Sadiq Khan proves why Britain needs a first amendment

No one at all should have this power:

Sadiq Khan has called on ministers to take significantly stronger action against social media companies that spread disinformation after a study showed a surge in hostile accounts posting falsehoods about London’s crime rates and integration.

In an intervention on what he called “the outrage economy”, the London mayor, who has also written to social media firms demanding change, said a lack of action could prompt more domestic terrorism by people who believe conspiracy theories they find online.

There are the usual two limitations to free speech - libel and incitement to immediate violence. Beyond that no, no one should have the power to restrict speech. No not even if there’s some new fangled technology that amplifies it.

Thus we require that proper First Amendment style protection of free speech.

Yes, free speech does mean that people should and must be free to spout misinformation, spread misinformation and even push misinformation. For the quite obvious reason that once misinformation may not be spouted, spread, pushed, then those who would pollute the public realm will demand the power - and work toward gaining the power - of determining what is this misinformation that may not be said.

The system - however we define system and whoever controls it - must never have the power to silence that speech which is inconvenient for the system to have said. Thus speech must be truly free.

Tim Worstall