This is a few years old, the online world has evolved a little since then - as an extreme example the other day I searched the name of the trans swimmer who won the national title on Reddit and saw nearly every thread was locked. They’re not allowing it to be discussed on any subreddit.
So no, free speech can’t be moderated and still be considered free speech. Not for long anyway, the rules get tighter and tighter and the punishment for stepping out of line gets more and more severe.
I think people are picking up on this though and we’re starting to see a resurgence of old fashioned liberalism. The challenge is always how to allow free speech and not have everything turn into a sewer, but that’s a problem as old as the Enlightenment.
So no, free speech can’t be moderated and still be considered free speech. Not for long anyway, the rules get tighter and tighter and the punishment for stepping out of line gets more and more severe.
I think people are picking up on this though and we’re starting to see a resurgence of old fashioned liberalism. The challenge is always how to allow free speech and not have everything turn into a sewer, but that’s a problem as old as the Enlightenment.