cross-posted from: https://ttrpg.network/post/27970929
Recently the server staff received an e-mail telling them to moderate the Discord server and the server chat on what they deem to be “appropriate.”
Below is a message from owner of the server.
Free Speech Under Attack
Dear friends, I don’t often post announcements of this sort, but I feel it’s very important for you all to know what’s currently going on.
From the very start, over 15 years ago, one of the key founding principles of MinecraftOnline has been free speech. What started out as an uncontroversal, common sense policy, has proved to be a cornerstone of this increasingly unique community. As time has passed and Western society has wavered back and forth in its political leanings, free speech has repeatedly come under attack for political reasons. It has now become common to see arrests for posts on social media in countries such as Britain and Germany, in the name of political control, which have overtaken the numbers even of traditionally totalitarian countries such as China and Russia - a truly dystopian nightmare for freedom of expression and personal liberty.
Throughout this decade and a half of change, MinecraftOnline has held steadfast to its libertarian principles, and remained an oasis of freedom and openness in an increasingly closed and controlled internet. That is, until now.
Microsoft, through their subsidiary Mojang, have issued an ultimatum to MinecraftOnline. We have been told to do away with our free speech policy (which long pre-dates Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang), within 7 days, or face a a permanent block. If that happens, nobody will be able to play on MinecraftOnline again, and the 15-year history of this beloved server will come to a sudden and bitter end. The full email we have received today, signed facelessly only as “Mojang Enforcement”, is included below.
The email makes extremely vague claims about “harmful interactions” and “harmful comments”, and we are asking Microsoft to clarify what specific interactions and comments they consider harmful. In the meantime, please spread the word, share this info on social media. Defend free speech.
-SlowRiot
Yeah honestly. Fuck Microsoft and all that but this sounds like there’s a strong reason behind it, and the owner’s post about “free speech” and “totalitarian China” is a MAJOR red flag.
Right? I’m a bit jaded but when someone starts making the “they’re attacking free speech” argument it usually comes down to “wahhh they won’t let us say slurs on Minecraft anymore” it sounds like users of the server are reporting toxic behaviors and the owner knows exactly what they mean.
Fair, but the point is valid even if we do not like the behavior they might exhibit on that server. It is their server, ran on their hardware. They should absolutely be able to swear and curse and be general dicks on their own server.
In my opinion the issue is more that the name seems very official and might be misleading to players. They should make them change it and perhaps delist them from their official server finding tools, assuming those exist (have never really clicked with minecraft myself, though i do love me some space engineers)
It’s also not their software, and they did agree to an EULA which prohibits these things.
An Ex-post facto EULA. Because whatever dumbshit Microsoft acquisition EULA that bootlickers like you want to point to in order to justify censorship 100% didn’t exist beforehand. But beside all that if I’m running it on my computer, your EULA doesn’t matter anymore at all.