Twitter’s Jack Dorsey has the gall to try to hide behind free speech in an attempt to prevent Congress from removing Twitter’s ability to engage in the publisher/platform dance:
Section 230 is the Internet’s most important law for free speech and safety. Weakening Section 230 protections will remove critical speech from the Internet.
Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation. People from around the world come together on Twitter in an open and free exchange of ideas. We want to make sure conversations on Twitter are healthy and that people feel safe to express their points of view. We do our work recognizing that free speech and safety are interconnected and can sometimes be at odds. We must ensure that all voices can be heard, and we continue to make improvements to our service so that everyone feels safe participating in the public conversation—whether they are speaking or simply listening. The protections offered by Section 230 help us achieve this important objective.
As we consider developing new legislative frameworks, or committing to self-regulation models for content moderation, we should remember that Section 230 has enabled new companies—small ones seeded with an idea—to build and compete with established companies globally. Eroding the foundation of Section 230 could collapse how we communicate on the Internet, leaving only a small number of giant and well-funded technology companies.
We should also be mindful that undermining Section 230 will result in far more removal of online speech and impose severe limitations on our collective ability to address harmful content and protect people online. I do not think anyone in this room or the American people want less free speech or more abuse and harassment online. Instead, what I hear from people is that they want to be able to trust the services they are using.
Twitter doesn’t believe in free speech, Twitter believes in actively and aggressively policing speech. The God-Emperor is right when he calls for the repeal of Section 230.
I was banned by Twitter, without cause and without any reason or justification given, years ago. So, I don’t believe a single word that is coming out of Dorsey’s mouth. The fact that he is defending Section 230 is sufficient reason to eliminate it.