A private company censoring the content on their platform is not a violation of freedom of speech. I believe that the point being argued is that they have a responsibility to filter out automated messaging.
> No, there is no responsibility whatsoever. Users are free to not use the service if they don't like it.
I own private property. It's true that I'm free to paint my house an obnoxious color and let it fall into ruin. It doesn't mean that I don't have a responsibility to my neighbors and community to provide upkeep to my house and ensure it's aesthetically pleasing.
Similarly, I believe social media and the media has a larger responsibility to our civic discourse even if they are a private company. Is that a legal obligation? No, but it's a moral obligation.
> It doesn't mean that I don't have a responsibility to my neighbors and community to provide upkeep to my house and ensure it's aesthetically pleasing.
Can your neighbours sue you if you paint your house in an obnoxious color? No? Then there is no responsibility.
Why is it that I, for whom English is only my 4th language has to explain to you what the English word responsibility means?
If for you responsibility is just a fuzzy term with some feelings attached then we don't need to discuss this matter as FB can't be held accountable to that kind of responsibility anyways.
> Similarly, I believe social media and the media has a larger responsibility to our civic discourse even if they are a private company
I do not doubt that you believe many things, but first you have to show what responsibility actually exists and then show if and how that applies to Facebook if you are going to make such an argument.
I know Germany's free speech laws are different from those in the US. Is the censorship you're referring to as a result of these free speech laws, or something else? I'm interested in learning about non-government entities forcing Facebook to censor, which is why I asked "a third party other than the state".
I'm not going to answer such a question pretending you are a 3 year old that really doesn't know how media + government collude and operate to control society.
You are incapable of seeing how it poses a threat to freedom of speech when all major media combined call for censorship? There's no point for me to engage in a discussion with you.
I'm sorry, but I think I'm asking a different question.
I'm not asking about whether Facebook can engage in censorship. That was addressed by you here:
> A private company censoring the content on their platform is not a violation of freedom of speech
It's not, but a third party forcing FB to censor or me to shut up is censorship.
I'm asking how a third party (someone other than Facebook or the government) can force Facebook to censor.
I think figuring out how to create a constructive online community is an important and complex issue. It's not as simple as letting everybody do whatever they want. And limiting what can be done includes limiting speech in some way. How you do that in a way that's not censorship is a legitimate question.
