I'm trying to think of ways to stop this, but I can't think of any good way.
1) I simply don't think it's feasible to expect that companies themselves will band together and say "we won't accede to such demands."
2) Countries like the US that have better free speech protection could pass laws requiring US companies to comply with the freedom granted in the US. So a company could not impose punitive measures on a user, or self censor, for something legal within the US. But then I think of all of the varieties of harassment & hate speech that could get through.
If such a law would be made, US companies would be effectively required to isolate their US user base from the rest of the world. Things that can legally be said in the US can easily be illegal in other countries that value free speech. EU countries tend to take a fimer stance on personal attacks, for example.
See my other thread, but to summarise, I don’t think this is Blizzard, but actually a Chinese company with a license from Blizzard to operate their IP within China.
I think that actual Blizard has no control here and the situation is a lot more complex than is immediately apparent.
Comments
I'm trying to think of ways to stop this, but I can't think of any good way.
1) I simply don't think it's feasible to expect that companies themselves will band together and say "we won't accede to such demands."
2) Countries like the US that have better free speech protection could pass laws requiring US companies to comply with the freedom granted in the US. So a company could not impose punitive measures on a user, or self censor, for something legal within the US. But then I think of all of the varieties of harassment & hate speech that could get through.
If such a law would be made, US companies would be effectively required to isolate their US user base from the rest of the world. Things that can legally be said in the US can easily be illegal in other countries that value free speech. EU countries tend to take a fimer stance on personal attacks, for example.
See my other thread, but to summarise, I don’t think this is Blizzard, but actually a Chinese company with a license from Blizzard to operate their IP within China.
I think that actual Blizard has no control here and the situation is a lot more complex than is immediately apparent.
3) Continue to tarrif economic relations with China, or even cut them off entirely.
4) Individuals signal to companies, via their spending habits, what they won't put up with.
#2 would be a violation of freedom of association.