Apparently, not, according to Breitbart's Milo Yiannopoulos:
"Governments have become increasingly adept at intimidating companies without using the law... In 2011, liberal scholar and Net Neutrality activist Tim Wu published an essay entitled "Agency Threats," discussing how best to regulate companies. In his essay, Wu argued that passing legislation was not, in fact, the most efficient way to pressure web firms... Instead, Wu advocated "Rule by Threat" to force companies to capitulate to the government."
Last September German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Mark Zuckerberg about posts on Facebook concerning immigrants. Merkel wanted to change the narrative, as reported by Christopher Brennan:
"Merkel's desire to push Facebook to greater control over the information on its website comes as her administration says it would welcome 800,000 refugees from the war-torn Middle East this year.
Was this a threat? We don't know. Yiannopoulos did report that a few months after that conversation, "Facebook announce[d] it would work with German authorities to deal with hate speech against migrants."
But just exactly what is hate speech? Here's what the ACLU says:
"In recent years, a rise in verbal abuse and violence directed at people of color, lesbians and gay men, and other historically persecuted groups has plagued the United States... Many universities, under pressure to respond to the concerns of those who are the objects of hate, have adopted codes or policies prohibiting speech that offends any group based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation."
Keep in mind the United States Constitution protects speech no matter how offensive it is. Maybe Representative Bobby Rush ( D-IL) doesn't know that, since he's the one who asked Federal Communications Commission ( FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler if the FCC could regulate the social media on Facebook, as reported by Breitbart:
"[FCC Chairman] Wheeler emphasized that he did not have, and did not intend to seek jurisdiction over companies like Facebook... He added that he would use his 'bully pulpit' to pressure Zuckerberg and promised to call him that very day... [In] January, Facebook and its sister site Instagram announced they would curtail gun sales on their networks."
So there is no law in the books, yet the governments get their way and put the heat on Mark Zuckerberg to clamp down. Is he in agreement with their plea? Is he following the dictates of his conscious? Is he following orders? Is he being coerced? And what about you? Have you changed the way you speak or think because of political correctness or social manipulation? Do you take your inalienable right to life, liberty and property seriously? Do you understand that these rights include freedom of speech?
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(Photo credit: Eaglerising.com)