Free speech democracy and Facebook algorithms

This relates to free speech, democracy and Facebook algorithms.

Who falls asleep in a democracy will wake up in a dictatorship.

— Otto Gritschneder
(when asked why he wanted to publicize
the system of terror in German military justice under the Nazis)

Introduction

This article series addresses free speech, freedom of expression, Facebook censorship (allegedly measured against Facebook’s infamous “community standards” and thereby justified), identity politics, and the number of identities that identity politics must cater to. (A linked index is shown after the following image.)

Being loved 400 times on Facebook

Index

• Introduction
• Preamble
• Sniffing butts is a No-No, and Being politically incorrect is verboten
• FB community standards vs moral traditions
• Facebook : legislator, police, judge, jury, and jailer
• Speech codes limit the right to free speech
• Comparing Facebook to other utility-access services
• FB must not have the right to censor
• Freedom of expression vs Identity politics and censorship
• Equality of Outcomes destroys Freedom
• Identity politics clash with reality
• How many identities must identity politics cater to?
• Conclusion

It is true, I must admit it.  With the pointing-out of it coming from Facebook, their telling me of all the loving of those three images received during the past little while is very touching, especially because of one thing.  It surprised me that Facebook chose those images.  The three images Facebook chose to praise for the loving they got are not exactly politically correct, most definitely not the articles those images are linked to.  Is Facebook getting a change of heart, drifting towards conservative territory, or are the algorithms it employs not quite up to its liberal aims?  Is Facebook doing what it takes to create a better democracy?  Is it trying to create a global democracy or a global dictatorship, a tyranny of multiple identities, by means of promoting identity politics?

Facebook (apparently bent on creating an ideological dictatorship) had often told me before, and the last time was just a few days ago, that perhaps I would benefit from being shown a thing or two, by learning more about the FB “community standards”. (Well, Facebook did not exactly come close to telling me that, but – ever so politely – appeared to have hinted that my way of communicating my opinions to others should give me reasons to be apprehensive of repercussions, without Facebook actually stating anything I could put my finger on.)

Therein is a story that I will tell here: Sniffing butts is a No-No.

See also:

• Facebook censorship ruled unconstitutional — Germany
• Australia considers Canadian freedom of speech a joke
• Australian Govt Admission: We Censor Websites
• Facebook locked me out
• Breaking with liberalism
• Remembrance Day 2008
• Is your website a “hate-site”? How do you know?