I support freedom of speech. But I have not followed a single discussion about it that isn't either superficial and/or biased. I see people who blame Brazil for banning X (did they actually do it?) but are ok with US banning TikTok. Others who fight freedom of speech and at the same time dream of living in Dubai.

I recently listened to a respected crypto founder who wants to leave Canada for UAE. And then 5 minutes later, he is discussing how crazy it is  that France arrested Pavel Durov. Wtf?

I support freedom of speech. But I have not followed a single discussion about it that isn't either superficial and/or biased. I see people who blame Brazil for banning X (did they actually do it?) but are ok with US banning TikTok. Others who fight freedom of speech and at the same time dream of living in Dubai.

I recently listened to a respected crypto founder who wants to leave Canada for UAE. And then 5 minutes later, he is discussing how crazy it is  that France arrested Pavel Durov. Wtf? 

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/websites-blocked-in-uae/

If you're too lazy to follow the link, here's a list of sites banned in "futuristic" Dubai.

Dad, geek, conversation liquidity provider. vrypan.net (home), /weatherxm (work), @l--o--l (fun). Also https://paragraph.xyz/@purplesubmarine

I totally understand why the US went this way. Of course, "national security" is US gov excuse to bypass laws, but I honestly think in this case they are in the right direction (not sure of the actual outcome, but that's a totally different discussion).

Now, the French law prohibits child pornography. It is my understanding that the French authorities asked Telegram to take measures agains it, give user data related to users accused of it, etc, and Telegram denied to cooperate. Isn't it expected that they would take legal action against the company and the CEO? Why is it about freedom of speech?

Conflating and comparing both bans as free speech issues misses some key factors.

The potential ban of TikTok centers on national security concerns, not free speech. U.S. law prohibits foreign governments from having direct or indirect control over media companies operating within the country. In 2021, the Chinese government acquired a "golden share" in a ByteDance subsidiary, which allows it to appoint board members and exert influence, raising concerns about potential government interference.

Great point about TikTok. I have always been vocally in support of not banning TikTok (it's not like it's so hard to beat in fair competition). Shocked to see how much support that got, and how few tech leaders spoke up against that.