DetroitYES has always invited and welcomed members of diverse political and social views. We only require civil discourse and avoidance of personal attacks. We try to be as even-handed as we can and offer a non-threatening venue for the expression of viewpoints.

The result, I believe, has been two decades of vigorous, if heated, wide-ranging, and [dare I say] enjoyable debate particularly on this Non-Detroit forum. And certainly, compared to the wider internet, it has been generally as respectful as could be hoped for when opposite sides clash.

I think such discussion is important—that we meet and debate our differences and not retreat into the bubbles and silos of information now made so easy to do by the internet and cable talk shows. Diverse discussion is essential to the core of our democracy and freedoms.

However… The continuance of this forum has been made possible by the protections provided by Section 230 of the 1996 Telecommunications Bill. In essence it says that if some member posts libelous, violent or other legally culpable content, DetroitYES cannot be sued for their action. Without that one lawsuit could easily bring down this site and thousands of others like it. We are not Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, we only make enough to keep the lights on here, not to incur the great costs of legal defense.

Section 230 has come under assault over the years by aggrieved parties from across the political and social spectrum but, thankfully, it has survived. I bring this up in light of yesterday’s Presidential Executive Order as described below. I ask all to support the unaltered continuance of Section 230 and to oppose any diminishment or addition of burdensome regulations, no matter who or what viewpoint may oppose it and, by extension, assist in the continuance of our discussions.

The following was posted by Steven Levy or WIRED
[By executive order an attempt is being made] to unilaterally reinterpret the meaning of Section 230, the part of the 1996 Telecommunications Bill that gives the platforms the ability to police the user-created content on their sites for safety and security without bearing the legal responsibility for anything those billions of people might say...According to the order, [the Federal government] will have the power to strip companies of their protection under Section 230.

[The order would] use something called the “Tech Bias Reporting Tool” to examine platforms for political bias and report offenders to the DOJ and FTC for possible action.