Microsoft Threatens to Shut Down Gab After Anti-Semitic Posts by User
Microsoft Threatens to Shut Down Gab After Anti-Semitic
Posts by User
BY MEGAN FOX AUGUST 9, 2018 CHAT
Editor's note: Since the publication of this article,
more information has surfaced about the threatening nature of the posts, which
seem to be a clear violation of Gab's terms of service. PJ Media condemns
violent threats in the strongest possible terms. See update below.
Microsoft Azure, the web hosting provider for Gab, has
given the company 48 hours to delete some anti-Semitic posts or face a Big Tech
shut-down. Gab is a Twitter alternative that claims to protect the right to
free speech. It's not a very good alternative, as the numbers just aren't there
to keep it interesting. Most of the time it's just righties and ultra-righties
fighting amongst themselves. But Gab's claim to fame is that they won't kick
people off for having unpopular views or engaging in insult trading that morons
refer to as "hate speech." For some, that's a worthwhile promise.
It should be noted that in America the term "hate
speech" is not a legal one, at least according to the Supreme Court.
So-called "hate speech," be it racist, bigoted, anti-Semitic or just
plain mean, is protected as reaffirmed in Matal v. Tam in 2017. "Speech
that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age,
disability, or any other similar ground is hateful; but the proudest boast of
our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express 'the
thought that we hate,'" wrote Justice Alito.
It is, therefore, maddening when tech companies attempt
to infringe on the public's right to speak (acting like the government) based
on a specious "hate speech" claim, which is whatever they say it is
because there is no legal definition. In America, speech that is obscene or
incites violence is the only speech that is unprotected. Microsoft laughably
claimed that the posts in question were "incitement to violence."
While not pleasant, when I read them I had the urge to point and laugh at him,
not hurt anyone. The Gab poster who caused all this uproar is some kind of
stunted jackanape who stands out on the street corner with signs about how the
bad Jooos hurt him or something. Really, who has time for this? But at the same
time, why do we care? Why are we even giving this person air time? Oh, that's
right... because Microsoft put him in the spotlight instead of ignoring him and
letting him fade away into obscurity where they found him. Thanks, Microsoft!
I'll not be naming the blundering fool here because no
one should give him any attention. It's enough to say he has the right to have
the opinions most of us don't share and be done with it. Do we really have to
analyze what he said to decide if he has the right to say it? Whatever it was,
he can lose his job if his employer doesn't like it or suffer social
consequences like everyone else who posts dumb things. But Microsoft has
decided that an entire website can be taken offline because their gatekeepers
don't like some posts a user made. How is this Microsoft's business? Gab pays
for the hosting service from Microsoft Azure. How Gab runs its business is not
up for discussion by Microsoft (or it shouldn't be). How do we know Big Tech isn't
colluding and conspiring to get rid of competition? Has Microsoft has ever
threatened Twitter?
Gab isn't the only company suffering from Big Tech
censorship. Freestartr, a free speech crowdfunding site, is still shut down
after losing its payment processor for similar reasons. According to founder
Charles Johnson, Wells Fargo is behind the shuttering of conservative sites
like his because the bank uses the Southern Poverty Law Center's "hate
group" lists to discriminate against the people the SPLC tells them to.
The SPLC's lists have already gotten people shot. Wells Fargo has not responded to attempts to
contact them.
There is far more evidence that restricting free
expression harms more people than it helps. One need only look to the United
Kingdom, where people are going to jail for posting joke memes. Once you allow
some party to decide what is "hate speech," no one and nothing is
safe (not even your stupid dog tricks).
The offender has removed his posts, so Microsoft may not
shut down Gab, but the threat is there, nonetheless. After Alex Jones was
deleted from social media, we are all on notice that at any moment others will
disappear too. If it isn't Gab, it will be someone else and then probably you.
It's far past time for this nonsense to stop. Where is the ACLU? I remember
years ago they fought on behalf of actual neo-Nazis who wanted to march through
the Jewish neighborhood of Skokie, Illinois. That wasn't pleasant, but we all
agreed it was the right thing to do back then. If neo-Nazis are kept out of the
public square, then anyone, including your favorite group of fine, upstanding
citizens can be too.
Does #Resistance not see that they could be next? The
precedent this is setting isn't going to stay one-sided. When technology
oligarchs shift to the right (which is inevitable at some point) they will have
every right to just start deleting their enemies on a whim. Where is Congress?
Are they back from vacation yet? Someone needs to let them know they have
monopolies to bust and tyrants to regulate.
Update 11:05 a.m. PST: An additional post that threatens
Holocaust memorials has come to my attention since this article was published.
This appears to be the insane ramblings of a hateful moron. The post violates
Gab's terms of service and should be removed. He should probably be
investigated by the D.C. police for that threat as well.
Comments
Post a Comment