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Comment by javajosh | Hacker News Reader

At some point, the adults need to be in charge. I for one applaud YouTube for taking this step, because it's not an easy choice, because they'll get pushback like this.

Misinformation about Covid is deadly. Rand Paul is spreading misinformation - masks stop the spread of everything because it prevents bodily fluid particles from getting on everything, and also stops people from touching their face. Both of these are key vectors for disease to spread.

If corporations are to be treated as people, then it's good that they behave as if they have a conscience, and show an unwillingness to sacrifice real people on the alter of libertarian free-speech political correctness.

If I worked at YouTube I would be proud of their stance.

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Lots of misinformation on YouTube is bad for people and isn't stopped. And I would hardly call Google, YouTube's owners, a "company with a conscience" since nearly their entire business is based on predatory surveillance advertising.

In a democratic society, the elected leaders need to communicate their ideas, however wrongheaded. If they aren't allowed to communicate, how do they reach their electors and how do they tell potential voters they're right (or wrong)? When you are at the platform level like YouTube, you have a responsibility to carry information from the government even if you don't like it because you didn't elect Ron Paul, his constituents did.

YouTube is NOT the government. If Rand Paul was arrested for his speech, that would be a violation of his First Amendment rights and wrong. The right to speak does not compel a private platform to carry that speech.

Certainly Fox News gives RP and his ilk plenty of opportunity to spread their harmful propaganda. So it's not like, even in a practical sense, his ability to express himself has been curtailed.

> Certainly Fox News gives RP and his ilk

Tell us how you really feel about people on the right.

Something tells me you'd be singing a different story if it were someone you agreed with.

Lincoln was not even on the ballet In several states. That lead to a civil war.s

We are reaching/past the point where open speech is no longer allowed. That makes next steps scary.

YouTube doing the right thing and banning some stupid misinformation is nowhere near civil war.

Misinformation is the excuse. This is banning a political party on whatever reason they think they can get away with.

Rand Paul is the GOP now? You might want to tell Trump that.

Well, they're also banning Trump...

(Different "they", though - Twitter. But Twitter was Trump's main medium. Anyway, point is, once you raise the topic, yeah, it looks like treeman79 actually does have a bit of evidence on his side...)

he does not.

They're not banning a political party at all. They are banning some individuals for breaking the terms of service.

>masks stop the spread of everything

Do masks stop the spread of bullets? If not, you are spreading misinformation and need to be banned.

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