Item — HN Reader

> Why is so hard to understand that government limitations on free speech are fundamentally different from private ones?

Because Facebook wields more power than most countries' governments do. This would almost certainly be a lot less upsetting if it were a smaller site doing it.

1 comments

That's a nice soundbite you've got there, but what does it actually mean?

Facebook can imprison people? Fine them? Revoke their permission to travel? Fire them from their jobs? Decide their contractual disputes? Determine the taxes they should pay?

None of the above?

More power in terms of ability to censor/effectiveness of censorship.

Facebook can throw me in prison for saying the wrong thing? Facebook can issue notices to other publishers telling them they cannot publish what I write? Facebook exercises general control over which internet sites are available in my country?

None of the above?

Facebook choosing to try to censor something would be more effective at reducing the number of people who ever see it than most countries choosing to try to censor it would be.