My point is only that some amount of censorship and control of information is necessary. The particular example I gave is actually quite realistic, and happens to many people each day. While getting it off of the whole Internet is hard, getting it off Twitter/Facebook/Google/Reddit/PornHub is, thankfully, quite easy. The fact that it may linger on Tor and some less reputable porn sites or other places for a longer time is not as problematic, since few people access those.
Overall, what I'm saying is that many people who espouse the virtues of decentralized or federated social media forget or minimize some of the actual benefits of centralized social media with strong moderation [0].
While I think it's great that the internet as a whole is uncontrollable, I don't think "living" in the less controlled parts of the internet for most of your online life would be a pleasant or healthy experience.
[0] I should note that I have some serious qualms about the harm some of this content does to the moderators themselves, but I'm not sure how to grapple with that particular issue.
I don't think there is a simple answer to this. I agree that we cannot wish for a world in which nothing can ever be taken down. I guess we're just going to have to find the right balance.
But right now something very conerning is happening in western democracies that threatens to shift the balance very far in an authoritarian direction. And leaning on centralised platforms is at the centre of it.
Platforms are no longer just told "here's this revenge porn video, it's illegal, take it down!". If proposed laws are actually passed it will be more like "if people are discussing stuff on your platform, you better make sure no one comes to harm or else!"
In my view this is a sea change. Pretty soon we may no longer be able to discuss a wide range of subjects on mainstream platforms (such as psychological or health issues for instance). Kids in particular will be severely restricted in who they can talk to about what. In some cases it may prevent harm. In other cases it could be catastrophic.
If the balance moves so dramatically in one direction, I think it is ony reasonable to think about how to mitigate the effects of this to preserve some freedoms and escape hatches. The efforts I see are very very feeble anyway compared to the full force of what we are facing politically.
In my view, no control should ever be total, even if on the whole we cannot wish for a total loss of control.
Overall, what I'm saying is that many people who espouse the virtues of decentralized or federated social media forget or minimize some of the actual benefits of centralized social media with strong moderation [0].
While I think it's great that the internet as a whole is uncontrollable, I don't think "living" in the less controlled parts of the internet for most of your online life would be a pleasant or healthy experience.
[0] I should note that I have some serious qualms about the harm some of this content does to the moderators themselves, but I'm not sure how to grapple with that particular issue.