated terms of service, making unannounced and unexplained changes to policies that have the effect of disfavoring certain viewpoints, and deleting content and entire accounts with no warning, no rationale, and no recourse."
The order then lays out several specific policy initiatives that will purportedly promote "free and open debate on the Internet."
First up is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
[...] Trump's draft executive order would ask the Federal Communications Commission to clarify Section 230—specifically a provision shielding companies from liability when they remove objectionable content.
[...] Next, the executive order directs federal agencies to review their ad spending to ensure that no ad dollars go to online platforms that "violate free speech principles."
Another provision asks the Federal Trade Commission to examine whether online platforms are restricting speech "in ways that do not align with those entities' public representations about those practices"—in other words, whether the companies' actual content moderation practices are consistent with their terms of service. The executive order suggests that an inconsistency between policy and practice could constitute an "unfair and deceptive practice" under consumer protection laws.
Trump would also ask the FTC to consider whether large online platforms like Facebook and Twitter have become so big that they've effectively become "the modern public square"—and hence governed by the First Amendment.
[...] Finally, the order directs US Attorney General William Barr to organize a working group of state attorneys general to consider whether online platforms' policies violated state consumer protection laws.
[Ed Note - The following links have been added]
Follow Up Article: Trump is desperate to punish Big Tech but has no good way to do it
The Executive Order: Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship
(Score: 4, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @03:06PM (36 children)
Are you hypocritical conservatives seriously trying to convice anyone that this crusade is all about "freedom of speech" and "protecting democracy" ?
You want the truth ? I'll give you the truth: If the roles were reversed, and we had an equally moronic and evil, but liberal president in the White House, all of you "free speech" rabid defenders who are now pulling their hair out about "evil" social media would either remain completely silent about Twitter's actions, or downright applaud them, while calling liberals "bleeding hearts" and "snowflakes" and telling them to go to their "safe space" if they're not happy.
Well, eat your own dog food, conservatard hypocrits. Don't like the way Twitter is treating your beloved child molester ? Then grow a thick skin, snowflakes, and feel free to start your own social media company, where you'll be free to post all your racist, sexist, mysoginist, homophobe filth unhindered.
Now go ahead and mod me "troll", "flamebait", or whatever you like. That's "freedom of speech" for you, trumptards.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Fishscene on Friday May 29 2020, @03:34PM (32 children)
Why is it that only (all) conservatives are hypocritical?
Why do you assume conservatives love child molesters? Why do you think they are snowflakes? Are they screaming at the top of their lungs at reporters at colleges over safe spaces? Why do you think conservatives are all about racism, sexism, mysoginy, homophobia?
The hate spewing from your fingers indicates you live in a bubble. I encourage you to reach out and talk to conservatives. You'll find many of them to be more than decent human beings who want an amazing country.
Oh, and you might want to consider posting under your real username. Because posting all this hate towards a particular group of people as a coward isn't becoming of someone who believes they are right.
I know I am not God, because every time I pray to Him, it's because I'm not perfect and thankful for what He's done.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @04:11PM (20 children)
Nice attempt at diversion. No, actually, pathetic attempt at diversion. Can't find the flaw in the message, try to find the flaw in the messenger.
Instead of telling me that I live in a bubble, or pointing out that I post anonymously, or trying to find some other flaw in my character, why don't you try answering my question ? I'll rephrase it for you:
Do you seriously think that the conservatives that are currently condemning Twitter's actions, and accusing them of trying to censor the President and to stiffle freedom of speech would be so vocal and militant if the current President was a liberal ?
And by the way:
Oh, I don't know, maybe because they freely, willingly, and knowingly voted one as the President of the freaking United States ?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @09:21PM (19 children)
Please post your evidence that the president is a child molester.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @10:15PM (3 children)
If the President of the United States doesn't need evidence to throw wild criminal accusations, then neither do I.
But I'll be a good sport. Google "Epstein", "boat", "golden shower parties", and "13 year-old prostitues". Oh yeah, you can throw in "Bill Clinton" if you like. Not all filthy pedos are conservatives.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @02:57AM (2 children)
Please post your evidence. Not a general statement to google some terms that don't return anything.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @03:25AM (1 child)
But he heard it on Democrat Underground!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @04:03AM
The sad fact is he's been lied to by those providing him his news, but he does not realize they have been lying to him for their own personal gain.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @12:34AM (7 children)
#JusticeForCarolyn
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @03:00AM (6 children)
A single tweet does not evidence make.
A single tweet could be considered an accusation -- but an accusation is not evidence.
And all that comes up from googling that is a single tweet making an unsupported accusation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @04:32AM (5 children)
Yeah, I could tweet:
#The Moon is made of Green Cheese
but doing so would not make it true.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @05:59AM (3 children)
#JusticeForCarolyn it's all sorta true.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @01:55PM (2 children)
And how do you know this is "sorta" true? The tweet simply makes an unsupported accusation, with nothing (not even a link to anything) to support the accusation. You could tweet tomorrow that the queen of england murdered princess diana, but doing so would make that accusation no more true than this one is.
Where is your evidence showing that the tweet is true? No evidence, no truth, just an accusation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @06:10PM (1 child)
Or, you could tweet that the cold case of the death of a Joe Scarbourough intern should be re-opened, and that is simply an unsupported accusation by a very stupid and fragile IMPOTUS. Don't get sarcasm, eh? Not too bright, eh? Conservative, then?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @07:48PM
Indeed it was an accusation without evidence, never said it was supported in any way. And it was in poor taste as well.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @06:00AM
#JusticeForCarolyn It's all sorta true.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @03:54AM (6 children)
"Please post your evidence that the president is a child molester."
Well, I don't have any evidence that the President is a child molester (though it wouldn't surprise me, frankly), but conservatives really did like Roy Moore, and he arguably was a child molester.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @04:43AM (5 children)
Which simply means you have an opinion, and you are entitled to whatever opinion makes you happy. But an opinion should be presented as just that, an opinion, not as a statement of fact.
Yet the post that started this subthread was presenting an opinion as if it were a fact.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @06:07AM (2 children)
Fuck your facts, you Trumper! We have our own facts, we make reality, not just follow after it, as the W. Bush admin did! Some things about Republicans does not change! And the Alternative truth of Kelly Annie and Sarah Huckabee, and Ronna Romney McDaniel, and "Dick" Liz Cheney, and Meghan McCain, and all the other daughters of Repbulicans milking the system, instead of their own fertile tits (Kayleigh McEnany had her's removed, to not interfere with her service of evil), is still in our pockets! Alternative Truth! Not truth, but still true! Sort of. Presenting truth, as if it were opinion. I wonder what you even think truth is?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 31 2020, @04:12AM (1 child)
Translation: you have no evidence, just a bunch of unsupported accusations that you keep throwing around.
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 31 2020, @04:18AM
The GP AC is just repeating the opinions he has been spoonfed by his CNN handlers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @03:16PM (1 child)
"Which simply means you have an opinion, and you are entitled to whatever opinion makes you happy. But an opinion should be presented as just that, an opinion, not as a statement of fact."
Oh, I gave you a fact alright (which you conveniently ignored). The fact is that an alarming number of "conservatives" voted for Roy Moore, who is evidently a child molester.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 31 2020, @04:15AM
Because people voting for Roy Moore appears completely unrelated to Trump.
Please state your reasoning for how people voting for Roy Moore in any way links Trump to being a child molester?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @04:22PM
Because those who don't have been purged from congress. Those who were critical of Trump's actions were all vote out of office, removed from the administration (as spitefully as as 1-week away from being eligible for retirement benefits). There was an almost completely party-line vote against removing him from office from the impeachment trials (regardless of if you agree or disagree with him, huge credit must be given to Romney for having the courage of his convictions), despite the substantial evidence of misbehavior.
That's not even counting all the public representatives, including Fox News and talk radio.
When all the visible people of a faction act a certain way, defacto that is the belief of that organization... Actions trump rhetoric, especially rhetoric from the non-leaders of a group.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday May 29 2020, @05:07PM (4 children)
- Because there is good reason to believe their leader, who a large percentage of conservatives loudly profess their support for, raped a 13-year-old, and at the very least was good friends with someone running an international sex trafficking ring where rape of teenagers was a common occurrence.
- Because when they ran a known pedo for senate in Alabama, he got lots of conservative votes.
- Because there's an entire subculture of conservative America where very young girls are all but forced to marry adult men (who then rape them, if they hadn't raped them before the forced marriage), and conservatives don't speak out against that.
- Because when children are raped, conservatives almost universally blame the child and excuse the rapist.
- Because many of them profess religions that accept and in some cases encourage all of this.
So it's entirely reasonable to believe that conservative thought considers child molesting to be acceptable.
Because they regularly treat minor things as leading directly to much more dire things. For example:
- Proposals to raise taxes on rich people to pay for public services or reduce the national debt are treated as identical to suggesting that the country be taken over by the Khmer Rouge.
- Proposals to more strictly regulate firearms are treated as identical to suggesting that we should have a fascist dictatorship.
- Telling people to stay home as much as possible and wear a mask when not at home are treated as identical to imprisoning everyone.
- Proposals to reduce the use of coal and oil and natural gas for environmental reasons are treated as identical to replacing capitalism with communism.
- Posting a fact-check along with a politician's tweet is treated as identical to liberals creating a Ministry of Truth that censors what everyone can say.
Or a really big example of this: Conservatives started the American Civil War not over anything Abe Lincoln had done (because he hadn't been inaugurated when they started), nor anything he had proposed doing during his campaign, but over what they feared his proposals might eventually cause decades later.
Protest is the tool of the powerless. The powerful are the sort that don't need to protest, because they're already getting exactly what they want. In the case of colleges and universities, what conservatives are doing is appointing conservative presidents of public universities, who in turn hire conservative deans, and the new conservative university administrations have been systematically eliminating tenure for decades so they can fire professors who say things they don't like.
As for "safe spaces", I'm guessing you've never encountered situations where they were a damn good idea, e.g. women who have been raped that need some place where they know there won't be men around to recover from their PTSD reactions. And no, it's not a major inconvenience for men for those spaces to exist, you just don't go into those spaces the same way you don't walk into the women's bathroom.
Because that's what they vote for. Consistently. As a simple example of this, 4 years ago conservatives in the US had the choice between running a guy with a long history of open racism, and a bunch of other conservatives who had plenty of other problems but no open racism, and they chose to back the racist.
Is every conservative a Klansman or Nazi? No. But given a choice between voting for a Klansman and voting for a centrist with the "wrong" party label, more than you'd like to admit will vote for the Klansman, and they will justify it on the grounds that voting for the "wrong" party is identical to electing Fidel Castro. And potentially more telling at least in my state was the election in which approximately 1/4 of the people who normally vote Republican either didn't vote or voted Democrat when the Republican candidate was black.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: -1, Troll) by VLM on Friday May 29 2020, @05:30PM (2 children)
So, basically Clinton, Obama, and Biden did all that stuff and the best defense is a strong offense.
Know its all going to come up against the D party, so make endless noise about how its actually the R party doing all that, LOL.
Kinda "meh".
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @09:52PM
This is moronic.
Just because A did so, does not excuse B.
And I say this as a foreigner who really enjoys seeing the US going down in flames (even although I know this will hurt the rest of the world as well). Your silly D vs R arguments. Pathetic.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @01:19AM
They should all be investigated and sentenced for what they're guilty of, but the corruption plaguing the entire federal government (and the other layers are often even worse) ensures that justice will never be served. Conspiracy theorists and con artists are given legitimacy, because there exist actual and obvious conspiracies.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @12:22AM
Fixed your post to reveal your true colors...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @08:14PM (4 children)
Tried talking to conservatives. Very limited vocabulary, and even more limited conceptual ability. Had to punch them in the face, finally, when they kept saying white supremacy is just "thinking different". Fucking Nazi fucks!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @08:33PM (2 children)
Let's hope the next person you assault shoots you dead.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @09:25PM
QED
murderous psychopaths
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @12:38AM
They are always too slow, being rather slow-witted. Ever see Bogart handling the "gunnies"? Like that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @04:48AM
Wow. Apple has really gone downhill without Steve Jobs.
(Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Friday May 29 2020, @06:01PM (1 child)
You realize it is the left too that has been damaged by the policies of these companies, perhaps even more so than the right. What these techgiants are doing is propping up the legacy media, which is a very different thing than engaging in an objective quest for truth, something particularly quixotic when in the realm of opinion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 30 2020, @07:04AM
Huh? The big tech companies are eating legacy media's lunch [adage.com]. it's all about that advertising dollars.
These guys are about revenue and profit -- and they're taking that revenue and profit *directly* from legacy media.
How, exactly, is that "propping them up?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 29 2020, @07:07PM
These are no longer conservatives we're talking about. These are fascists.
Compare and contrast the other political party calling for regulation/nationalization of social media: ICFI/Socialist Equality Party [socialequality.com] (unreconstructed Trotskyist).