Do you like or dislike the decision of big tech companies to permanently ban Alex Jones/Infowars from their platforms? We put this very question to members of our Underground Knowledge global discussion group in Goodreads – and the interim results are in.
To date, 54% of poll respondents DISLIKE the decision; 31% of respondents LIKE the decision; and 15% are UNSURE.
Controversial American radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Respondents’ comments make for interesting reading.
A selection of (abridged) comments follow:
Definitely dislike. Here’s why: either freedom of speech exists or it doesn’t. We can’t say “Yes, I’ll allow it” when we like the message, and “Nope, I’ll ban this” when we don’t. The internet helped movements like the Arab Spring, #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo, and we loved that, but let’s not forget that conspiracy theorists and propagandists have the right to use it too.
I voted dislike and think it could be the beginning of a slippery slope with more and more internet censorship. Given that most of our flow of information, and even much of formal child/adult education, is now done via the internet rather than physical books/papers/records, should we be concerned about increasing measures to censor the internet? It seemed to be a co-ordinated censorship of Alex Jones/Infowars where Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIN, Apple and Spotify all banned him on the exact same day… I’m no big fan of Alex Jones or Inforwars, by the way. I mean he/they do have some legit underreported facts and have exposed definite corruption over the years, but at the same time there are a lot of assumptions made and tinfoil hat-style leaps of faith thrown in the mix…
I may not like what someone has to say but I’ll defend the right they have to say it. Right now it’s Alex Jones but next it could be you. A slippery slope coated with grease…
Couldn’t care less if it was Alex Jones or Owen Jones on ‘trial by social media’ here. Leave it to the law and lawyers to work out what constitutes ‘hate speech’, incitement and all the rest, they’re far more qualified to do so.
This is not North Korea…. or Russia….. I definitely don’t support him, but I’m shocked by this kind of censorship.
I dislike what little I have heard of Alex Jones, but that is not the issue. Big companies tend to do what as few as one dictate, and the use of that power to inhibit free speech is fatal to our way of life. I would go for better enforcement of libel, slander, and other laws, but not the stomping on free speech by a very limited elite.
I voted dislike. The coordinated censorship in some regard is the right of the companies that reacted. If our government was not controlled by corporations freedom of speech would not be legitamently be part of this discussion, but such is not the case. The phobia of controversy is the engine of this insidious machine.
I do not believe in taking away freedom of speech in any way. It disturbs me greatly to see so many going after one man, who I don’t particularly enjoy watching, but sometimes he happens to be spot on with his challenges.
What is even more disturbing is the amount of people that are happy to have such censorship! Alex Jones may make up some crap, but have you watched the news lately? They are full of crap too. Mostly putting forth their own opinions instead of giving “the facts and only the facts”.
To read all the comments, or better still to have YOUR say, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/176582-do-you-like-or-dislike-big-tech-companies-e-g-facebook-youtube-link
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