@GlennF wrote:
Twitter's value lies in letting more people post, not fewer. They're going to err on the commercial side of views and engagement, which is why it's taken so long to get to this point. I don't think Twitter represents a public forum that requires the full constitutional protection of the first amendment, because the government doesn't control, mediate, or throttle it. (In some countries, like Turkey, that's in huge dispute right now.)
I don't think we'll lose the freedom to speak freely on Twitter. I think the ability to talk in a harassing fashion will be curtailed, and Twitter may turn the dial down so hard on that, that it eliminates offensive but "safe" punching up criticism of people in power. But I still think there's an often strong line between harassment/threat and things that a lot of people don't want to hear.
Making a racist statement that's not directed may be intolerably offensive, and Twitter should allow it. Calling someone out with a racial epithet may cross the line. Telling someone you're going to harm them because they're a [fill in the blank] is way over. Right? Wrong?