Twitter Free Speech Debate

The cluster discusses Twitter's content moderation practices, particularly around banning or restricting political figures like Trump, debating whether this constitutes censorship or is permissible as a private company's right under Section 230.

📉 Falling 0.1x Politics & Society
9,546
Comments
19
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#9519
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2008
14
2009
34
2010
32
2011
46
2012
105
2013
51
2014
77
2015
106
2016
445
2017
545
2018
534
2019
562
2020
1,561
2021
1,909
2022
2,429
2023
592
2024
311
2025
179
2026
14

Keywords

e.g LGBTQ amendment.html chillingeffects.org KillAllMen DT nytimes.com CEO USPS twitter free speech speech ban private company banned trump free private harassment

Sample Comments

heurist Oct 28, 2017 View on HN

Might as well read the op-ed: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/27/opinion/twitter-first-ame...

keithnz Jan 9, 2021 View on HN

why? twitter isn't the government, nothing is stopping anyone's free speech.

ender89 Jul 26, 2018 View on HN

republicans are not a protected class, twitter can ban them if they like. It's not remotely illegal.

db48x Oct 11, 2022 View on HN

Remind me why are we letting Twitter decide who can talk about what?

kanox Nov 10, 2020 View on HN

It's not censorship if the post is still accessible. It's Twitter inc. expressing their opinion.

disgrunt Jan 11, 2021 View on HN

Which has always been Twitter's defense when similar things happened on their platform. Shouldn't 230 apply here?

jonny_eh Jul 15, 2020 View on HN

You mean shutdown Twitter? I think that's a bit extreme in this case.

kesernio Dec 19, 2012 View on HN

Isn't Twitter supposed to support free speech?

stevehawk Oct 18, 2020 View on HN

twitter isn't doing those, they're losing friends through censorship. which they legally have every right to, but the powers that be are now campaigning to change that legal protection (exemption? sinve no one understands the second amendment)

emteycz Jan 7, 2021 View on HN

Twitter is a company providing free service, and they have the right to prevent anyone from using it at their discretion without any explanation whatsoever. Twitter can explain their position but it can be completely wrong, and an explanation definitely does not make them any authority of any kind, and doesn't mean anything about other cases.