“They’re really showing their hand now, aren’t they?”
That is how one blogger puts it. And the “They” are the leftward tech giants that provide platforms on which all of us can (in theory) have our say.
“They” — Google, Twitter, Facebook, WordPress — have provided these platforms in a country where freedom of speech is protected, if imperfectly, by the First Amendment and allied ideas, institutions, habits, and sensibilities.
But the First Amendment cannot, by itself, protect speakers of speech from having the rug yanked out from under them by these service providers. With increasing frequency and brazenness, the tech giants are de-platforming speakers they disagree with despite past assurances of being open to all comers (not using speech to do anything illegal).
In this case, “they” means WordPress, which has notified a popular political blog, The Conservative Treehouse, that its days are numbered. Because “your site’s content and our terms” are incompatible, “you need to find a new hosting provider and must migrate the site by Wednesday, December 2.”
It took many years and, apparently, the (apparent) election of Joe Biden for WordPress to discover this “incompatibility.”
Says the Treehouse: “After ten years of brutally honest discussion, opinion, deep research and crowdsourcing work” by the site, WordPress can cite no violation of any term of service “because CTH has never violated one.”
So, what’s the upshot? At a minimum, if you’re using a big-tech platform but aren’t toeing the big-tech ideological line, seek alternatives. Pronto.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
—
See all recent commentary
(simplified and organized)
5 replies on “Buzz-Sawing the Conservative Treehouse”
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Doesn’t seem to apply since the government isn’t involved.
Appears the WordPress can take any action they desire.
Add Parler and Substack to the list of endangered internet species.
These two services don’t censor or blacklist. They are therefore being threatened with boycotts by corporate media and their viability is at risk. They are dependent on apps for mobile users and if their apps are not sold by vendors like Apple and Google, they can’t survive. Gab is currently not endangered because it has its own platform.
See John Nolte at Breitbart.
Section 230 needs to be reviewed and strengthened.
The way to “strengthen” Section 230 is to abide by it. Any changes to it would weaken, not strengthen, it (unless it’s possible to dissolve the federal government by something as simple as amending the section, which seems unlikely).
Thanks to Paul for not using the inapplicable term “censorship” in this piece (although it does appear in the article tags).