| Dec012010 | Wikileaks and Amazon |
Instead of replying to some random knee-jerk Facebook comment, I’m going to write a longer response here. Specifically about Wikileaks being kicked out of Amazon’s web hosting.
It’s a shitty decision, yes. There’s lots of internet-love and mainstream-hate being directed towards Wikileaks. But before you get all up-in-arms, Amazon have made no comment as to whether they were kicked off for the content hosted on Wikileaks.
First and foremost, Amazon is a privately-owned business. They are not the U.S. government. They do not violate the letter or the spirit of the First Amendment by stopping their business with Wikileaks. They are free to do business with whomever they want and in this case they exercised their freedom to refuse Wikileaks.
Second, any hosting company would be afraid to host Wikileaks. They are a magnet for subpeonas, DDOS attacks and hacking attempts. It’s like letting Batman live at your house and having him tell everyone where he’s staying. Supervillains are going to destroy your house and then kidnap you and hold you hostage. Batman might save you and pay for the damages but you’re still constantly under threat.
| More? |
|
