Thread by @hunterw

This is such an uneducated, disengenuous take on free speech.

https://twitter.com/byronyork/status/1348599098241384451

Free speech has never been fully limitless in the U.S. There are curbs on, for example, shouting fire in a crowded movie theater, hate speech, vulgarity, and incitement to violence.

In the case of these websites, they are operating on private hosting services. In the case of Twitter it is a private business. These firms have free speech of their own and ability to operate their platforms as they see fit.

Now, the question of whether some web infrastructure or social media should be nationalized to prevent a business from being able to make calls like this is a more complex one and not one I see many on the right engaging with.

But even if that happened, speech would be regulated. You can't just say anything on TV air or radio waves, which are regulated federally. Everyone's heard of the "seven dirty words."

Anyway, @ByronYork knows all this I am sure. He's just always been an incredibly disingenuous partisan.

There is a legitimate free speech debate to be had and I won't take sides in it but let's be clear about the terms, the rights of free enterprise, and the actual rules that have been in place.