Spain plans under-16 social media ban, Elon Musk calls prime minister a "tyrant"

[Endymio]

In my reply to your comment, I addressed free speech, not Musk specifically

You forget my comment was a reply to your first post. Are you now disavowing your remarks?

. At any rate, X seems to comply with many censorship requests (link elided)

Oops! None of those were "requests". They were government demands to comply with local law. As your article itself says:

"...Musk said: “The rules in India for what can appear on social media are quite strict, and we can’t go beyond the laws of a country,” and in doing so put his staff at risk, he added. “If we have a choice of either our people going to prison or us complying with the laws, we will comply with the laws.”....

I'll also note that no social media platform has fought such requests harder than Twitter, as they have legally battled the governments of Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Germany, and others. In the US, it was the release of the "Twitter files" that forced Facebook and other social media platforms to finally admit the extent to which they'd been pressured and extorted to silence true, but politically damaging content by Biden's FBI.

Precedent doesn't make something right. If a consumer product is affecting people's lives negatively, limits are called for

So why aren't you calling for bans on tobacco, sugary sweets, videogames, and binge shopping?

 

[GeoffreyA]

You forget my comment was a reply to your first post. Are you now disavowing your remarks?


Oops! None of those were "requests". They were government demands to comply with local law. As your article itself says:

"...Musk said: “The rules in India for what can appear on social media are quite strict, and we can’t go beyond the laws of a country,” and in doing so put his staff at risk, he added. “If we have a choice of either our people going to prison or us complying with the laws, we will comply with the laws.”....

I'll also note that no social media platform has fought such requests harder than Twitter, as they have legally battled the governments of Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Germany, and others. In the US, it was the release of the "Twitter files" that forced Facebook and other social media platforms to finally admit the extent to which they'd been pressured and extorted to silence true, but politically damaging content by Biden's FBI.


So why aren't you calling for bans on tobacco, sugary sweets, videogames, and binge shopping?

I stand by all that I say. You are selectively quoting me and leaving out other parts. Therefore, I do not think this argument is in good faith and will leave it as is.

 

[Endymio]

I do not think this argument is in good faith

Arguments are supported by facts, not faith. You made some wild claims against Musk, claims that are not only unsupported, but directly contradicted by what evidence we have.

 

[GeoffreyA]

Arguments are supported by facts, not faith. You made some wild claims against Musk, claims that are not only unsupported, but directly contradicted by what evidence we have.

Elon Musk says he wants free speech, but his track record suggests otherwise

Musk's free speech advocacy seems to apply mostly to his own speech or that of his fans and promoters.

www.cnbc.com

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-09-14/elon-musk-says-he-s-pro-free-speech-but-fired-twitter-staff-for-comments

Twitter has suspended the accounts of a prominent Tesla and Elon Musk critic, PlainSite founder Aaron Greenspan

Before he bought Twitter, Musk remarked, "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means."

www.cnbc.com

Twitter is complying with more government demands under Elon Musk

The company has not refused a single request since Musk took ownership, according to self-reported data.

restofworld.org

Of Course Elon Musk Wanted Twitter

The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla—and the richest person in the world—is obsessed with his version of free speech.

www.theatlantic.com

Despite praising free speech, Elon Musk fires Twitter engineers who criticize him online | Fortune

In one case, Musk announced the firing in a tweet. In another, the former employee said he was fired after he openly rebuked Musk.

fortune.com

Left-Wing Voices Are Silenced on Twitter as Far-Right Trolls Advise Elon Musk

Elon Musk appears to have outsourced decisions about who to ban from Twitter to the platform’s right-wing extremists, like Andy Ngo.

theintercept.com

Elon Musk wants free speech on Twitter after spending years silencing critics

The billionaire, who is famously sensitive to criticism, has a mixed record on championing the cause. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

www.straitstimes.com

Elon Musk worries free speech advocates with calls to prosecute researchers and critics

First Amendment advocates are concerned that Musk could use his sway as a Trump adviser to retaliate against a long list of enemies.

www.nbcnews.com

Elon Musk Scores a Victory Against Free Speech

The Trump regime thinks it should be illegal to not give Elon money.

gizmodo.com

Elon Musk sparks backlash by claiming the word ‘cis’ is a ‘heterosexual slur’

The prefix ‘cis’ has been part of spoken English since the 17th century as a dichotomic descriptor

www.independent.co.uk

Former Twitter Insider Describes Elon Musk’s Mixed Signals on Free Speech | FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series

Firsthand accounts in the documentary ‘Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover’ shed new light on the influential role Musk has played in shaping a national debate about the limits of free speech online.

www.pbs.org

Twitter appears to throttle New York Times

X, Elon Musk’s social media platform formerly known as Twitter, appears to be attempting to limit its users’ access to The New York Times.

www.semafor.com

What Elon Musk Gets Wrong About Free Speech

Musk's erratic behavior does not bode well for the future of free speech on social media

time.com

Elon Musk has become the world’s biggest hypocrite on free speech | Trevor Timm

The world needs people willing to stand up for freedom of expression – which makes Musk’s trajectory all the sadder

www.theguardian.com

 

[Endymio]

[wall of links elided]

You've certainly proven the size of the media propaganda campaign against Musk. However, not one of those links supports your contention that Musk's rejection of social media bans for children is motivated by financial benefit to himself. Quite the opposite, as TikTok, SnapChat, Facebook -- all his major competitors -- would be devastated by such a ban, whereas Twitter's near-all adult audience unscathed. Oops.

As for the links themselves, all ignore the enormous turnaround in social media freedom since Musk released the Twitter files. And most of them are filled with either scurrilous rumors, or they intentionally distort what "free speech" is, or conflate it with "being free of the consequences of your speech". Free speech doesn't allow you to post libel, slander, or incitement to violence. And while it does allow you to post in real time the exact coordinates of Musk himself in real life -- doxxing him to an audience of people known for violent assaults on those for which they disagree-- it doesn't allow you to use Musk's own platform to do so, in violation of its own long-stated rules against doxxing.

Those "journalists" who conflate a social media company being paid by the FBI to censor millions of true, but politically damaging posts -- especially right before an election cycle, with the express purpose of influencing that election -- with a publisher refusing to publish the real-time coordinate of their own CEO are nothing more the fascist drones, serving their cause zealously. Care to try again?