Elon Musk, Great...

[Ronson]

Those companies try to have their cake and eat it too. They claim to be merely platforms, but when they start censoring things, they become editors and lose all the protections afforded to them as a platform.

If that's the only issue, then what they "claim" and how they actually operate should be independently verified, and then treated appropriately.

[Sparko]

Hope he does.

I think he decided why start his own when he can just control the one that is already the most popular? That's why he bought the twitter stock.

[CivilDiscourse]

I would normally agree since Twitter is not a government agency. But it has become such a large public forum that it really does need some regulations to prevent them from influencing politics by banning certain views. They have become a defacto public square, almost like a common carrier which are not able to discriminate against a person, such as a phone company is not able to ban certain viewpoints or speech.

This wouldn't even be the first time private company "ground" has been declared a public forum. Company towns faced this same issue back in the day.

https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment...arsh-v-alabama

[rogue06]

Isn't that rather like saying, "Come in and make yourself at home," after someone has already pushed his way past you and is sitting on your couch smoking your cigars?

MC_Musk_web20220405113323.jpg
Bon Appetite

[Mountain Man]

This wouldn't even be the first time private company "ground" has been declared a public forum. Company towns faced this same issue back in the day.

https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment...arsh-v-alabama

Public utilities, despite the name, are also privately owned companies but are forbidden from discriminating against their customers.

[Sparko]

I can't agree. I don't subscribe or use Twitter and don't feel cheated by not using it. It is not taxpayer funded. I am not forced to subscribe to it, and it isn't a monopoly. No matter how I slice it, it just doesn't qualify as a platform protected under the First Amendment. The free market (which does need protection, and should be the real issue) will eventually adjust to a company with bad product or policies. Sometimes it takes a while.

I don't use it either, but I would say it is the defacto platform for government officials in the USA and around the world uses to communicate with their people, so it does need some regulation. They should always be able to control content as far as vulgarity, promoting porn or violence, but not political content or views. They have too much power. IF there were any real competition out there that had contrary policies then I could see relaxing that rule. But they are a monopoly right now. Monopolies need regulation.

[Ronson]

I don't use it either, but I would say it is the defacto platform for government officials in the USA and around the world uses to communicate with their people, so it does need some regulation. They should always be able to control content as far as vulgarity, promoting porn or violence, but not political content or views. They have too much power. IF there were any real competition out there that had contrary policies then I could see relaxing that rule. But they are a monopoly right now. Monopolies need regulation.

https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best...-alternatives/

11 Best Twitter Alternatives 2022
January 3, 2022
While Twitter is one of the most well-known social media platforms, it’s far from the most widely used one. With around 463 million users, Twitter lags behind more popular networks such as Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Weibo, and Telegram.

What sets Twitter apart from platforms like TikTok is that Twitter is a microblogging platform. In other words, while networks like Telegram focus more on messaging and platforms like TikTok focus more on videos, Twitter allows people to create and publish short posts.

However, despite Twitter’s popularity, it has some problems. It is centrally controlled, which means that the owners have full control over the platform.

Sometimes, they block accounts or ban users for seemingly no valid reason. Some people don’t like Twitter’s politics, while others simply don’t like the control it has.

Twitter isn’t open source, either. It makes money by selling ads, and there are various privacy concerns about user data on Twitter.

Furthermore, all tweets have a character limit, which makes some people feel restricted in what they can express.

Many feel that the character limit on Twitter not only restricts them, but it also restricts their friends, making it more difficult to keep up with what is really happening in their friends’ lives. After all, there is only so much you can say in a short tweet, so people often end up posting insightful thoughts instead of more meaningful updates.

Regardless of why you’re looking for a Twitter alternative, you have options. Today, I will be showing you the 11 best Twitter alternatives out there...

(alternatives in link)

[Sparko]

Isn't that rather like saying, "Come in and make yourself at home," after someone has already pushed his way past you and is sitting on your couch smoking your cigars?

Yep. But maybe they are thinking "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"

[mossrose]

I think he decided why start his own when he can just control the one that is already the most popular? That's why he bought the twitter stock.

Except it’s harder sometimes to change something than to start anew.

[Sparko]

Public utilities, despite the name, are also privately owned companies but are forbidden from discriminating against their customers.

Twitter isn't even a privately-owned company. They became a public company in 2013.

[Sparko]

Except it’s harder sometimes to change something than to start anew.

the advantage is that you are eliminating competition, if you own the competition. And you can make any changes you want if you have enough money and power.

[rogue06]

Yep. But maybe they are thinking "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"

As the largest shareholder and owning nearly 10% of the company, they would likely have to come up with a darn good reason for keeping him off the board.

[Ronson]

Speaking of censorship and personal freedoms, which sort of ties in with this Twitter discussion, I just learned I am banned from posting comments on Newsmax. I posted a comment last week that I don't believe should have violated anyone's TOS but they took offense.

I wrote (in part) "...even though Biden may believe that Putin should be relegated to the fiery pits of (location), he should keep his trap shut."

If I can't post comments then I won't visit their site. Their news has been going to pot anyway.

[Sparko]

MM, this might answer why they appointed him to the board of directors...

An SEC filing shows that Musk will serve as a Class II director (that is, not top-tier) with a term that expires at the company's 2024 annual shareholder meeting. The appointment limits the stake Musk can hold. He can't own more than 14.9 percent of common stock during his tenure, and for 90 days afterward.
https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-t...4.html?src=rss

[rogue06]

MM, this might answer why they appointed him to the board of directors...

An SEC filing shows that Musk will serve as a Class II director (that is, not top-tier) with a term that expires at the company's 2024 annual shareholder meeting. The appointment limits the stake Musk can hold. He can't own more than 14.9 percent of common stock during his tenure, and for 90 days afterward.
https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-t...4.html?src=rss

So he may decline their offer, buy up more stock giving him even more control and then demand a seat at the table -- and not the "kiddie table"