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The ($44 Billion) Price Of Free Speech
On December 26th, 2021, a modest scandal unfolded on Instagram.
Users who uploaded a specific quote by Thomas Paine, discovered that their posts were being automatically removed. Facebook users allegedly received 24-hour account suspensions for the same transgression. No explanation, no recourse, just a generic message telling them their post contained “false information.”
The quote in question read as follows:
He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
Now let’s be clear, this isn’t a free speech issue. At least not in any legal sense.
As a private company, Instagram isn’t required to explain why they remove certain content. They’re not obligated to explain which of these eight simple words is false. They’re within their rights to delete any post that doesn’t contain the words, “Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia."
But what does it mean for this simple, uncontroversial statement to be labelled “false information?” Why is it dangerous enough to justify suspending a user’s account? And most pressing of all, which danger are they more concerned about? The risk of causing offence? Or the risk of being honest?
