I recall popular demands on reddit for more social media censorship with their arrogant claims that public pressure would reliably steer private companies to censor the right speech. This is what it got us: an instrument for government collaborators to project power imbalances through moderation controls. They suppress the powerless from reporting the truth, and steer public opinion against them.

The solution was always there: demand free speech. Don’t cower away from words like a bitch. Don’t moderate beyond legal necessity. Censorship by private companies isn’t noble: it’s for protecting the brand & advertising revenue from fragile egos while avoiding controversy & enabling abuse.

Online speech police are not the answer of a free society. Handling dangerous groups is the job of real authorities. Letting dangerous groups organize & communicate openly gives authorities more evidence to convict them.

A free society argues with words, not control or force. The only legitimate response to speech we merely dislike is speech to counter it.