Freedom of speech in the US is strong, but its failure to carry over into private contexts makes it largely symbolic in the 21st century. The fact that you cannot make a YouTube video expressing concerns about COVID-19 or election fraud, since it will be censored, is a shining example of the failure of freedom of speech.
Many people think that censorship is something that only a government is capable of doing, and that it doesn’t apply to corporations. But when multinational corporations like Google have more power, and more wealth than the GDPs of half the world’s countries, that thinking falls flat on its face.
This proposed Polish law is the strongest form of anti-censorship that I’ve ever seen.
This isn’t authoritarian in the slightest. If you think having your voice heard instead of silenced is an example of authoritarianism, I’m afraid trying to explain anything would be a lost cause.
All speech should be acceptable, according to the Polish government. It’s not right for a private entity to regulate speech. This law puts the locus of control back in the hands of government, but nowhere does it imply that the government will censor the citizens of Poland. It promises the opposite: that their voices will be heard instead of stamped out by the big tech companies.
> Under its provisions, social media services will not be allowed to remove content or block accounts if the content on them does not break Polish law.
> If a special court rules in favour of the plaintiff and the internet service does not obey the ruling it can subject to a fine of up to PLN 8 million (EUR 1.8 million) imposed by the Office of Electronic Communications.
This is an incredibly progressive move by Poland! Such simple, but powerful, legislation. The United States currently has FOSINO (freedom of speech in name only), but a law like this would actually make freedom of speech meaningful, in a land where online censorship is rampant.
Chinese food prominently features MSG. Chinese food is served in Chinese restaurants. MSG (and most foods containing natural glutamate) has been identified as a common migraine trigger in individuals sensitive to them, and this is just one symptom among many grouped under the term.
“Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” is the end result of this chain of logic, grounded not in racism, but in fact.
> Developer forced to add health warning and apologise after launch of hotly anticipated game
The woman who triggered an epileptic seizure in the braindance intro is a moron. The game already had an epilepsy warning when you launch it, and ignoring that warning as an individual with epilepsy shows a great lack of intelligence and common sense.
It's basically just a white loading screen, and for her to request some kind of additional warning about flashing lights at that moment just shows she has no brain function.
I question how much buzz about chess lately is the direct result of a certain Netflix Original.
The effects seem to cascade. Chess blog posts on HN... a flood of sales of Chinese chess sets on Amazon... game night pics featuring chess on your social media feeds.
How much of our behavior is dictated, or at least seeded, by Big Ns?
Many people think that censorship is something that only a government is capable of doing, and that it doesn’t apply to corporations. But when multinational corporations like Google have more power, and more wealth than the GDPs of half the world’s countries, that thinking falls flat on its face.
This proposed Polish law is the strongest form of anti-censorship that I’ve ever seen.