At some point in time, you’ve likely heard people declare that more restrictions and laws are needed when it comes to the internet. To be sure, there are some things that could use a little tightening, but most of the calls you hear are about censorship.
On the internet reformation front, Conservatives largely call for a retooling of Section 230 which allows a platform to skirt more than a few laws and lawsuits by effectively not taking responsibility for what appears on its website. Big tech companies have abused this beyond reason to the point where they will actively censor political opinion its hard-left California sensibilities are offended by while claiming they’re doing it in the name of “safety.”
That’s their official position. Behind the scenes, however, workers at the company freely admit that they’re censoring certain kinds of political thought. Conservatives, as is their wont, would like to strip down Section 230 and recreate something that actively stops this level of censorship of the people, as well as work to break up the tech companies which effectively become monopolies.
(READ: Finally Coming Around to the Big Tech Question)
The problem is out in the open but despite this, nothing is being done despite an endless spree of congressional hearings and tough talk against the internet giants. We could enact new reforms but they continue to avoid doing it in congress.
As Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gabbard explained, the reason for this is because many politicians get boatloads of money from these tech companies and these corrupted politicians protect these monopolies.
“I’ve seen it happen,” explained Gabbard during a podcast. “Google will have a bit reception and members of congress will go and pick up their checks. Facebook will have a big reception and they’ll go and ‘hey, where’s my check?’”
"It goes to money… Google will have a big reception, members of Congress will go, and then they'll pick up their checks."@TulsiGabbard explains why Congress has failed to act on big tech censorship pic.twitter.com/i7TOJYQ7lv
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 12, 2021
They get paid to effectively keep your free speech restricted.
As a result, this highly controlled atmosphere makes for a horrifically ignorant populace that becomes increasingly hostile to itself. Thanks to one political side consistently being censored and the other bolstered at every turn, an informational imbalance happens that causes many citizens to view the world through a false lens. It’s a view that not only taints our understanding of the world, but of each other. We begin to truly see each other as evil for minor disagreements.
It’s almost frightening how easily lead we are when you think about it.
I can remember a decade ago when I would get on social media and I could see a whole swath of opinions that ranged from sensible to beyond insane. During one argument, someone sent a picture of something grotesque out of anger. It was a time with few restrictions.
Today, many would describe that as the “wild west.” I call it the “good ol’ days.”
Humanity thrives in freedom. I think that’s been pretty much proven throughout its history. The more restrictive things get, the less we become ourselves and the slower we advance. This hasn’t just been proven in free markets but in the exchange of free ideas. Stripping ideas from the public square restricts our advancement. We figure things out more slowly and common sense becomes harder and harder to come by.
The people who sent me grotesque things during an argument identified themselves as insane pretty early on. They couldn’t hide behind the veil of rules that now guide most of our online speech. No one was shadowbanned and as a result, more people got involved in the conversation, many of which offered vastly differing perspectives.
Looking back, even with certain levels of insanity having a place on the platform, it was worth it to have the abundance of people and information. Today, I look at Twitter and see a tightly controlled place that lacks the personality it once did when it was truly just a platform and not a publisher.
I’m not saying that all things should be allowed. There should definitely be lines against criminal behavior, but right now all the criminal behavior is coming from big tech and leftist entities, and it’s only getting worse as freedoms continue to be restricted and our legislators continue to let them do it while stuffing wads of cash into their pockets.
Bring back the dangerous and free wild west of the internet. We’re better off.
