Social media censorship

I wonder what part of the word “private” Sue Lani Madsen doesn’t understand (“Social media’s censorship power goes way too far,” Feb. 11). Almost all the social media platforms are created and owned by private individuals (especially since the Supremes declared corporations “people”.)

The owners of these privately owned sites have the total right to determine what is said on their social media sites. Many sites allow only preaching hate, revolution, insurrection, sedition and treason on their sites (only in the U.S. can that happen). Other sites ban such speech and any speech that is disparaging of other people, races and ethnicity.

The bottom line is what maximizes this quarter’s profits for them.

I strongly suspect Sue Lani was not banned from Facebook for the link she posted to the Liberation Front.

If I or anyone else who was a plain ordinary citizen had said the things that Trump has said, preaching revolution, insurrection and overthrow of the Constitution, we would/should have been instantly banned from Facebook, Twitter and most other popular social media platforms. If we normal people had defamed, libeled and slandered all the people as Trump has done, we would have been immediately banned from these sites, and probably sued for that libel, slander and defamation.

I strongly believe that the owners and operators of social media sites must exercise far more censorship of their sites for the protection of the future of the country. We are on the bitter edge of losing our freedom and democracy due to social media.

Eric Johnson

Spokane