The Global Showdown Over Free Speech
It does appear these days that free speech hangs by a very thin thread. It’s helpful to imagine how things would be if Elon had not stood up and said no. All of the other platforms fully went along without saying anything publicly, even if they resented the bullying privately. Elon and X are being targeted precisely because he stood up and flatly said that the actions of the government contradict the laws of the country, which he has sworn to follow. As of this writing, X is banned in China, North Korea, Russia, Turkmenistan, Myanmar, Venezuela, Iran, and now Brazil.
It is quite the commentary on our times that it has required the courage and commitment of one man who happens to be a multibillionaire to make it real for the rest of us.