“Most of U.S. conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s podcasts from his right-wing media platform Infowars have been removed from Apple’s iTunes and podcast apps, the media news website BuzzFeed quoted a company spokesman as saying on Sunday,” Rich McKay reports for Reuters. “The move by Apple is the most sweeping of a recent crackdown on Jones’s programs by Facebook and other online sites that have suspended or removed some of his conspiracy-driven content.”
“Apple told Buzzfeed that it had removed the entire library for five of Jones’s six Infowars podcasts including the shows ‘War Room’ and the daily ‘The Alex Jones Show,'” McKay reports. “Only one program provided by Infowars, ‘RealNews with David Knight’ remained on Apple’s platforms on Sunday, according to media accounts.”
“In other recent actions against Jones, Facebook suspended the radio and Internet host’s personal profile for 30 days in late July from Facebook’s site for what the company said was bullying and hate speech,” McKay reports. “Also, Spotify, a music and podcast streaming company, said on Monday that it had now removed all of Jones’s Infowars programs from its platform. Last week it removed just some specific programs.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Of course, the inherent danger of censorhsip is that you make the censored more alluring by elevating the musings run-of-the-mill crackpots into ideas too “dangerous” to hear.
MacDailyNews Note: In a statement Sunday evening to BuzzFeed News, an Apple spokesperson said:
Apple does not tolerate hate speech, and we have clear guidelines that creators and developers must follow to ensure we provide a safe environment for all of our users. Podcasts that violate these guidelines are removed from our directory making them no longer searchable or available for download or streaming. We believe in representing a wide range of views, so long as people are respectful to those with differing opinions.
Note also that Infowars.com’s The Alex Jones Show and other podcasts are readily availble elsewhere via Stitcher and other outlets.
Unlike Apple, it seems, we trust the intelligence of our readers to be able to listen to what they want and decide for themselves who to ignore and who to follow.
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. — Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Whate about HATE speech in Rap music, killing cops, breaking laws, harassing politicians, etc. Twitter banned a black conservative recently for mocking blacks in the same satirical way a N.Y. Times employee mocked whites (she was NOT banned). The moral of the story is if you’re from the LEFT you can hate RIGHT people. Apple like Twitter and Fakebook are all the same targeting and censoring conservatives — while celebrating hate from the LEFT. Disgusting hypocrites …
What …
What? I’ll tell you what. ConSnowflake whining that’s what. Move back in time 20 years, change ALLL of that whining to how badly poor people are treated, how badly immigrants are treated, how abortions should be legal and you have the same whine, different topics.
One of the most disheartening downsides of having conservatives in control of the government is that the population of conservative snowflakes that want their “speech protected” and want their “safe spaces” where “no one talks badly about conservative ideas” and “laws passed to prevent people making fun of me” has ballooned!
So, a podcast is banned from Fakebook and Apple, TOO BAD THERE’S LITERALLY NO OTHER WAY TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT! I guess it’s time to whine about how the world is unfair, just like a liberal instead of using the strength and attractiveness of conservative ideas, PLUS the HUGE amount of money supporting them to create your own space where such ideas are celebrated.
Right! Here’s an all White mob attacking a Black woman for simply trying to eat breakfast. I guess she tried to sit at the wrong counter!!
And here is an all White mob attacking an Asian-American because she had the nerve to write a book! Who let her out of the dry-cleaners???
You are confused. “Conservative snowflakes” does not compute dude
It computes perfectly or would you prefer they just call them gutless, hypocritical punks purveying BS? The inference is you seem to think think the left has that market cornered. They don’t. They are struggling to catch up.
wow a lot of russian trolls out here
I would have said the same if it wasn’t for the rampant rise of phrases normally heard coming out of liberals mouths but with conservative ideas swapped in. Like political madlibs, it’s like there are these dainty fragile conservatives that can’t stand it when anyone has anything bad to say about conservatives and their first thought is to sue, like a liberal, and then to try to get the government to step in, like a liberal.
Liberal snowflake: Don’t say anything bad about democrats or I’ll sue.
ConSnowflake: Don’t say anything bad about republicans or I’ll sue.
True Conservatives: Say what you want, I’ll be taking over local, then state governments, changing the districts so we can’t be voted out of office, then obtaining the nationwide legislative majority that, just two generations ago, was said to be impossible.
If you don’t call out the ConSnowflakes for what they are, one day you’ll turn around and find the whole party has become a bunch of whiners and complainers that forgot that conservatives don’t look for someone to do for them they DO FOR THEMSELVES.
Wrong again.
Your post does not hold water and FALSE. True conservatives are NOT snowflakes by any stretch of the imagination. Learn reading comprehension and resist putting out personal fantasy false narratives that continue unabated …
“True conservatives are NOT snowflakes”
Huh, pretty much precisely what I wrote.
I would LOL, but “a person on the internet complaining about reading comprehension while showing a absolute LACK of reading and comprehension” happens way too often to be funny anymore. I WILL grin, though 🙂
“Huh, pretty much precisely what I wrote.”
BS. 🐂💩
What a bizarre post inventing new terms and mixing political ideology. But I do like “madlibs” and you should keep it to yourself…
Wrong Again, wrong again. You are such a typical white liberal guilt wuss. GoeB is correct. Apple is being disingenuous. RAP’s hate, garbage, violence, strong misogyny, and strong homophobia, are a byproduct of a highly dysfunctional, willfully separatist, anti-social, vulgar culture. It is a celebration of the world you find in most black urban areas like Chicago for instance. Your ignorance and unwillingness to recognize that many of the most popular flavors of RAP make Alex Jones look like nothing more than a conspiracy kook, is a symptom of what is wrong with YOUR whiney ass racist belief system.
You are a COWARD. A fearful little coward who will sacrifice the greatest standards of society just so you can feel good about yourself and not fear pissing someone off.
Hell Apple got into bed with Dr. Dre who has advocated rape and murder of women in his music.
The truth is that you and people like you are at the core of more than a significant chunk of the social ills of this nation. OMG! Don’t piss off the black people. You know what? Black people laugh at you.
On the good side, more and more people are beginning to see through your pathetic arguments and see you for what you are. Spineless agitators.
thetheloniousmac, all your posts today are awesome and you’ve covered all the bases aking all the convincing arguments.
Noticed tedious long winded distraction post specialist TxUSER did not reply for good reason. Well, done …
Where did your abject fear of black people come from! LOL I’m preeeetty sure the ones reading this thread are having a good laugh at the fact that they demand SO much of your attention EVERY single day! 🙂
Fact remains, conservatives that whine and do NOTHING to change their position in life or are looking for SOMEONE else (or the government) to help them rather than to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps (no matter WHAT color they are) are weak, are conSnowflakes, and can just join the whining ineffective liberals.
thetheloniousmac is black. Feel brainless and small? I’m glad he not dignify your post of epic failure with Libtard stereotypes. Nuff said …
Apple MAKES MONEY on this crap.
Everyone uses the term “Conservative” now, mostly applying it to non-conservatives. Don’t blame real conservatives for what others are doing. Jones is NOT a conservative. And neither is the current politicians in charge. Although many of the policy changes under Trump would be approved by Conservatives.
Exactly.
I believe Theo just caused a small explosion between Wrong Again’s legs (it was his head, but having it so far up his ass many would mistake the noise for a fart….)
How can a liberal White respond to a Conservative Black?? By their own liberal rules, all Whites are racist and Blacks are not to be argued with but understood…..hmmm. Porch Uncle much???
Nevermind that I agree 100% with the fact Apple has allowed Leftist trash on their iTunes Store for years. And nevermind the fact I really don’t care for Alex Jones (if he IS the real Alex jones….)
but this double-standard is exactly what happens in the news media on a daily basis yet the reason the Left doesn’t see it is because they AGREE with it!.
Oh well, too bad, Lefties. Most of America doesn’t tilt that far left (if at all) and the overall results of every election since 2012 has proven this (save for Barry’s re-erection).
The problem, GeoB, is that “whataboutism” isn’t a convincing logical argument. “What about Hitler” isn’t relevant to criticism of Stalin. Whether Apple should link to InfoWars podcasts (that remain online exactly as they were before) is a completely independent question from whether they should remove violent rap songs. Even if one agreed that the lyrics were offensive and racist (and I do agree), it would not make Jones any more acceptable.
By and large, the songs just express opinions. InfoWars purports to report facts. Those facts are frequently made up out of thin air to support positions that Apple management and most Apple customers find highly objectionable. Posting links to that material could reasonably be construed as endorsement of those “alternative facts.” Not forcing Apple to endorse InfoWars positions is the very essence of protecting free speech.
I think you replied to the wrong person.
As the first line indicated, I was replying to GeoB. Hard to read the indentation on an iPhone!
We can all DEFINITELY agree on that!!
“Whether Apple should link to InfoWars podcasts (that remain online exactly as they were before) is a completely independent question from whether they should remove violent rap songs.”
“Completely independent question” my arse, Apple defender. You say it is not “whataboutism” and then in the next breath make it about “whataboutism.” Typical deflection tactic, do as I say and not as I do.
thetheloniousmac first post at 10:53 am, is comprehensive and explains everything clearly that even you through your DENSE rose colored blinders might understand.
I noticed you have not disagreed or responded to any of his spot on posts – including the one he responded to you with a hate-filled song — very, very telling …
“you have the same whine, different topics.”
Wrong Again, grande! Go back 20 years, whining?Conservatives are snowflakes and need safe spaces? Wow, LOL!
Everyone needs their speech protected, popular or unpopular as in this case. What make you think violent rap lyrics are not offensive and racist? Assume that’s just fine with you.
Thanks for ignoring and deflecting the points in my post. Then go on a personal volume of fiction RANT …
BS. Disgusting hypocrites was a term invented on your behalf. During the most recent political cycles the far right has existed on diet who primary ingredient is hate. If had shred of honesty you would know hate is the food of politics on both sides of the aisle. Your problem is you only care when it is directed at you and you don’t care when you are the one shoveling it out.
… that you are case of “the pot calling the kettle black”, but I’m sure you would label me a bigoted, racist, Nazi conservative for that comment.
Hey, what the heck, that would still be better than being a pinko asswipe like you.
“Your problem is you only care when it is directed at you and you don’t care when you are the one shoveling it out.”
Now that’s BS. Putting words in my mouth is what leftists excel at in general. Never said that and don’t believe it, fool. Or is it, tool …
LOL
GoeB – The left does not go about hanging black people, or shooting anyone. Nor do leftists mark in the streets with Nazi flags – remember we fought Naziism in WWII?
No leftie has shot a bunch of white people in a church in order to start a race war as did Dylan Roof, etc etc etc.
Plain and simple this idiot Alex Jones is profiting by telling repeated lies – essentially slander – about the parents at Sandy Hook and people are making death threats against them because of this.
Antifa much?
Anyone as clueless as you about hanging Blacks (as the DEMOCRATS did for a century after Civil War) is also ignorant enough to believe the Left’s Facist tactics are being used against Facist.
What a joke people on the Left who have no clue if history are.
To Tower the russsian troll
I imagine the the KKK did not limit itself to democrats. And guess what?
When Lyndon Johnson passed the civil rights legislation – all those racists went to the Republican party. Why is it that all the racist organizations supported Trump?
Why is it KKK supported Trump?
Talking about clueless!
Russian tool
“When Lyndon Johnson passed the civil rights legislation – all those racists went to the Republican party.”
Thanks for proving my point. You know nothing about history, just some talking points that are completely wrong.
(To start, Johnson didn’t pass the Civil Rights act, Congress did and with a much higher percent of Republicans than Democrats per party. Not only that but Republicans had tried to pass a Civil Rights bill in 1957 that was shot down by many of the same Democrats that helped pass it when it was for THEIR political good, not for the good of Blacks)
But this is a waste of time, you will never understand what really happened between 1940-1965 because it isn’t what you have been programmed to believe.
https://eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/civil_rights_act.html
Spot on, TT. Good to read you eviscerated the misinformed childish name caller, ignorant of history, trying to pawn opinions as facts …
Well GoeB, there is one inescapable truth here…leave Apple. Sell your gear, move on…somewhere, anywhere – I don’t care.
After all, you hate Apple’s performance internationally, China for instance.
You hate Tim Cook like a demented half-wit homophobe, his public persona, his sympathies and even what he does in his free time on a Sunday.
By extension, you also hate the Apple Board of executives who show less than zero interest in replacing him, or offer any criticism of any Tim Cook public statement or management decision.
Almost any post here regarding Apple the company, is just another excuse to whinge like a harpy.
So…just do yourself a favour, unburden yourself and leave Apple with all its quirks that daily twist your knickers ever-tighter.
I mean, it can’t be that you are masquerading as a MAC user with an entirely different agenda. Surely not?
Apple Snowflakes don’t command me.
“masquerading as a MAC user with an entirely different agenda.” No masquerade here, Apple user since the 1980s. I’ll try to explain it to you sonny, as I sense you are not quite grown yet.
It’s a combination of praising Apple when they do well, and constructive criticism when they don’t. Sorry you can’t handle it or know the DIFFERENCE. If you read MDN regularly, certainly the criticism has accelerated from diehard Apple fans under pipeline.
This thread is simply the latest example …
I will admit that I’m not super political like you, but I would like to see Theodore Roosevelt style Progressive principles drag America forward. And when discussing problems and solutions with adults, I find a huge number of people who aren’t so partisan. I don’t personally know any democrat or independent who celebrates gangsta rap, or any of the obviously damaging things your broad brush has painted onto your imagiary political foes.
Goeb, you really need to turn off your blogging, tune off the hate filled media you drink, and walk over to the other side of town to talk with real people. They have real problems and ideas and situations that you obviously haven’t bothered to understand. They are not your enemy, they are your fellow citizens.
Your post is off topic and this not about me. It is about Apple HYPOCRISY allowing LEFTIST hate speech, while censoring RIGHT so called hate speech. Get a grip …
Interesting. Yesterday I had 57 votes at four stars. Today 217 at 2.5 stars. Guess the dishonest left finally found my post and now working overtime. The best part is, they think it means something, sheesh …
Looks like the tech sector has embraced a society bereft of free speech. One person’s “hate speech” is another’s truth. How can you even define “hate speech”? Certainly the NY Times just made it clear they believe in racism and “hate speech”, but they don’t see it that way, do they? Should the NY Times be forced to fire the racist they hired, or are they allowed to support racists?
The danger of censorship is when governments do it, not when individuals or businesses do it. Alex Jones is free to say whatever he wants. This is not an attack on free speech by tech, it is simply not condoning or enabling what is best expressed in a forum that appreciates this art of expression.
There’s no danger in censorship, the danger is in censorhsip. VERY subtle difference.
What I find QUITE enlightening, is that MDN is inferring that InfoWars are the “musings run-of-the-mill crackpots”. ARE they TRYING to get rid of their last few readers?
One of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis is “Whatever are they teaching them in these schools?” The ongoing debate about free expression in social media raises that question yet again.
Firstly: The tone of the discussion is as if the fact that social media like Podcasts, Facebook and Twitter do not allow completely free expression on their platforms is a deep dark leftist secret unveiled by courageous patriots. The conspiracy is so clandestine, in fact, that each company spells it out expressly in the User Agreement that we all read before we clicked on the box saying we would comply with their policies as a condition of using their product. You did read it, didn’t you?
Secondly: The tone also suggests that limiting free expression is always unacceptable. It may well be impolite, immoral, or even illiberal (in the classic sense of the term). However, it is also completely inevitable. How would you react if someone set up a social media account to trade child pornography, recruit for the Islamic State, and/or wrongfully slut-shame your daughter in junior high school? How would you react if the media company refused to take down the offensive material in the name of “free expression?” You would not only be outraged, but would demand that the government do something about it.
So, this is not about whether some speech should be restricted, but about what speech should be restricted. Even if the answer is “very little,” nobody really thinks the answer is “none,” even if they claim otherwise. People don’t have a problem with reasonable restrictions; they just differ on what is reasonable. Their level of outrage depends on whose ox is being gored.
Thirdly: Much of the debate is based on a complete misunderstanding of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. There is NO constitutional right for either individuals or the government to demand that other private persons (natural or corporate) facilitate speech with which they disagree. The 1st, as written, only prohibited the US Congress from infringing freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, petition, and so forth. The 14th Amendment Privileges and Immunities, Due Process, and Equal Protection Clauses later extended that principle to include all other federal, state, and local governmental entities and officers.
Apple, Facebook, and Twitter are not governments that have a duty not to infringe free expression. They are private entities that have a right–like all the rest of us–to engage in free expression, both pro and con, without government interference. Recent Supreme Court opinions like Citizens United and Hobby Lobby have reaffirmed that. (I’m not convinced the cases were rightly decided, but I’m not on the Court.) Private parties who wish to combat opinions with which they disagree are not allowed to breach the peace (e.g. shout down speakers or burn bookshops), but any lawful compulsion to allow opposing views can go no further than that. Private censorship is not legally prohibited in this country. On the contrary, it is constitutionally protected.
If the government were to compel Facebook to disseminate views they find obnoxious, it would be just as unconstitutional as forcing a Klansman to hand out leaflets for the NAACP, or vice-versa. If you owned a private meeting hall or megaphone (even one a lot smaller than Facebook or Twitter), you could not be forced to lend it to your political opponents. There is obviously an exception for entities like common carriers that operate under government license or consume public resources. However, the Republican majority on the FCC recently rejected the common carrier argument, so the social media companies are, legally, just users of the Internet like you and me. If their speech can be dictated by the government, so can yours.
Fourthly: The notion that the First Amendment somehow guarantees my right to use your megaphone is likely attributable to the horrible job our schools have done in educating American citizens to their rights and responsibilities. The consequence inevitably has been to raise a generation that demands rights that do not exist and shuns responsibilities that do. To quote Professor Lewis again, “They make eunuchs, and bid them be fruitful.”
Full Disclosure: A number of people I know spent months under enhanced police protection after Alex Jones attacked them in connection with one of his baseless conspiracy theories. His “speech” has real-world consequences among his many followers, so he is not a “run-of-the-mill crackpot.” He, and the conspiracy theorists like him, are threats to our Republic.
I think this song is about you.
TXUser…great points, esp “Fourthly,” as few truly understand what’s stated about free speech in the constitution. Apple has the “right” to make the choice it did.
At the same time, overlay thetheloniousmacs’ position and the case at hand is contradiction and or, Apple’s hypocrisy. The lyrics of the tracks presented are full of “hate,” in word, implied and real action. The sound is simply agitation, often violent and Apple permits it to reside within it’s realm, but not Alex Jones? Help me understand.
You bot-whoring, lying SJW pussy. Enjoy your last gasp of progressive, control-freak queefing courtesy of Tim Cook. Leftists are such gutless POS losers, it will be glorious once President Trump wins in 2020, Don Jr. in 2024, Eric Trump in 2032, Ivanka in 2040, Barron in 2048, etc. Bunch of losers who can’t win without stabbing you in the back like traitorous snakes. 😉
This is the perfect example of hate speech. Thanks for demonstrating a post that serves no purpose other than to out yourself as a delusional hateful antisocial political creature. There is no reason anyone would want to have a conversation with you, so MDN might as well get off their asses and enforce their own policy of forum conduct which you just violated.
Regarding education, from CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters…
“It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out.”
Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape –
[a lowerarchy tempter. ]
It’s the hypocrisy. Apple has a right to censor anything they want. Just don’t tell me that Alex Jones is hate speech while they have tons of actual hate speech from other sectors and are willing to sell it to you for a profit.
You ever hear the old saying don’t piss on me and tell me it’s rain?
“This is not an attack on free speech by tech”
Exactly what it is!
Apple is late to the party after it started on Fakebook and Twitter they now have cover from the look the other way liberal media started decades ago.
Apple’s business model under pipeline — censor and suspend foul-mouthed on the right, while at the same time, promoting foul-mouthed on the left for profit.
Anyone here need help with the definition of hypocrisy? ..,
Everyone needs to be very concerned about Tim’s action! Slippery slope people, slippery slope!
Though. I’m no fan of drek like infowars (I’m a thinking person and can see that it’s ludicrous on my own, thanks) I just lost more respect for Tom Cook’s Apple, and there was very little left. The arrogance of Silicon Valley elites is disgusting. It’s mirrored by ignorance, too: I’m sure they have no idea how much of the media they offer is full of far worse. Tim Cook is the worst thing to ever happen to this company, I don’t care how much money they have in the bank. Defending Apple today is actually a notch worse than people defending Microsoft in the 90s (they were profitable, too), in my opinion.
Don’t even be fooled into thinking it’s just Tim, the ENTIRE BOARD supports these kinds of action. You could replace Tim, but the board would still be pushing things like this to happen.
You’d have to replace ALL the Tim’s.
I’m getting tired of Cook’s insinuating himself politically all over the place. Is there any email address or other place to complain? The suggestions I get from official Apple emailings every week have gone full SJW, and it’s getting old. FAST.
How can someone “insinuating himself politically”? That doesn’t seem to make any sense at all.
Looks like the SJW bot thought police is in full force, downvoting all non-PC comments within minutes (?) of their posting. Most comments don’t get read by that many people, let alone voted on. Apple is as bad as Google, they just have less content to censor. No surprise with a proud moral degenerate running the company, Steve would not have allowed this.
More whingeing from the alt-right desert_of_denial snowflakes. Awww! It’s not fair,,, *snivel*.
Obviously, life under your stone denies you the true Apple history.
Steve Jobs supported many ‘progressive’ policies including equal rights within the company for the LGBT employees.
Steve Jobs appointed Tim Cook personally.
Apple as a corporation, has the same rights as an individual to run its business how it wants, in accordance with company principles and the law.
There is no requirement to allow a foul-mouthed, conspiracy nutcase to freeload on Apple’s platform when said content is incompatible with company ethics.
Beats me why you even profess an interest in the Mac world if you are wholly opposed to the decades long Apple policies?
But then…”…moral degenerate” says it all. More like homophobia central.
“There is no requirement to allow a foul-mouthed, conspiracy nutcase to freeload on Apple’s platform when said content is incompatible with company ethics.”
Unless they are “foul-mouthed” liberals on a DEMOCRAT company platform like Apple. Is that correct?
For you and the rest of the clueless:
hy·poc·ri·sy
həˈpäkrəsē
noun
the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.
In simple words.
Apple can neither be compelled to promote ‘or’ remove content. In other words Apple can do what it wants. If they prefer ‘their’ foul-mouthed content and not ‘yours’…tough. You have no rights in this situation despite all your carping.
Right.
They can work for the Democrat party and censor the right all day long.
TYPICAL leftist hypocrisy …
You are a thought-policing, corporate whore Sodomite like Tim Cook.
Just remember that the term “Conspiracy Theory” was created by the CIA back in the ’60s and used with great effect to denigrate those who attempted to espouse real news. And look at who funded FaceBook initially.
Spotify apparently has also banned Infowars. “1984” anyone?
Upon the prompting of Keith Ellison, Senator from MN, Amazon will be removing all Confederate flags from online stores. I have no need, nor hope to ever own such a flag, nor am I beholden to anything “confederate,” but I find this action troubling. It’s “just” a flag, a symbol, an object.
It’s kind of like Austin’s City Council mandating the changing of street names of historical figures of the confederacy. Next, we need to change the name of our capitol, and “cleanse” our books, documents and minds of Jefferson, et al. This type of action is concerning, just because, but more so because it’s frequency is accelerating. Fascism is a word being used a lot these days, but it rarely seems to be connected to this type of action. Why? Maybe because it’s employed to seemingly “beautify” the world? What does a “beautiful” world look like? Who’s definition of “beauty” will preside?
While I agree that a business is usually under no compulsion to restrict free speech like the gov’t is by the Constitution, if a business offers a large enough service that it serves as a public forum, restricting certain kinds of speech or adjusting political algorithms may be considered as political activity. There are tremors that companies like Twitter or Google may be treading into this territory but the courts have yet to test this theory (President Trump’s twitter account was ruled a public forum, but not all of Twitter).
The problem that I’ve seen with these attempts to squelch hate speech is that those who lean left excuse hateful and vile speech while decrying uncomfortable speech from the right.
I guess “hate” is defined differently by what political side you’re on. And when you only use left-wing fact checkers, then you have only confirmation bias of your bias.
But a consistent, objective standard applied to both sides would help to restore confidence in these platforms.
That being said – I hate any speech that suggests violence against a person or race, or racism in any form directed at any race of people. I don’t mind challenging ideologies or worldviews.
It hasn’t been tested in court because no respectable First Amendment lawyer would pursue the argument that rich corporations have fewer constitutional protections than anybody else. The President’s feed is public because he is a public official, not because Twitter itself is not a private actor.
For all of the conservative snowflakes who are so concerned about censorship of a-holes, keep in mind Apple and Spotify are private companies that can do whatever the hell they want under their term of service. This is not censorship. Censorship is the government preventing speech. There is nothing stopping Alex Jones from putting up his own website and distributing his drivel directly along with the sales of the sh*tty vitamins he sells.
As I know people that lost kids at Sandy Hook, I personally wish a lot of bad things to happen to Jones anyway so he and his followers get no sympathy from me.
“ I personally wish a lot of bad things to happen to Jones”
Cue the left wing HATE …
One of the plaintiff families in the lawsuit being tried in Austin this week lost a child in the Sandy Hook shooting and were then labeled as crisis actors by Jones, which led to so much harassment from InfoWars followers that the family has been forced to move seven times. I hardly think it is left wing hate for someone to wish that Jones be made to pay for that.
Sandy Hook, Pizzagate, and QAnon barely scratch the surface of the InfoWars cesspool that you are demanding that Apple enable by maintaining its links to it.
#WWG1WGA
Technology is challenging the whole concept of free speech in its most practical terms. (keep in mind this a U.S.-centric post)
What I mean is that our rights to say things and believe things is a cornerstone of our Bill of Rights. It’s one of the whole reasons the United States exists, or why it matters it exists.
But not long ago, a person on his/her own with extreme views didn’t have the ability to quickly and inexpensively spread their views. Mass media was the only way to really do that, and now that’s changed. Now, I’m not going dive in here as to whether that’s a good or bad thing . . . certainly the abilities of millions of people to spread ideas is very democratic and some good ideas that didn’t gain traction easily now can.
But, whether you think the “media” as a whole has been a negative force in our republic over the decades or not I happen to believe it’s undeniable that a professional media was largely more conscious of its impact and generally took on that role responsibly. It was a flow of information, filtered. Now, we have fountains of info, completely unrestrained.
I own a couple of small rural newspapers . . . . I’ve watched the world change and I think the best mix is in the middle. I do keep thinking that the answer for me is to just do a good job and people will still use us as their primary source. But, it’s not happening that way almost regardless of our efforts. The Wild West of information is what people want, and we probably won’t last much longer. Yet, I refuse to participate in the click bait dynamics that can create revenue. I just won’t do it. I’d rather die a dignified death.
That all said, any of these tech companies has a right to delete accounts if they have clear terms of service being violated. If the government bans you from posting, that’s altogether different. Arguing which side (left or right) is harmed by all of that? Honestly, it seems to me both sides think they have it horrible so maybe the system is just fine in that regard. End rant.
Midwestmac,
Exactly. Forcing Apple to link to podcasts it finds morally objectionable would be like forcing one of your papers to print articles that violate your editorial policies. From my own closeup personal experience, InfoWars is not a benign conservative voice. It promotes lies to further an agenda that is profoundly opposed to American values. I would defend Jones’ right to say what he says, but no more than Apple’s right not to help further that agenda.
This is a politically-motivated ban by anti-Trump Big Tech before mid-term elections. Shame on Apple!!!
How about this? How can this still be online?:
Apple is fast becoming the new Twitter. And Twitter is America’s sewage pipe, so this is in no way a compliment to Apple.
Tim @Jack Cook is their SJWLGBTQWERTYCEO!