How the Supreme Court ruling on Section 230 could end Reddit as we know it(technologyreview.com)
technologyreview.com
How the Supreme Court ruling on Section 230 could end Reddit as we know it
https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/01/1067520/supreme-court-section-230-gonzalez-reddit/
7 comments
>But another big issue is at stake that has received much less attention: depending on the outcome of the case, individual users of sites may suddenly be liable for run-of-the-mill content moderation. Many sites rely on users for community moderation to edit, shape, remove, and promote other users’ content online—think Reddit’s upvote, or changes to a Wikipedia page. What might happen if those users were forced to take on legal risk every time they made a content decision?
>In short, the court could change Section 230 in ways that won’t just impact big platforms; smaller sites like Reddit and Wikipedia that rely on community moderation will be hit too, warns Emma Llansó, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Free Expression Project. “It would be an enormous loss to online speech communities if suddenly it got really risky for mods themselves to do their work,” she says.
Hacker News too? Dang?
>In short, the court could change Section 230 in ways that won’t just impact big platforms; smaller sites like Reddit and Wikipedia that rely on community moderation will be hit too, warns Emma Llansó, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Free Expression Project. “It would be an enormous loss to online speech communities if suddenly it got really risky for mods themselves to do their work,” she says.
Hacker News too? Dang?
Honestly, taking some of the power out of mod’s hands might improve Reddit. Changes like this are big and scary, but we have seen how mods control discourse to a point that the threads and discussions are entirely controlled to push a single viewpoint not representative of the population only represents the mod’s opinions.
On another note, I have been using Weibo, tick tock, and other Chinese apps. I have been really impressed at my ability to control my feed compared to Reddit. There are certain types of post that Reddit wants to recommend me, and I have never figured out how to hide them. On the other Chinese apps, I can dislike the author or post, and I can like the author or post. It has really picked up on these cues in a way that Reddit never has, and my feed is exactly what I want. Just needs a little tending to, but the learning and response is precise
On another note, I have been using Weibo, tick tock, and other Chinese apps. I have been really impressed at my ability to control my feed compared to Reddit. There are certain types of post that Reddit wants to recommend me, and I have never figured out how to hide them. On the other Chinese apps, I can dislike the author or post, and I can like the author or post. It has really picked up on these cues in a way that Reddit never has, and my feed is exactly what I want. Just needs a little tending to, but the learning and response is precise
I feel like fundamentally altering the nature of free speech on the web by giving the US government authority to directly regulate it, coerce speech and render most forms of moderation de facto illegal is overkill if the problem is some Reddit mods being a bit power-trippy.
> Honestly, taking some of the power out of mod’s hands might improve Reddit.
Yeah, I think turning reddit into an absolute free-for-all of astroturfing, spam, and brigading would really improve discourse.
Yeah, I think turning reddit into an absolute free-for-all of astroturfing, spam, and brigading would really improve discourse.
Sorry, but the mods are dictators-for-life there and there is no appeal. If you ask Reddit for help when the mods violate the moderator code of conduct, they will just say that they are just tracking reports and to use some other community instead which isn't helpful if the mods control a large one in the millions.
I don't think the sky is falling, I do think the mods should be accountable for their actions controlling content based on their personal feelings. Non-accountability is why I am fine with Reddit losing section 230. My opinion can be changed if Reddit Inc. puts in rules and procedures and allows a process where you can actually interact over a problem.
I do not think the solution to dealing with an idiot mod should be to delete the account and make another one.
I don't think the sky is falling, I do think the mods should be accountable for their actions controlling content based on their personal feelings. Non-accountability is why I am fine with Reddit losing section 230. My opinion can be changed if Reddit Inc. puts in rules and procedures and allows a process where you can actually interact over a problem.
I do not think the solution to dealing with an idiot mod should be to delete the account and make another one.
230 only protects services.
If you run your own server, good old copyright and slander rules apply. I’d rather the internet fully decentralize. People could have “home pages” they serve off $35 home servers. At this point some sort of software defined overlay network would probably be needed, since ISP networks are designed to block such things.
Anyway, I’d prefer they repeal the entire DMCA instead of just the half that protects the tech industry and consumers.
If you run your own server, good old copyright and slander rules apply. I’d rather the internet fully decentralize. People could have “home pages” they serve off $35 home servers. At this point some sort of software defined overlay network would probably be needed, since ISP networks are designed to block such things.
Anyway, I’d prefer they repeal the entire DMCA instead of just the half that protects the tech industry and consumers.
Their argument is that if you are asking the server for information stored on the server, you are using an interactive computer service which is covered by Section 230. When that remote computer is giving you stuff you didn't ask for, it's not a server and not an interactive computer service as defined by the law. Reddit and HN give 3rd party content a score based on 3rd party actions (upvotes, moderation). When you visit HN or Reddit, you click on links and your computer requests the 3rd party content that meets a minimum score value and is order according to that scoring system, and thus HN/Reddit are providing an interactive computer system as defined by the law.
The plaintiff is clearly painting the Supreme Court a path that it can take so that they win the case while also not destroying the internet. Reddit, Wikipedia, and many others are filing these sky-is-falling briefs with the court to remind them of the danger of not taking that path (if they choose to let the plaintiff win).
[1] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21-1333/247780/202...