{"id":24148,"date":"2022-12-16T23:15:21","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T23:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/16\/yes-elon-musk-is-fucking-up-twitter-but-no-the-government-has-no-business-getting-involved\/"},"modified":"2022-12-16T23:15:21","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T23:15:21","slug":"yes-elon-musk-is-fucking-up-twitter-but-no-the-government-has-no-business-getting-involved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/16\/yes-elon-musk-is-fucking-up-twitter-but-no-the-government-has-no-business-getting-involved\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, Elon Musk Is Fucking Up Twitter; But No, The Government Has No Business Getting Involved"},"content":{"rendered":"

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from the not-how-any-of-this-works<\/i> dept<\/h3>\n

So, yes, I\u2019ve written a few things now on Elon\u2019s silly excuses<\/a> for his frantic speedrun through the content moderation learning curve<\/a>. It\u2019s getting more mainstream press because of journalist accounts getting banned<\/a> (including, this morning, Insider\u2019s Linette Lopez<\/a>, who did not post any \u201cdoxing\u201d info but has reported critically on Musk for years, which lead to him harassing her<\/a>).<\/p>\n

And while Musk\u2019s fans have been (hilariously, frankly) trying to defend these decisions by (1) claiming this is somehow \u201cdifferent\u201d because it\u2019s about \u201csafety\u201d \u2014 an argument we cleanly debunked<\/a> this morning \u2014 and (2) saying it\u2019s okay because the \u201cliberal\u201d media are now screaming about censorship and free speech, so it\u2019s all hilarious since everyone is switching positions. Except, I haven\u2019t seen much of that supposed \u201cswitch.\u201d Lots of people are pointing out that the reasons<\/em> stated for these suspensions have been silly. And many more people are highlighting how hypocritical<\/em> the statements and decisions made by Musk are. But most people readily recognize that he has every right to make dumb and hypocritical decisions.<\/p>\n

There are a few, however, who do seem to be taking it further. And they should stop, because it\u2019s nonsense. First up we have the EU, where the VP of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, is warning Musk that there will be consequences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"News<\/figure>\n

That\u2019s her saying:<\/p>\n

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News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying. EU\u2019s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct. @elonmusk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But being banned from private property doesn\u2019t impact \u201cmedia freedom or fundamental rights.\u201d And it\u2019s silly for Jourova to claim otherwise. No one has a \u201cright\u201d to be on Twitter. And even if the journalism bans are pathetic and silly (and transparently vindictive and petty) that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s violated anyone\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n

Some in the US are making similar claims, even though the 1st Amendment (backed up by Section 230) clearly protects Musk\u2019s ability to ban whoever he wants for any reason whatsoever. Yet Jason Kint, the CEO of Digital Context Next, a trade organization of \u201cdigital media companies\u201d \u2014 but which, in practice, often seems notably aligned with the desires of Rupert Murdoch\u2019s news organizations \u2014 demanded Congressional hearings if Musk did not \u201cfix this within an hour\u201d (referencing the journalist suspensions).<\/p>\n

\"Jason<\/figure>\n

But that\u2019s silly. Again, his decisions are protected by the 1st Amendment. It\u2019s his property. He can kick anyone out. Just like Fox News can choose not to put anyone on air who would call bullshit on \u201cthe big lie\u201d or Rupert Murdoch. That\u2019s their editorial freedom.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019d bet that if Congress hauled Lachlan Murdoch in for a hearing to demand he explain to them his editorial decision making practices for Fox News, Kint would be highlighting the massive 1st Amendment-connected chilling effects this would have on any of his member news organizations.<\/p>\n

We can mock Musk\u2019s decisions. We can highlight how nonsensical they are. We can pick apart his excuses and the ramblings of his fans and point out how inconsistent they are. But Musk has every right to do this, and that\u2019s exactly how it should be. Getting government involved with editorial decisions leads down a dangerous road.<\/p>\n

\nFiled Under: 1st amendment<\/a>, congress<\/a>, editorial discretion<\/a>, elon musk<\/a>, eu<\/a>, free speech<\/a>, jason kint<\/a>, journalists<\/a>, section 230<\/a>, social media<\/a>, vera jourova<\/a>
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Companies: twitter<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n