In my recent traipsing through the skeptical blogosphere, I find that a blogger has recently been censored by his ISP after a legal threat. According to Skeptico (who got it from Orac), the blog The Quackometer, which monitors and reports on dubious, harmful and fraudulent medical practices, has had a post on Homeopathic medicine deleted after his ISP was threatened with legal action by the British organisation, The Society of Homeopaths.
I''m jealous. My most recent post on Homeopathic "medicine" was taken down by AOL (with no warning, and no explanation I might add) after a complaint by one homeopath. The Quackometer was bullied by an entire society of homeopaths. I guess I still have a long way to go to reach the big time...
If you'd like to see what all the fuss is about (and evidence that bullying really doesn't work all that well), you can find the offending blog post reproduced in full at Skeptico and several other skeptical blogs around the blogosphere.
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8 comments:
This type of censorship is shocking and frightening. --Cin
Wow.
Just wow.
Wow. Big Brother is apparently alive and well in 2007. Unfreakingbelievable. That really pisses me off. A lot. F*ckheads.
be well,
Dawn
What you should do is re-post your original enlightening homeopath posts under this this post.
See if AOL has the balls to delete it when the topic is about suppressing freedom of speech (and facts).
What could they do? Boot you?
Sounds like you're pretty close to leaving based on their merits anyways??
Sorry it took me so long to think of it!
Brent
It doesn't take balls on the part of AOL to delete a post in an unconsidered, knee-jerk reaction to a single complaint that may or may not have had merit. AOL, and The Quackometer's ISP, by their actions, have revealed themselves for the chicken-livered cowards they are.
I do not, however, blame them for this. They are running a business here, and lawyers' fees cut into the bottom line in a hurry. According to the AOL Terms of Service agreement I am bound by, anything I write here is property of AOL, to do with as they will.
I am simply disappointed that there was no communication, of any kind, either prior to, or following their action. I have had two journal posts deleted by AOL over the last couple of years, and I received neither warning nor explanation in either case. And that's the most cowardly thing of all.
-Paul
You could save a copy of your offending post and keep re-posting it daily (after they delete it), until they decide to contact you about it.
At least that would force them to explain their actions and admit that they won't stand up for free speech.
The larger scope of this is that they are denying the public access to valuable information.
Prior to you posting about homeopaths, I had no understanding of the practice and therefore did not see it for the quackery that it is.
Had they deleted those posts, I might still uninformed.
Brent
Give me a copy of the post that AOL yanked, and I'll slap it on my blog with the appropriate credit given. I'll just say you're a "guest blogger" or one of the random voices in my head. Whichever works.
-Dan
http://thewisdomofadistractedmind.blogspot.com/
you kill me, I swear--
you're the only person I know that positively LIVES to have posts REMOVED!
LMAO
(i secretly wish the same--that is truly bigtime)
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