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> First Amendment gives companies control of what gets posted to the sites they own

No, it does not. It prohibits the government from abridging the freedom of speech.

The First Amendment is a particular expression of the broader principle of freedom of speech/expression [1]. If you are in my home and you express a view I dislike, it is completely within my legal rights to ask you to stop speaking or else be asked to leave. I could not at the same time, however, say I stand for free speech.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech



> It prohibits the government from abridging the freedom of speech.

And that does not give companies and individuals the ability to choose what they host on their sites?


> that does not give companies and individuals the ability to choose what they host on their sites?

No, it does not. The First Amendment is silent on e.g. ISPs or payment processors blocking a particular site based on its content. Until 1897, it was unestablished whether it restricted the states in any form [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago,_Burlington_%26_Quincy...


What if I rephrase to say the first amendment does not give the government the right to tell website owners what they may or may not publish?




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