Silicon Valley – -(AmmoLand.com)- A recent series of bans by Facebook and Twitter is bringing the question of censorship by the giant technology companies from Silicon Valley to the fore. This is not a minor issue – how this shakes out will decide whether or not Second Amendment supporters can even make an argument for our rights online.
To understand how social media had been prior to the 2016 election, take a typical commentary from Ammoland. Second Amendment supporters could post a link to it, and it would give their friends and family a chance to get the facts on a given issue involving the Second Amendment. In essence, social media had become a way to bypass the biases of major media outlets like NBC (including MSNBC), ABC, CBS, CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
Well, we know what happened in 2016: Trump pulled off the biggest upset in a presidential race since 1948. Since then Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube – among other social network companies – have begun to cater to the demands of anti-Second Amendment extremists. They meddled with search results to improve the rankings of arguments against law-abiding firearms owners. Effective voices began to be shadow-banned – their tweets and posts were rendered far less accessible to their followers. Videos and posts were “demonetized,” meaning that they couldn’t be used to generate revenue.
At the same time, payment companies like PayPal and Stripe began to make their own moves against Second Amendment supporters. Want to buy a firearm? You can’t use those services. PayPal also aligned with the anti-hunting Humane Society of the United States. Second Amendment-friendly processing companies like GunPal and PistolPay have not gained any transaction. McMillan Merchant Solutions, created in the wake of Bank of America’s political decision to drop McMillan as a customer, seems like a decent option to fill the gap.
Now, that discussion of the effects of corporate gun control might be seen as a useless diversion, but it is really part of the answer in dealing with Silicon Valley censorship. Second Amendment supporters need to develop or find alternative social media. This is a bit of a long-term project, admittedly. Facebook took eight years to dominate when it bought Instagram and WhatsApp. Gab and Parler are holding themselves out as free-speech social networks, but it will take time and major users (like President Trump) making the switch for them to even compete with Facebook and Twitter.
In the short and medium term, though, there are some other options. One is to push for vigorous enforcement of Section 230. If Facebook and Twitter decide to act like publishers, then they can be treated like publishers. This means that due to their decision to favor certain viewpoints, rather than act as an honest broker, they can be held as liable as a conventional publisher for defamatory posts. There are other tools available as well, including possibly the anti-trust laws.
In a real sense, the censorship by Silicon Valley – and the fact that anti-Second Amendment extremists are pushing for that censorship – is a sign that Second Amendment supporters are winning the argument. That doesn’t mean we should be complacent, but should instead fight harder to make sure our message gets out.
On a side note: AmmoLand News has more readers than the NRA has members; grow that reach by subscribing to their email list. If every AmmoLand News reader added two more people to that daily email list we can crush the so called main stream media infulence with our own message.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
I checked with Ammoland and got a list of words that will flag posts for moderation. Obviously how they are used, in some cases, will make a difference, some words are merely inexcusable. That said, here are words that will raise a flag: [url= [/url] thx sex byob nude loan debt poze bdsm soma visa hotel paxil anime naked poker coolhu cialis incest casino dating payday rental ambien holdem adipex booker youtube myspace advicer flowers finance freenet -online shemale meridia cumshot trading adderall gambling roulette top-site mortgage pharmacy dutyfree ownsthis duty-free insurance ringtones blackjack hair-loss bllogspot baccarrat thorcarlson jrcreations credit… Read more »
As an alternative to Twatter, give QuodVerum a try: social.quodverum.com QuodVerum is an Open Forum designed to promote the freest exchange of ideas, in the American tradition. We do not find words nor ideas offensive, and strongly believe that any attempt to portray words as violence is, in itself a violence against words. However, there are a few limits that in order to maintain civility we feel compelled to establish, and those have to do with the sometimes subtle but generally quite discernible line between words and action, to wit: Calls to violence of any kind, the overthrow of the… Read more »
They have proven time after time that they can block and suspend whom ever they want, when ever they want and there is almost NOTHING you can do about it. Too many Republicans sticking up for Facebook’s right to do so. Same “Republicans”, who vote with the Left no doubt. Same Republicans who almost never YELL FOUL!!
Who needs to get facefucked (facebook) or twattered (twitter) these days anyhow? Millennials? Go with GAB always GAB free with no left wing nut censorship. FB and Twat’r can eat a dirty diarrhea filled anal cavity before I will ever sign up for either of those. And #DarkFuckerberg belongs in jail.
The moderation showed up again on my last post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave in Fairfax; I took your advise and went to Ammolands websight to see if I could figure out what I might have said or posted. I thought I had figured it out , but I still getting moderated,so I just sit back and read what other people have to say, I feel that I am being singled out for trying to pass on my thoughts but in a way I am being censored, so I now sit on the side reading other peoples comments!!!!!!!!!
I thank Ammoland for not posting my comment on Doug McDougall’s posting. It was far from appropriate. Censorship can happen on any platform but that’s just my silly opinion.
If you choose to join Facebook, use Twitter or Google, then it’s your choice to participate in a Private Owned business and they decide what you can and can’t publish. They are NOT government owned or controlled and if you don’t like what they do, no one forced you to participate and you are free to leave or not join or continue to bitch about them, but you don’t have a Constitutional right to make them comply with your hurt feelings.
There is a pro-liberty, pro-gun, free speech social media site already, dedicated to keeping Leftists/commies and other undesirables out, a digital gated community of sorts. It’s https://www.FreeZoxee.com and it is BETTER than Fascistbook or Twitter.
Oh seriously stop bitching. I live in wacky California. I have no problem buying a gun. I buy ammo I go shoot I have fun I have it sitting in ready case it’s needed. And that’s anti-gun screwed up California. so what if I can’t go down the street with a hanging up my hip so everybody knows I have it. So what if I can’t buy a gun that’s sole intent is to be modified to the point that is better suited for light military use.
just stop with the sky is falling they’re coming for your guns.