# Are social media's recent bannings a freedom of expression issue?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-social-medias-recent-bannings-a-freedom-of-expression-issue/930330>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [January 12, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-social-medias-recent-bannings-a-freedom-of-expression-issue/930330 "2021-01-12T14:56:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 105

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**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-social-medias-recent-bannings-a-freedom-of-expression-issue/930330/105 "2021-01-13T02:19:13Z")

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> [@DemonTree](#):
>
> And as for finding a different platform, we’ve seen how hollow that option is with the demise of Parler.

That’s just silly as the barrier to entry to host a presence on the Internet is almost non-existent. Hell, you can actually get pretty close to your very own Twitter with shit you have laying around your house. You can install [mastodon](https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon) on a [machine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Univac_Unimatic_computer_terminal_at_CHM.jpg/1164px-Univac_Unimatic_computer_terminal_at_CHM.jpg) in [your](https://static.thenounproject.com/png/1240316-200.png) [basement](https://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2019_43/1498333/basement-makeover-before_4c21dd5e20a06a938054ab77bb9be0dd.fit-1120w.jpg), get a [domain name](https://www.godaddy.com/domains) (or just use your [static IP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address#Static_IP) if you don’t care to name it and don’t want to spend the couple of bucks for one) and [connect it](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Rj45.png) to your [internet-connected home network](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Homenet.svg), opening [port 80](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext_Transfer_Protocol) (actually already open in most cases) on your firewall if you’re lazy or [getting certificates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_authority) and opening [port 443](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS) if you want it [encrypted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security).

You now have your very own Twitter alternative and, for this one very brief moment, it will be free of the pornography, gold sellers and My Pillow ads of a Parler. Invite your friends, invite your family, invite QAnon, invite ISIS, invite Sidney “Looney fucking kraken monster” Powell, it’s all up to you. You won’t immediately have the reach of Twitter (although you could probably beat Parler pretty easily), but no one owes you an audience.

If the Internet itself booted you (it can’t really do that), you might have an argument, but Twitter can ban you for wearing ugly fucking shoes if they want (and probably should if you are wearing [these](https://brand.assets.reebok.com/f_auto,q_auto,fl_lossy/capi/reebok_enUS/holiday-sneaker-fv3835_274-570923.jpg) or [these](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Vibram_FiveFingers_KSO_Trek_Brown.JPG)).

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