Keller @ Large: Tech Giants Crack Down On Alex Jones

BOSTON (CBS) - It's been 99 years since the Supreme Court ruled that you can't falsely shout 'fire' in a crowded theater. And now, some of America's biggest corporations are echoing that ruling by saying dangerous, false speech is not protected by law.

The repeated diatribes of far-right online ranter Alex Jones ("Sandy Hook is synthetic, completely fake, with actors, in my view manufactured") that sparked harassment of grieving Sandy Hook families landed him in court and prompted a retraction. But now that tech titans like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube have cracked down on his videos and podcasts, Jones is claiming he's the victim of an assault on his right to free speech.

"'Socially conform to us and we won't censor you,'" he was claiming Monday as the message from his tormentors, in a diatribe we easily found online. "So most conservatives went 'fine, what is the token of travel?' And they were told we want you to attack Alex Jones."

But Jones' defense reflects a common misreading of the First Amendment. It bars only Congress from curbing free speech, not private companies like Facebook or Google, just as there's no legal reason why NFL teams can't ban political statements by their players from their games.

As usual, Jones sees a conspiracy at work: "The president needs to push for antitrust hearings," Jones said Monday.

But less conspiracy-minded free speech absolutists are also skeptical of constraints on so-called hate speech.

"It is that very ability to confront power through the use of free speech that not only limits the exercise of that power but it guarantees the exercise of virtually every other liberty we enjoy," argued David French of the National Review Institute in a recent debate.

More from Jones on his banishment: "They're all celebrating because they're the liberals, they control things, they were at the university, they make $30,000 a year but they get to control things, they get to screw up minds."

That's a popular view-hash these days, one that President Trump repeatedly brandishes as a political weapon, adding more pressure to a longtime fault line in America over just how "free" free speech should be.

And if it feels like the First Amendment is somewhat up for grabs right now, keep in mind - it isn't the first time, and it won't be the last.