The weekend began with Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) and Snapchat (NYSE:SNAP) permanently banning and silencing President Trump, but the actions quickly spread across the communication and tech space. The top app stores from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google (GOOG, GOOGL), as well as Amazon's (NASDAQ:AMZN) web hosting service, kicked out Parler, a "free speech" platform that has grown in popularity among conservatives and to which many banned users were expected to emigrate.
这个周末一开始，Facebook(纳斯达克:FB)、Twitter(纽约证券交易所:TWTR)和Snapchat(纽约证券交易所:SNAP)就永久性地禁止和压制特朗普总统，但这些行动迅速在通讯和科技领域蔓延开来。苹果(Apple)、谷歌(GOOG、GOOGL)以及亚马逊(Amazon)的网络主机托管服务的热门应用商店，将“言论自由”平台Parler踢出了市场。该平台在保守派中越来越受欢迎，许多被禁用户预计将移居到该平台。
Why are the tech companies taking action now? The firms cited "risks of violence" and "repeated and severe violations" of their policies following the storming of Capitol Hill, which led to five deaths including one police officer. They might also be foreseeing scrutiny risks. If there was a follow-up to the violence, the social media companies could be held responsible by the incoming Biden administration.
为什么科技公司现在要采取行动?这些公司列举了“暴力风险”和“反复和严重违反”他们的政策，在国会山的袭击导致五人死亡，其中包括一名警察。他们可能也预见到了审查风险。如果暴力事件发生了后续事件，即将上任的拜登政府可能会追究这些社交媒体公司的责任。
Bigger picture: While the measures taken are legal - private firms aren't subject to the First Amendment - they highlight more starkly than ever the companies' influence over public speech and online conversation. Many of the Big Tech giants own the keys to the pipes and plumbing of the internet, and without those services, many users may be forced to find alternative providers that will see less interaction among a broad variety of views. That could force many users into like-minded echo chambers that could reinforce their own beliefs and further polarize the political landscape, but the alternatives of no moderation can be just as scary.
更大的图景:虽然采取的措施是合法的——私营企业不受第一修正案的约束——但它们比以往任何时候都更明显地强调了企业对公众言论和网络对话的影响。许多大型科技巨头拥有互联网管道的关键，如果没有这些服务，许多用户可能会被迫寻找替代供应商，这样一来，各种不同观点之间的互动就会减少。这可能会迫使许多用户进入志趣相投的回音室，强化他们自己的信仰，并进一步分化政治格局，但不缓和的替代方案可能同样可怕。
Other happenings: Millions of users have jumped ship to Telegram and Signal in the past week, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower, as WhatsApp told users they must share sensitive personal data with Facebook or have their accounts closed. Many on Twitter are also complaining of a #TwitterPurge that deleted scores of followers, though the company called it a routine audit to ensure real people were behind "unverified" accounts.
其他一些事件:根据数据分析公司Sensor Tower的数据，在过去的一周，数百万用户选择了Telegram and Signal，因为WhatsApp告诉用户，他们必须与Facebook分享敏感的个人数据，否则他们的账户就会被关闭。Twitter上的许多人还抱怨#Twitter大清洗导致大量粉丝被删除，尽管该公司称这是一次例行审计，以确保“未经验证”账户背后是真实的人。