Judge tears apart #Republican lawsuit alleging bias in #Gmail spam filter | Ars Technica

Gmail isn't a #commoncarrier and is protected by #Section230, judge rules.
#spamfilter

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/08/judge-tears-apart-republican-lawsuit-alleging-bias-in-gmail-spam-filter/

The Argument For The Internet As A Utility: Is It Time To Change How It's Delivered? (2020) https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/06/17/the-argument-for-the-internet-as-a-utility-is-it-time-to-change-how-its-delivered/?sh=918915772958 The article is still relevant as the #Senate struggles to confirm consumer advocate Gigi #Sohn as #FCC chair. The pandemic has made obvious what disabled people already knew: #Internet service is as crucial now as wired telephony was in the 20th c. and should be regulated as a utility, not a luxury. #NetNeutrality #utility #CommonCarrier

Interestingly, many conservatives who claim to support "free speech" have attacked the free-speech preserving Sec. 230 for years. Some of them also want to impose common carriage requirements on end services like social media but not on the actual common carriers (ISPs). Presumably, this is to protect ISPs, which tilt conservative, and penalize edge providers, which are perceived as tilting liberal. #CommonCarrier #FreeSpeech #ISP #SocialMedia

Social Media as Common Carrier and Policing

I've argued for a while that The phone company does not promote content or connections, while algorithmically-driven social media platforms have been doing just that in the name of “driving engagement”.

Pointing this out on Diaspora, Simons Mith responds:

Therefore: if social media companies either choose to or are forced to become common carriers, the ‘driving engagement’ activities that they currently perform will transfer to other parties. But those activities will remain just as pervasive and odious as it they are now, because that’s what works, and the social media companies, once they’re common carriers, won’t be obliged to police it. And I also reckon the police will continue to remain exactly as interested in policing it as they are now.

That's highly cogent.

I'm not entirely sure how to respond, though I do note that earlier networked common carriers are not entirely limited from restricting types of conduct or types of exchanges. Additionally, postal services, railroads, and transit agencies have their own inspectors or police forces. In the case of broadcast networks, there is the network censor and government oversite (FCC in the US). Even hotels have detectives.

@pluralistic might be interested.

https://joindiaspora.com/posts/36cdd860cef60139a303002590d8e506#ed282c70cfde0139eab1005056264835

#CommonCarrier #Internet #PostalService #Telegraph #Telephone #Communications #Railroads #TransitCops #PostalInspectors #RailroadPolice #NetworkCensor #Regulation #Moderation