Can the President of the United States be Deplatformed?
Deplatforming, or taking away the online platform by which someone presents themselves or their brand, is an odd phenomenon on the Internet. It centers around the power of big platforms to kick people off their services, temporarily or permanently, which can cause massive damage to the person or brand being deplatformed. One can find themselves very suddenly losing thousands of fans, followers, or customers with very little recourse. Although deplatforming usually comes up in conversation about big tech like social media services suspending accounts, other types of companies with a huge reach can do it too–such as payment processors blocking their cards from being used at particular places. A company might choose to deplatform something for any reason–it’s too controversial, it’s too offensive, illegal, or just against the company’s values.
Whatever the reason for a company choosing...