Rumors that “ass-backward tech company” Twitter would be launching a major purge of non-Leftist users have been circulating for a while now. I fully expected them to try it, having been targeted by Twitter’s passive-aggressive shadowban censorship before.
Now it looks like they’ve gone and done it. Overnight, an unknown number of conservative users’ accounts were summarily locked. Countless others lost followers in amounts ranging from a handful to thousands in what is being called the #TwitterLockOut.
Twitter and its ideological fellow travelers claim the lockout was implemented to shut down Russian bot accounts, which is a lot like an arsonist explaining he burned your house down to kill the evil leprechauns hiding in the walls.
Remember, this is the same company that denied shadowbanning their users until Project Veritas caught them on tape admitting to the deed.
Besides, I can assure Twitter that my good friend voice actor JimFear138 is neither Russian nor a bot.
We all know the drill by now. Twitter’s ham-fisted censorship has nothing to do with stopping foreign spam accounts. Twitter openly declared which side of the culture war it was fighting on when it announced the members of its Trust and Safety Council, which gives the Committee of Public Safety a run for its money in the competition for Most Ironically Named Organization.
What the increasingly brazen actions of Twitter–and YoutTube, Google, Facebook, etc.–to censor their own users means is that the Left is out of arguments. They got so used to dealing with a complicit media and pliant, feckless “opposition” party that their debate skills completely atrophied. Now they can only try to silence dissent.
If you were locked out of your account or lost followers on Twitter, tweet in the #TwitterLockOut hashtag. Follow others who were locked out and lost followers. Show the bubble-dwelling mandarins of this ass-backwards tech company that we’re on to them, and we will not be silenced.
While you’re at it, contact President Trump, your Congressman, and your Senators. Demand that the Justice Department begin antitrust proceedings against the tech giants who’ve chosen to censor their users’ political speech.
Brian
Wow. How viable would a class action be? That would be the first volley that would eventually interest the Justice dept as well as other state Attorney generals.
I see consumer and contractual violations. Lots of civil responsibilities.
xavier
Not sure. Might be worth asking a corporate lawyer, though.
Twitter and Silicon Valley will take lawsuits once a day and twice on Sundays for the most part since they can buy plenty of lawyers for the "fairness" argument. They will ultimately win a "fairness" argument, fair or not.
Two things change that comfort zone for Twitter and its ilk:
1.) Discrimination. This is the basis of James Damore's lawsuit. California law offers the exquisite bonus of "nondiscrimination for political views". Google is not feeling comfortable over this, and neither is any other SJW-controlled Valley corp. Pucker Factor is high.
2.) Nationalization and/or Forced Breakup. Any corp that controls a significant portion (75%) of an industry or service gets their underpants all up in a bunch bandying that word about. The smart players in this game are very careful not to let politics get too visible when they run the market. The stupid ones throw their weight around. We got the Baby Bells in the 1980s because Ma Bell thought she could tell Daddy GOV what to do. Who's making that mistake today?
Bonus fact: The G-E already threatened to nationalize portions of or all of the 5G spectrum for benefit to US Citizens. Pucker Factor way up.
While I'm not happy that GOV has the power to make either of this situations possible, savor the delicious fact that the Left for the most part put these GOV tools into place, created the society in which such Corporate power is openly exploited, and demanded the very outcomes for bad actors that Silicon Valley now faces.
"I love the smell of irony in the morning! Smells like victory!"
Thanks for the informative answer!
Let us use the Left's weapons against them. After all, we are not Conservatives, despite what these blue check marks think.
Speaking of James Damore, most legal experts I've heard opine on the matter are confident he'll lose due to the reasons you stated. On the other hand, they expect discovery to be quite revealing–and highly embarrassing for Google.
On the other hand, they expect discovery to be quite revealing–and highly embarrassing for Google.
Which is why an out-of-court settlement (a very high one) is likely, coupled with an adamantium-clad NDA.
As always, we shall see.
It's on. Jared Taylor has filed suit against Twitter in San Francisco superior court citing Robins v Pruneyard as a precedent. Another legal expert among the regular readers of this site informs me that Taylor's got a strong case.
Brian — letters sent!
"You may fire when ready, Gridely!"
Outstanding! Same here.
Off-topic: Nationalization could work in various ways, but I have not run the numbers on all but a few. One that has research behind it is at the municipal level for fiber optic networks (though I have to find the PDF again).
Most municipalities or subsections thereof bid out cable contracts to a single contractor who brings in equipment, lays in coax, drops switches, and generally makes a significant investment in infrastructure. That is not conducive to good customer service in the long run because (1) you don't want to rebid that mess every year or two, and (2) incumbents (Cable and local GOV) get complacent (ignoring bad service and worse).
One solution is for the municipality to pay for the fiber network — lay it in themselves and own it — then lease the network (or parts of it) to competing contractors. This lowers the barriers for entry beyond Xfinity (Comcast), Spectrum (WB/Road Runner), Cox, and other larger cable providers. Little guys try to outbid the big guys for a region or a smaller slice can compete more easily since they don't have to bring the infrastructure. Bad performers can be dropped like they are hot and allow another provider to slip in more seamlessly. The network is paid for by leasing fees and upkeep can be planned for the same reason–known revenue streams *into* the municipalities.
Example Links:
https://www.alexandriava.gov/Broadband
https://www.alexandriava.gov/news_display.aspx?id=94066
I don't doubt that the G-E has this kind of plan in mind for rural Internet/Wireless build outs in the US. Some upfront costs to be paid by Fed/State, then provider leasing fees pay that back over time.
And JimFear138 offers a fine nootropic from C.S. Lewis in his current post's comment section to "the most wretched hive of scum and villainy ever": Fake News and SocJus Silicon Valley.
Bonus: animation.
Brian and Man of atom,
Thanks. I look forward to discovery. I'm sure the local authouritues will take a harder look at the companies.
Popcorn time.
xavier
Man of the atom,
Reading again your post about nationalization gave me an idea. Probably unviable but here goes: Why not have the local internet (i.e. municipal and community) run like a confraternity? The idea is that the municipality/local community install the infrastructure but it's run by the locals in a confraternity. We'll need super ironclad rules and bylaws that basically prevents any social justice takeovers.
Having a confraternity type organization would make the local internet and content providers more accountable to the community.
xavier
Resources and will are the only things needed immediately to accomplish something like this. If a locality wished to do this, it would strengthen local control of their Internet and improve their overall network services.
However, the fight against the Left and similar thugs would be a long term battle. It's a never ending battle against tyrants and no barrier is forever immune from them. People forget over time, or assume incorrectly that human nature changes.
Man of the atom;
Thanks. Small steps and a first one is to decentralize as much as possible while taking down the zombies and trolls.
xavier
Twitter decided that a tweet I made regarding both muslim zealots and the sex slave trade in Eastern Europe is "bullying" or whatever.
I can't bring myself to delete it. Feels too much like caving to people that DEFEND those things.
Twitter cries out in pain as it strikes you.
Probably because it's so limp wristed.
Zing!