Board:   [DoveNet] Internet Discussion
Subject: Re: Mastodon - Wich Serve
From:    poindexter FORTRAN
Date:    Fri Jan 16, 2026 08:16

@VIA: REALITY
-=> MIKE POWELL wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-

 MP> Sort of like a BBS?  ;)  I am not certain why that is so difficult but
 MP> it apparently is.  I also like things in chronological order.

 You can't make as much money selling ads when people don't see directed
 posts. FaceTwitter can sell ads by saying we'll target your ads at 2nd
 amendment, furry wearing Firefly fans in the midwest, create an ad
 stream, and make more money than if they couldn't target ads.

 I'm sure there's some editorial direction happening there - boosting
 posts on one side of a political argument, dampening the other side's
 posts, etc.

Interesting because there were so many arguments about Section 230 of
 the Communications Decency Act, which grants online platforms immunity
 from user-posted content - as long as they make a good-faith effort in
 restricting offensive material.

 It used to be that if a platform could argue that they didn't (or by
 nature of the amount of content, couldn't) exert any editorial control
 over their content, they could be found not liable, that they had
 common carrier status. Cubby vs. Compuserve (1991) was a case that
 resonated with BBSes back then.

 We responded by not deleting anything.  :)






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