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simoncion • today at 5:47 PM • 3 replies • view on HN

In an ideal world, exclusively-US-based companies that host message boards, chat rooms, instant messaging services, and the like would look at this saga and

1) Notice that the odds that a foreign power is going to be able to harm them in any meaningful way for violating their "child 'safety'" laws that curtail freedom of speech and association are very low

2) Notice that 4chan is fighting harder to resist these attacks on free speech and association than many of big names in the sector and reflect on what it might mean when _4chan_ is the hero of the story

Alas.


Replies

philipkglass • today at 6:04 PM

Notice that 4chan is fighting harder to resist these attacks on free speech and association than many of big names in the sector...

Isn't the issue that the "big names" in the sector are not exclusively US based? The big American tech companies have employees, assets, or at least a business presence of some sort in countries outside the US, which means that they are exposed to legal systems in those other countries.

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tourmalinetaco • today at 5:51 PM

4chan and Kiwi Farms (via Lolcow LLC), to be more specific.

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shadowgovt • today at 6:08 PM

Here's the thing though: nobody has to agree 4chan is the hero of the story. It's also reasonable to look at 4chan and say "Gross and legally correct is still gross" and let them soldier on alone.

You'll note the "First they came for" poem has a beginning and doesn't extend to all subcultures. It doesn't say "First they came for the KKK." And, of course, it doesn't say "First they came for the Nazis."

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