Comment by traceroo on 21/02/2024 at 20:22 UTC

25 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)

View submission: Defending the open Internet (again): Our latest brief to the Supreme Court

View parent comment

Thanks! If you check out our brief, we cite a bunch of old 1st Amendment cases that we, humbly, think back us up. The First Amendment doesn’t just protect your right to express yourself. It also protects your right to associate with “nice” people – and not rude people that violate the rule to “be nice.” It protects your right to be a community.

Replies

Comment by Bardfinn at 21/02/2024 at 20:46 UTC

28 upvotes, 1 direct replies

The right to freedom of association — including the right to freedom **from** association — is a fundamental component of the right to freedom of speech; Compelled association impacts the ability to freely make a statement.

If TXHB20 is upheld by a Supreme Court, it could completely disable Reddit’s ability to set and enforce Content Policy, including the Sitewide Rule against Promoting Hatred Based on Identity or Vulnerability.

Hate groups would set up new subreddits and demand now-closed hate group subreddits be re-opened; their rhetoric would swiftly move from mere hate speech to federal felony violent threats, and the operation of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremist groups, Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremist groups, and Domestic Violent Extremist groups on Reddit once more.

Any attempt to shut these groups down would devolve to court battles; any attempt by volunteer Reddit moderators to work together to shut these bad actors out of our communities would expose us to being sued or arrested.

TXHB20 would result in the collapse of not just Reddit but all public-facing social media, as they become deluged in extremist hate speech, political propaganda, and criminal activity.

Comment by ItAintMe_2023 at 21/02/2024 at 21:57 UTC

-8 upvotes, 1 direct replies

How do you interpret /RoastMe? Where the whole intention of the sub is to be “unkind”?