Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a small request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn from people smarter than us: When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and editorial decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish between coercion and persuasion as expressions of power? I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized discussion to everyone’s benefit. Thanks. Morten From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is one of free speech suppression... "Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world. The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink? Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet). If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this... https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$> Best, Andrew On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free speech <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks... >

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Indeed! I was just encouraging all the rest of us to also keep that distinction in mind as the discussion moves forward. Otherwise, things get messy very quickly. M. ________________________________ From: Paul Levinson <levinson.paul@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 2:23:49 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org <air-l@listserv.aoir.org>; Morten Bay <mortench@usc.edu> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech Thanks for that, Morten. I do make precisely that point -- the difference between government censorship and private organization content moderation -- in my Op-Ed. -- Paul On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:11 PM Morten Bay via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org<mailto:air-l@listserv.aoir.org>> wrote: Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a small request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn from people smarter than us: When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and editorial decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish between coercion and persuasion as expressions of power? I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized discussion to everyone’s benefit. Thanks. Morten From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org<mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org>> on behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org<mailto:air-l@listserv.aoir.org>> Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org<mailto:air-l@listserv.aoir.org> <air-l@listserv.aoir.org<mailto:air-l@listserv.aoir.org>> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is one of free speech suppression... "Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world. The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink? Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet). If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this... https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/punching-down-how-the-anti-disinformation__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!pLw_tKTFjSSAtxATGWxuanoQRIYKVvbyLD3P8_3RIcPjNZ0n-w4tEZXzSg5l0_6urdJCF3ZqcEi1AcJ6Fg$> Best, Andrew On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free speech <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks... >

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With some trepidation, I'm going to build on what Morten is saying to add that "free speech", and the US Constitution, are not the only frameworks that we might use to think through these ideas. Avoiding state repression is important, but if all attempts to shape the spaces where we discuss and deliberate are positioned as being somewhere along the line between "censorship" and "free speech", we miss other important considerations. There are important questions that are not always best answered within this framework, including: * Who gets to speak, and who gets listened to? * Who is safe speaking? * Do the structures we build support constructive (or transformative, or generative) dialogue, or conflict? * What kinds of ideas and emotions spread through different systems we build? These questions are worth asking not just about Twitter but also about alternatives we're exploring, and I hope that we'll consider other frameworks of thought beyond the liberal free speech framework. I've written more about this here: https://adanewmedia.org/2016/10/issue10-croeser/ And there's also a comic version! Available to print out at home and turn into a booklet if you need a fun stocking stuffer!* https://medium.com/@nicolemarieburton/a-new-comic-that-challenges-us-to-refr... *I'm joking please don't shout at me but please feel free to ask for a printable version On Wed, 7 Dec 2022 at 6:44 am, Paul Levinson via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

Thanks for that, Morten. I do make precisely that point -- the difference between government censorship and private organization content moderation -- in my Op-Ed.

-- Paul

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:11 PM Morten Bay via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a small request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn from people smarter than us:

When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and editorial decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish between coercion and persuasion as expressions of power?

I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized discussion to everyone’s benefit.

Thanks.

Morten

From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is one of free speech suppression...

"Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world.

The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink?

Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet).

If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this...

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/p...

...

<

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/pu...

...

...

Best, Andrew

On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

...

just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free speech <

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks...

...

...

-- PL _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers

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_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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I also think you could consider these laws in other countries. In Canada hate speech has recently in the past few decades been added to exceptions to freedom of expression. I don't think exporting the US constitution is always a good way of going about spreading democracy. I have also looked at Estonia's new constitution and seen privacy of medical records as a constitutional right. But this sort of digresses from Internet studies. I have not been using Twitter as much these past few weeks. I started a mastodon account and check it every few days and add about a post a week. As you know the network effect is probably how we ended up using Twitter. May be three months from now statistics or studies will show Mastodon having a network effect. On Tue., Dec. 6, 2022, 7:06 p.m. Paul Levinson via Air-L, < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

Thanks for the link to your article, Sky -- I found it enlightening in several ways.

I will point out, however, two points in which we might not agree: 1. As I mentioned in my Op-Ed, criminal activity was and is never protected by the First Amendment. Although I gave only two examples in my short essay -- misleading info about Covid, and the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021 -- there of course are many other kinds of crimes that should not and would not be protected speech. These certainly include harassment. 2. You say the "marketplace of ideas" is inherently not equal. No doubt that's true in practice -- and true of everything. But it's worth pointing out that, in theory, the marketplace of ideas is supposed to provide equal access to all ideas. Indeed, as I say in the op-ed, that's its raison d'etre.

-- PL

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 6:10 PM Sky Croeser <scroeser@gmail.com> wrote:

...

With some trepidation, I'm going to build on what Morten is saying to add that "free speech", and the US Constitution, are not the only frameworks that we might use to think through these ideas. Avoiding state repression is important, but if all attempts to shape the spaces where we discuss and deliberate are positioned as being somewhere along the line between "censorship" and "free speech", we miss other important considerations.

There are important questions that are not always best answered within this framework, including: * Who gets to speak, and who gets listened to? * Who is safe speaking? * Do the structures we build support constructive (or transformative, or generative) dialogue, or conflict? * What kinds of ideas and emotions spread through different systems we build?

These questions are worth asking not just about Twitter but also about alternatives we're exploring, and I hope that we'll consider other frameworks of thought beyond the liberal free speech framework.

I've written more about this here: https://adanewmedia.org/2016/10/issue10-croeser/

And there's also a comic version! Available to print out at home and turn into a booklet if you need a fun stocking stuffer!*

https://medium.com/@nicolemarieburton/a-new-comic-that-challenges-us-to-refr...

...

*I'm joking please don't shout at me but please feel free to ask for a printable version

On Wed, 7 Dec 2022 at 6:44 am, Paul Levinson via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Thanks for that, Morten. I do make precisely that point -- the

difference

...

...

between government censorship and private organization content moderation -- in my Op-Ed.

-- Paul

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:11 PM Morten Bay via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a small request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn from people smarter than us:

When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and editorial decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish between coercion and persuasion as expressions of power?

I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized discussion to everyone’s benefit.

Thanks.

Morten

From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is one of free speech suppression...

"Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world.

The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink?

Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet).

If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this...

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/p...

...

...

<

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/pu...

...

...

...

Best, Andrew

On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

...

just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free speech <

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks...

...

...

...

-- PL _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers

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I'd liken such positive experiences on Mastodon to the *intimate serendipity* people experienced in blogging in 2003 and on Twitter in 2006. The typical follow-on is *filtered sludge*. What's interesting to me about Mastodon's design is that they set out to address filtered-sludge from the start -- rather than ad hoc response driven by commercial interests. I chuckled that I used the example of Trent Reznor -- an early Twitter enthusiast and then disappointed critic -- when I saw that he "officially" left Twitter two weeks ago. https://readingthecomments.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/dtys4tyk#twitter-and-the-sea... When I went to blogging get-togethers in 2003, it was with a dozen of like-minded enthusiasts: I met interesting people and we had good conversations. Over a decade later, going to a meeting for people who post comments to the Web seems passé. (Today almost any gathering could qualify as such a meeting.) After a network of people (online or otherwise) becomes popular, people want to bring their friends. At first, this is great. The value of a network increases significantly with each new node. A network of five phones permits ten connections; doubling the phones to ten permits forty-five possible connections. As Dunbar notes, however, at some point the scale of networks overwhelms the participants. First, we ask, “Who brought that guy to the party?” Second, the network becomes a target for those who wish to exploit it via spam and manipulation. On 12/6/22 21:23, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

I've been on Mastodon about six weeks now, and I'm really enjoying it. For me, it's akin to what I liked about Facebook and Twitter in their early years -- meeting people I hadn't been in touch with for years.

Hi, I might point out that 1) Not all of us are in the US, and the US constitution is of limited interest and applicability to a lot of us, apart from being a major influence on the big tech companies we are forced to interact with. Moreover, big tech companies need to also take the laws in other countries into account if they wish to officially operate and generate ad revenue there. 2) Criminality includes, in far too many jurisdictions, things like "homosexual propaganda". Should that be suppressed? Why, or why not? To me referring exclusively to 'legality' (in a specific jurisdiction, no less) tells me basically nothing about what you actually believe should be suppressed or not, and by whom. 3) A systems purpose is what it does. The 'marketplace' is not only not equal from the start, but also reproduces and increases inequality and power imbalances. In sum I would reiterate Sky's point about widening one's scope in terms of the "free speech" debate, not only in relation to harassment, but also more generally. In particular, it might be instructive to be a bit introspective and ask _why_ do you want some specific version of 'free' speech? Who is it that you want to hear, or to be heard? Who is it that you want to speak to, or be heard by? And about what? Best, /P On 06 December, 2022 - Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

Thanks for the link to your article, Sky -- I found it enlightening in several ways.

I will point out, however, two points in which we might not agree: 1. As I mentioned in my Op-Ed, criminal activity was and is never protected by the First Amendment. Although I gave only two examples in my short essay -- misleading info about Covid, and the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021 -- there of course are many other kinds of crimes that should not and would not be protected speech. These certainly include harassment. 2. You say the "marketplace of ideas" is inherently not equal. No doubt that's true in practice -- and true of everything. But it's worth pointing out that, in theory, the marketplace of ideas is supposed to provide equal access to all ideas. Indeed, as I say in the op-ed, that's its raison d'etre.

-- PL

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 6:10 PM Sky Croeser <scroeser@gmail.com> wrote:

...

With some trepidation, I'm going to build on what Morten is saying to add that "free speech", and the US Constitution, are not the only frameworks that we might use to think through these ideas. Avoiding state repression is important, but if all attempts to shape the spaces where we discuss and deliberate are positioned as being somewhere along the line between "censorship" and "free speech", we miss other important considerations.

There are important questions that are not always best answered within this framework, including: * Who gets to speak, and who gets listened to? * Who is safe speaking? * Do the structures we build support constructive (or transformative, or generative) dialogue, or conflict? * What kinds of ideas and emotions spread through different systems we build?

These questions are worth asking not just about Twitter but also about alternatives we're exploring, and I hope that we'll consider other frameworks of thought beyond the liberal free speech framework.

I've written more about this here: https://adanewmedia.org/2016/10/issue10-croeser/

And there's also a comic version! Available to print out at home and turn into a booklet if you need a fun stocking stuffer!*

https://medium.com/@nicolemarieburton/a-new-comic-that-challenges-us-to-refr...

*I'm joking please don't shout at me but please feel free to ask for a printable version

On Wed, 7 Dec 2022 at 6:44 am, Paul Levinson via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Thanks for that, Morten. I do make precisely that point -- the difference between government censorship and private organization content moderation -- in my Op-Ed.

-- Paul

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:11 PM Morten Bay via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a small request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn from people smarter than us:

When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and editorial decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish between coercion and persuasion as expressions of power?

I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized discussion to everyone’s benefit.

Thanks.

Morten

From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is one of free speech suppression...

"Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world.

The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink?

Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet).

If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this...

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/p...

...

<

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/pu...

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Best, Andrew

On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

...

just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free speech <

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks...

...

...

-- PL _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers

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-- Petter Ericson, pettter@cs.umu.se Postdoc in the Responsible AI group, Department of Computing Science, University of Umeå

Thanks for the comments, Petter. Some brief responses: You say: 1) Not all of us are in the US, and the US constitution is of limited interest and applicability to a lot of us, apart from being a major influence on the big tech companies we are forced to interact with. Moreover, big tech companies need to also take the laws in other countries into account if they wish to officially operate and generate ad revenue there. The US & the US Constitution was indeed my focus, because Twitter, Musk, and I are all headquartered in the US. But the First Amendment has roots that go back much further and wider than the US. I specifically mention John Milton in the op-ed, and this thinking draws on Pericles, Socrates, etc. 2) Criminality includes, in far too many jurisdictions, things like "homosexual propaganda". Should that be suppressed? Why, or why not? To me referring exclusively to 'legality' (in a specific jurisdiction, no less) tells me basically nothing about what you actually believe should be suppressed or not, and by whom. Criminality indeed has all sorts of outrageous racist, discriminatory applications around the world, including in the U.S. What I was getting at was free speech protections should not extend to bona-fide criminal activities, like, for example, conspiracy to murder. And as for the designation of "criminal" to suppress what consenting adults may want to do, those labels should be denounced and removed. 3) A systems purpose is what it does. The 'marketplace' is not only not equal from the start, but also reproduces and increases inequality and power imbalances. Yes, and I support progressive actions to reduce those inequalities, including anti-monopoly laws, equitable taxation (so the very rich pay their fair share), etc. -- PL It's Real Life <https://vocal.media/fiction/it-s-real-life> -- free, new alternate history short story about The Beatles & WFUV, now being made into a radio play On Wed, Dec 7, 2022 at 1:25 AM Petter Ericson <pettter@cs.umu.se> wrote:

Hi,

I might point out that

1) Not all of us are in the US, and the US constitution is of limited interest and applicability to a lot of us, apart from being a major influence on the big tech companies we are forced to interact with. Moreover, big tech companies need to also take the laws in other countries into account if they wish to officially operate and generate ad revenue there.

2) Criminality includes, in far too many jurisdictions, things like "homosexual propaganda". Should that be suppressed? Why, or why not? To me referring exclusively to 'legality' (in a specific jurisdiction, no less) tells me basically nothing about what you actually believe should be suppressed or not, and by whom.

3) A systems purpose is what it does. The 'marketplace' is not only not equal from the start, but also reproduces and increases inequality and power imbalances.

In sum I would reiterate Sky's point about widening one's scope in terms of the "free speech" debate, not only in relation to harassment, but also more generally. In particular, it might be instructive to be a bit introspective and ask _why_ do you want some specific version of 'free' speech?

Who is it that you want to hear, or to be heard?

Who is it that you want to speak to, or be heard by?

And about what?

Best,

/P

On 06 December, 2022 - Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

...

Thanks for the link to your article, Sky -- I found it enlightening in several ways.

I will point out, however, two points in which we might not agree: 1. As I mentioned in my Op-Ed, criminal activity was and is never protected by the First Amendment. Although I gave only two examples in my short essay -- misleading info about Covid, and the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021 -- there of course are many other kinds of crimes that should not and would not be protected speech. These certainly include harassment. 2. You say the "marketplace of ideas" is inherently not equal. No doubt that's true in practice -- and true of everything. But it's worth pointing out that, in theory, the marketplace of ideas is supposed to provide equal access to all ideas. Indeed, as I say in the op-ed, that's its raison d'etre.

-- PL

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 6:10 PM Sky Croeser <scroeser@gmail.com> wrote:

...

With some trepidation, I'm going to build on what Morten is saying to add that "free speech", and the US Constitution, are not the only frameworks that we might use to think through these ideas. Avoiding state repression is important, but if all attempts to shape the spaces where we discuss and deliberate are positioned as being somewhere along the line between "censorship" and "free speech", we miss other important considerations.

There are important questions that are not always best answered within this framework, including: * Who gets to speak, and who gets listened to? * Who is safe speaking? * Do the structures we build support constructive (or transformative, or generative) dialogue, or conflict? * What kinds of ideas and emotions spread through different systems we build?

These questions are worth asking not just about Twitter but also about alternatives we're exploring, and I hope that we'll consider other frameworks of thought beyond the liberal free speech framework.

I've written more about this here: https://adanewmedia.org/2016/10/issue10-croeser/

And there's also a comic version! Available to print out at home and turn into a booklet if you need a fun stocking stuffer!*

https://medium.com/@nicolemarieburton/a-new-comic-that-challenges-us-to-refr...

...

*I'm joking please don't shout at me but please feel free to ask for a printable version

On Wed, 7 Dec 2022 at 6:44 am, Paul Levinson via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Thanks for that, Morten. I do make precisely that point -- the

difference

...

...

between government censorship and private organization content moderation -- in my Op-Ed.

-- Paul

On Tue, Dec 6, 2022 at 5:11 PM Morten Bay via Air-L < air-l@listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

...

Before this discussion goes any further (or off the rails), I have a small request on behalf of those of us on the sidelines trying to learn from people smarter than us:

When we discuss these matters, can we please distinguish between state-enforced censorship and oppression of free speech versus the also-constitutionally protected rights to content moderation and editorial decisions in privately-held media? Can we please also distinguish between coercion and persuasion as expressions of power?

I think that will generate a more nuanced and less polarized discussion to everyone’s benefit.

Thanks.

Morten

From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of andrew.lowenthal--- via Air-L <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at 12:23 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org <air-l@listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Elon Musk & free speech It is truly breathtaking that the default position now in 'academia' is one of free speech suppression...

"Do we tolerate too much?" is asked... perhaps ask someone in Indonesia who as of today can face jail criticising the president... anti-free speech 'liberals' embolden authoritarians around the world.

The fact that people are going in to bat for Big Tech for suppressing a story about the Biden family dealings in Ukraine and China (to say nothing of Hunter's predilections for cocaine and sex workers) is astounding... how much lower can 'academia' sink?

Interest in the actual truth is long gone, and liberals are just as partisan as conservatives. Intellectuals who care nothing for party tribalism are all but extinct (or at least very quiet).

If you are interested in a different take you might like to try this...

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/p...

...

...

<

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/pu...

...

...

...

Best, Andrew

On 12/6/22 20:51, Paul Levinson via Air-L wrote:

...

just up on NBC News Think: my op-ed about Elon Musk and free speech <

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/elon-musks...

...

...

...

-- PL _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers

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-- Petter Ericson, pettter@cs.umu.se Postdoc in the Responsible AI group, Department of Computing Science, University of Umeå