Hacker News with Generative AI: Free Speech

Platforms systematically removed a user because he made "most wanted CEO" cards (eff.org)
On December 14, James Harr, the owner of an online store called ComradeWorkwear, announced on social media that he planned to sell a deck of “Most Wanted CEO” playing cards, satirizing the infamous “Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards” introduced by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in 2003.
Free Speech, Censorship, Social Media, Business
121 points by mhitza 3 days ago | 190 comments
Free Our Feeds (freeourfeeds.com)
With Zuckerberg going full Musk last week, we can no longer let billionaires control our digital public square.
Social Media, Censorship, Free Speech, Digital Rights
30 points by cdme 5 days ago | 17 comments
Leaked Meta Rules: Users Are Free to Post "Mexican Immigrants Are Trash" (theintercept.com)
Meta is now granting its users new freedom to post a wide array of derogatory remarks about races, nationalities, ethnic groups, sexual orientations, and gender identities, training materials obtained by The Intercept reveal.
Social Media, Censorship, Free Speech, Discrimination, Ethics
26 points by jsheard 8 days ago | 5 comments
Calling women 'household objects' now permitted on Facebook (cnn.com)
Social Media, Censorship, Free Speech, Gender Issues, Facebook
29 points by SigmundurM 10 days ago | 33 comments
Meta Now Lets Users Say Gay and Trans People Have 'Mental Illness' (wired.com)
Meta announced a series of major updates to its content moderation policies today, including ending its fact-checking partnerships and “getting rid” of restrictions on speech about “topics like immigration, gender identity and gender” that the company describes as frequent subjects of political discourse and debate.
Social Media, Censorship, LGBTQ+ Rights, Free Speech
30 points by choult 10 days ago | 22 comments
Zuck: It's time to get back to our roots around free expression (instagram.com)
Social Media, Free Speech, Censorship
13 points by Dig1t 11 days ago | 1 comments
Mark Zuckerberg: Fact-checking on Meta is too "politically biased" (hollywoodreporter.com)
Meta Platforms Inc. is making major changes to its content moderation policies, eliminating its fact-checking program and bringing more political conversations back to feeds on Facebook and Instagram, as part of a bid by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to “restore free expression” on its platforms.
Social Media, Censorship, Free Speech, Politics, Meta
70 points by mpweiher 11 days ago | 105 comments
Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Musk's interference (politico.eu)
Elon Musk’s decision to host German far-right leader Alice Weidel in a livestream on X is sparking fury from European Union leaders and lawmakers, who on Monday urged Brussels to deploy its full legal might to rein in the billionaire tech magnate.
EU, Politics, Social Media, Free Speech, Technology
4 points by isaacfrond 11 days ago | 0 comments
I'm quitting the Washington Post (anntelnaes.substack.com)
I’ve worked for the Washington Post since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist. I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations—and some differences—about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now.
Journalism, Editorial Cartooning, Washington Post, Free Speech
288 points by danso 14 days ago | 198 comments
Elon Musk and the right's war on Wikipedia (citationneeded.news)
The world's richest man has joined a growing chorus of right-wing voices attacking Wikipedia as part of an intensifying campaign against free and open access information.
Elon Musk, Wikipedia, Right-Wing Politics, Free Speech, Censorship
12 points by latexr 15 days ago | 9 comments
The huge stakes for free speech in a new Supreme Court case about porn (vox.com)
Texas asks the justices to abandon longstanding First Amendment protections for sexual speech.
Free Speech, Supreme Court, Pornography, Law, First Amendment
31 points by thunderbong 15 days ago | 8 comments
'Free Speech Absolutist' Elon Musk Suspends Critics, Asks People to Be Nicer (techdirt.com)
The inevitable has happened and Elon has started banning and suppressing the speech of folks who were “on his team,” leading to many suddenly realizing that maybe he wasn’t such a free speech supporter after all.
Free Speech, Social Media, Elon Musk, Censorship
68 points by jarsin 18 days ago | 0 comments
Is Musk targeting free speech on X? Loomer and more question loss of blue ticks (msn.com)
Free Speech, Social Media, Twitter, Censorship, Elon Musk
22 points by _djo_ 22 days ago | 3 comments
Elon Musk Takes Aim at Wikipedia (newsweek.com)
Elon Musk has urged his followers not to donate to Wikipedia, which he branded "Wokepedia," until "they restore balance to their editing authority."
Elon Musk, Wikipedia, Social Media, Free Speech
19 points by Teever 22 days ago | 6 comments
Bluesky Has a Death Threat Problem (thefp.com)
Recently, like a lot of journalists, I joined Bluesky, a social media platform that is enjoying a burst of postelection growth and positive press attention. It’s been lauded as a “kinder, gentler”—and, perhaps most importantly, more left-wing—alternative to X, which is increasingly seen as infested with what a Bluesky user might call “MAGA chuds.”
Social Media, Censorship, Free Speech, Political Polarization
15 points by xqcgrek2 30 days ago | 10 comments
Substack Is at It Again (kottke.org)
Marisa Kabas correctly asserts that Substack’s latest announcement reaffirms their status as a publication (and not a platform) and as a place that will publish disinformation and hate under the guise of “free speech”.
Substack, Free Speech, Journalism, Disinformation
5 points by Tomte 30 days ago | 2 comments
Blumenthal's Hypocrisy: Praising Musk's 'Free Speech' Support for Censorial KOSA (techdirt.com)
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal: "Elon Musk is the champion among big tech executives of 1st Amendment values and principles"
Politics, Social Media, Free Speech, Censorship
7 points by hn_acker 35 days ago | 1 comments
Last-Minute Update to the Kids Online Safety Act Still Fails to Protect Kids (eff.org)
Late last week, the Senate released yet another version of the Kids Online Safety Act, written, reportedly, with the assistance of X CEO Linda Yaccarino in a flawed attempt to address the critical free speech issues inherent in the bill.
Online Safety, Legislation, Free Speech, Social Media
30 points by verdverm 36 days ago | 1 comments
GOP FTC Commissioners Push For Government To Block Moderation Of Online Speech (techdirt.com)
In a disturbing (if unsurprising) trend, Republican FCC and FTC commissioners are deliberately misusing “free speech” rhetoric in an Orwellian attempt to justify government intervention to control and suppress online speech.
Politics, Censorship, Online Speech, Free Speech, Government Regulation
6 points by hn_acker 42 days ago | 1 comments
This Bill Could Put A Stop To Censorship By Lawsuit (eff.org)
For years now, deep-pocketed individuals and corporations have been turning to civil lawsuits to silence their opponents. These Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, or SLAPPs, aren’t designed to win on the merits, but rather to harass journalists, activists, and consumers into silence by suing them over their protected speech. While 34 states have laws to protect against these abuses, there is still no protection at a federal level.
Free Speech, Law, Journalism, Activism
3 points by hn_acker 43 days ago | 1 comments
Brendan Carr Makes It Clear That He's Eager to Be America's Top Censor (techdirt.com)
When Donald Trump announced that he was appointing current FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the next chair of the FCC, it was no surprise. Nor was it a surprise that Trump tried to play up that Carr was a “warrior for free speech.”
Politics, Censorship, Free Speech, USA
38 points by coloneltcb 51 days ago | 83 comments
Elon Musk wants to block the transfer of InfoWars' X accounts to The Onion [pdf] (courtlistener.com)
Elon Musk, Twitter, Free Speech, Satire, Lawsuits
17 points by vinni2 52 days ago | 21 comments
Elon Musk admits that X is strangling connections – effectively limiting people (mediaite.com)
Elon Musk confirmed that posts containing links in their main text are deprioritized on X in a revelation that renews criticism that the platform is restricting the visibility of and access to external sources of information.
Social Media, Censorship, Elon Musk, Twitter, Free Speech
10 points by cannibalXxx 53 days ago | 1 comments
Texas AG Declares War on Advertisers Who Snub Musk's ExTwitter (techdirt.com)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton loves to preach about “free speech” and “free markets”—except, apparently, when it comes to his political allies.
Texas, Free Speech, Censorship, Social Media, Politics
10 points by alsetmusic 56 days ago | 0 comments
Marc Andreessen Demands Criminal Charges for Advertisers' Free Market Decisions (techdirt.com)
Marc Andreessen, the influential venture capitalist, is exhibiting a startling disconnect between his stated beliefs in free markets and free speech, and his recent authoritarian threats against those who disagree with him.
Free Speech, Venture Capital, Censorship
11 points by hn_acker 64 days ago | 6 comments
Threads Bans Anyone for Mentioning Hitler, Even to Criticize (techdirt.com)
Quick test: should saying “Hitler, not a good guy” cause you to be banned from your social media account? Seems simple enough. But apparently not for Meta, the largest social media company on the planet.
Social Media, Censorship, Meta, Free Speech
23 points by type0 72 days ago | 19 comments
No, Section 230 Doesn't 'Circumvent' the First Amendment (techdirt.com)
When it comes to Section 230, we’ve seen a parade of embarrassingly wrong takes over the years, all sharing one consistent theme: the authors confidently opine on the law despite clearly not understanding it.
First Amendment, Law, Online Platforms, Free Speech
11 points by hn_acker 73 days ago | 4 comments
We're in a Free Speech Golden Age (ymeskhout.com)
One of the grievances I’m perennially confused by are right-wing concerns about free speech suppression. I recently had an extensive 2.5 hour discussion with Hunter Ash, someone who is voting for Trump explicitly because he believes Kamala Harris (and the Dems in general) present a particularly pernicious threat to freedom of expression, while a second Trump presidency promises to safeguard it.
Politics, Free Speech, Censorship
7 points by Tomte 79 days ago | 7 comments
Elon Musk Silent on China Protests Despite Being Free Speech Warrior (2022) (newsweek.com)
Over the last several years, tech giant and richest man in the world Elon Musk has shaped himself into a crusader for free speech, going as far as to broker a deal to purchase the social media platform Twitter for its practice of banning users trafficking in hate speech and conspiracy theories.
Elon Musk, Free Speech, China, Social Media, Censorship
9 points by peutetre 82 days ago | 0 comments
Musk gives random petition signer a $1M check (businessinsider.com)
Elon Musk gave a $1 million check to a man who signed his petition to support free speech and the right to bear arms — and he's not stopping there.
Elon Musk, Philanthropy, Free Speech, Gun Rights
6 points by geox 89 days ago | 1 comments