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Comment by userbinator | Hacker News Reader

I implore everyone to go re-read all the HN articles about Trump and far-right deplatforming where numerous --highly downvoted-- comments quite correctly predicted what was coming.

Trump was "only a test."

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Yeah, remember when people were saying "there is no slippery slope, they'll definitely stop at fascists!" Sounds like someone who's never read a history book.

It really does surprise me how few people seem to remember history, and how these things always go. It starts off with "those objections people" and then eventually turns on everyone else. But maybe this time it'll be different I'm sure ;)

Oh yeah. Just look at Alex Jones. Do I support anything he says? Not really, but he should not be deplatformed. These objectionable voices are going to get much stronger as a result.

Alex Jones was the test. Trump was their show of force. If you can "cancel" the president of the USA, you can cancel anyone. The big tech cartel sent a message that they're the new dictators of the flow of information.

The two situations are apples and oranges. Trump violated many rules in his years on Twitter. Twitter let him go on for things that would have resulted in a banhammer for anyone else. Same goes for the alt-right. They were allowed to go on for a very long time. Despite the hate and harassment they generated. Are you arguing Trump should have received special treatment forever? That sites can't moderate as they see fit?

On the other hand, these WSB bans seem to be related to external pressure from some very wealthy people. Not really the same situation. And not something that's new to the Internet. Digg's blocking of the HD-DVD key comes to mind. Or sites that removed content under threat of a lawsuit.

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