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WordPress Bans Fascist Website Linked To Charlottesville Killer (fastcompany.com)
tedlistens writes: WordPress has said that it does not censor websites like that of self-proclaimed fascist group Vanguard America. But last night, the group's site was taken offline for violating the company's terms of service. The about-face was likely prompted by Vanguard's participation in last weekend's Unite the Right rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, during which James Alex Fields drove his car into a crowd, killing one person and injuring 19. Fields has claimed allegiance to Vanguard America; the group denies that Fields was a member. For WordPress to drop a site, even a fascist site, is a very big deal; the same is true of GoDaddy's and Google's decision to drop their registration of neo-Nazi site the Daily Stormer (another site that GoDaddy previously said would be permitted on free speech grounds). WordPress hasn't explained the shift in its approach to the website: the company's user agreement and terms of service have not changed since Charlottesville. That policy, like that of other tech platforms, has long stood by strict neutrality and freedom of expression. That may now be changing.
Does WordPress have anything in their terms of service about inciting violence, committing crimes, or breaking the law in general?
If Vanguard America hasn't distanced themselves from the actions of this alleged member, perhaps they could be classified as a terrorist organization? This isn't necessarily an issue of free speech any more than breaking the law is.
From the WordPress User Guidelines:
Directly threatening material.
Do not post direct and realistic threats of violence. That is, you cannot post a genuine call for violence—or death—against an individual person, or groups of persons. This doesn’t mean that we’ll remove all hyperbole or offensive language.
Also from the WordPress User Guidelines:
Log in or piss off.
As if you have a choice. The Alt-Left opens your wallet for you. And your children are theirs, your media, your employer, your barista, everyone you interact with all the time, everywhere, that doesn't think for themselves.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
I expect a bit of both.
First there is an acknowledgement that these groups are more then just a random ranting hicks. But groups trying to push a well crafted narrative of fear that giving others equal rights will diminish their own rights, and hatred of the groups who are getting such rights and trying to show that they are not worth it. It is the responsibility of everyone to stand up against this groups in one way or an other. These groups use the same methods and logic that had created much of the foreign terrorist groups, and their growth to a point where they had destroyed countries came from a population that more or less just let it slide. Racism really has no place in business, as all it does it reduce your customer base and partners to work with.
Then there is a PR problem of being considered friendly to this group, this will attract more undesirables to your service, and effect your general perception. It could be like the Simpsons quote "Not Raciest but #1 with racist)
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Kind of like the BLM guy who murdered 5 police?
"Yeah sure, he was at the rally, a member of three BLM Facebook groups, attended six meetings, followed us all on Twitter... But he's not one of us!"
"O ok lol," says media.
That's completely different than opening the wallets of every American to bail out the Banking Industry. Thanks Republicans, for being SOOOOOOO smart that you don't need my money! Oh, wait...
Before blaming that on Republicans, you should look at the facts: Democrats voted 172 to 63 in favor of the bailout, while Republicans voted 108 to 91 against it.
Who has taken their free speech away? They can find some other place to host their site. Quit conflating private entities giving these bastards the boot to some sort of state suppression. The First Amendment protects you from the state silencing you. Private actors are under no such obligation.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
No, they must bake the cake if they would bake the same cake for others without basing their refusal upon the customer being a member of a protected class.
Here's a source backing my assertion. Where's a source backing yours?