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mmooss • today at 9:09 PM • 1 reply • view on HN

> The only threshold should be calls for violence or murder.

There are other universal exceptions which I'm guessing you are forgetting:

  * Slander
  * Fraud
  * Treason (actual treason - e.g., passing info
    to the enemy in a war for survival)
What about disinformation that causes serious harm? What if I tell people that snickerdoodles prevent shellfish allergies, and they try it and some die?

Unfortunately, real life always has grey areas; no simple algorithm can address it.

Replies

zdragnar • today at 9:18 PM

"disinformation" is problematic if it presupposes an arbiter of truth. We've seen time and again that people and organizations in such positions will abuse them rather than uphold their principles.

At the end of the day, you either engage with the speech and argue against the idea, or you appeal to authority and hope it is worthy of your trust. Personally, I'm a little too jaded for that.

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