Ari Cohn Profile picture
First Amendment & defamation lawyer. Lead Counsel for Tech Policy @theFIREorg. Illini/music junkie/oofnik. Tweets are my own. https://t.co/F6NjdYqLaQ

Dec 6, 2021, 12 tweets

1/ Whoever at the @bostonherald is responsible for this: toss your stash, you got a bad batch.

Seriously, this is a mishmash nonsense from people who thought "hey, Section 230 is hot, I should write about that even though I know nothing about it."

bostonherald.com/2021/12/05/edi…

2/ So I don't know the age of whoever wrote this, but presumably they are old enough to realize that Section 230 predates Facebook and Twitter by, uh... a long time.

The phrase "public utility" has a meaning, and this aint it. Nor has any social media platform claimed to be one.

3/ And this has nothing to do with what Facebook/Twitter think of themselves.

Section 230 merely says that they are not *liable* as a publisher. If they weren't at risk of being deemed publishers, the law would be pointless.

If you knew anything about 230, you'd realize this.

4/ Hate to break it to you @bostonherald, but you actually do get Section 230 protection.

"Hiding behind?" For people who write for a living, you're pretty loose with definitions and usage.

5/ You all knew this was coming. Traditional media does not like that its business model was disturbed. They blame Section 230. They should blame themselves.

6/ I'm sorry, net neutrality?

What?

7/ What illusion? If you thought Twitter was a public utility you're an idiot. That's a YOU problem.

8/ More absolute tripe. Does @bostonherald think that it could be sued for publishing "hate speech" or refusing to publish Donald Trump's op-ed, or over article placement?

This speaks to the cluelessness: what liability does the Herald think Twitter is escaping that it has?

9/ Yes, and that's the point! But they were only "hiding" if you had your eyes closed. They admit it, in federal court even!

10/ Don't believe me? This doesn't exactly look like hiding their curatorial role, @bostonherald...

11/ Not sure what the Herald editorial staff is trying to say here, but I mean...social media platforms are subject to competition too so your point is...what?

12/ Again, entirely unclear what this is even supposed to mean, but wow is it laden with hysterics.

Do better, @bostonherald. This is embarrassing for you.

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