Let's just say no to Substack's new (AI-based) comment censorship offering

Unreported Truths will not be using "Reply Rules." I trust you. And if I have to censor you, I will tell you individually.

Yep, it’s AI week at UT! Yesterday’s post on artificial intelligence consciousness sparked responses too smart not to share — I’ll have a follow-up soon. But first:

On Wednesday, Substack announced a tool called “Reply Rules… [to] make it possible for even more people to be fully themselves and at home on Substack.” The feature is optional, but Substack clearly wants writers to limit comments. Its suggested version of the rules begins, “Be nice.”

Further, the rules will be (wait for it) AI-supported:

There is now a system that learns every time you hide a reply and preemptively hides replies it thinks you would hide yourself (you can always see these and un-hide them, which the system will also learn from).

Soon, this system will read your Reply Rules when you set them and use them as guidance for its actions, in addition to what it sees you do. [emphasis added]

Oh, great, a new “system.” Bet the house, the farm, and everything else on this one: Unreported Truths will NEVER use Reply Rules.

Free speech isn’t always “nice.” I don’t always agree with what you say, just as you don’t always agree with me. But a busy and unruly comments section is a good sign of the health of UT. The more the merrier. Like an orgy, but for comments! (Too much? What would Reply Rules think?)

My only restriction on comments: only subscribers have the privilege, which seems fair. If you want to be this involved, put your money where your mouth is!

—

(Well? You got something to say? Sign up, stand up, and say it!)

—

I have practiced what I preach. I don’t turn comments off even when I write something I suspect will lead to a ferociously negative response. And in five years of UT, I have limited comments or commentators only a few times. The restrictions were generally not for content but for what I’d call spamming behavior — a person posting nearly the same comment over and over and thus hijacking threads.

There’s a bigger issue here, as a reader pointed out (in yesterday’s comments, of course):

On a sidenote, it seems that Substack is now going to start censoring comments…

And that’s amazingly and incredibly hypocritical because Substack should be about honesty, directness, and bold opinion. But, we’re not living in a day and age where it’s about truth and honesty and integrity, it’s about what’s popular, easy and convenient, but most of all, it’s what certain few people think you need to hear.

And thus the beginning of the end of sites like this.

Wonder if this comment will be censored…

Nope. It won’t.

—

(My ideal comments section)

—

But, yes, Substack has always marketed itself as a free speech platform, and it shouldn’t push this tool — even on an optional basis. My guess is that some of the big (liberal) old media accounts that have carpetbagged migrated to Substack since 2024 have their panties in a twist prefer a calmer, more thoughtful style of comment.

So, yeah, no reply rules. Forget being nice. Say what you think.

Have at it.

(But first, subscribe!)