Is it so difficult to find a quiet place online? I am not a frequenter of crowded places on the web: other than social, I avoid forums, community platforms, and other types of aggregative networks. I don’t have much time to keep up with them, but generally, I also don’t have much desire to post online beyond this blog.
Zuck is flatly interested in acting freely in favor of his companies. When he apologizes for the negative consequences of his products, he is less sincere than when he decides to cut costs that are needed to avoid them. As for the depth of his strategic thinking in the great power struggle that Musk has launched, well, on that, it might be better to wait a bit longer to express a judgment. Certainly, Zuck has not invested much in the attempt to demonstrate that he possesses depth of thought.
Maybe Musk could be legally responsible in some jurisdiction for things he has said, or for things hosted on a platform he owns. But we should almost never encourage the idea of arresting people for things they say. Yes, there are limits: threats of violence and fraud are both types of generally illegal speech. Yet charging Musk for being a loud public idiot is a very bad idea.
On one hand, platforms have faced increasing pressure for years now to crack down on speech globally and cooperate more with law enforcement agencies — including by breaking end-to-end encryption. Building platforms responsibly means reaching compromises with law enforcement agencies that allow for the investigation of serious crimes while protecting users’ privacy to the greatest extent possible. It’s a difficult, expensive dance, and when it’s working right neither the platforms or the law enforcement agencies are satisfied with the outcome.