Free speech isn't currently threatened here; providers are just exercising their freedom of association.
I also think waiting for "academic consensus" to act is not the neutral position it seems. Skepticism in the face of a pressing concern is not neutral, but instead acts to support the status quo. [1]
If we don't do something, more people will die. Possibly a lot more people. Academics have documented the dramatic rise in online radicalization. [2] Violent radicals themselves have described how online fora have pushed them towards extremism. So if you're going to argue a wait-and-see approach, I think you have to justify the bodies that will stack up in the meantime.
It's entirely meaningful. These people can still post whatever terrible garbage they want on their own privately hosted sites. The government is not intervening; neither is any other powerful group. It's just that some people don't want to host 8chan anymore given its body count.
Not employing people of a certain race is also freedom of association. But since freedom from racial discrimination is something we also value, sometimes that wins.
I also think waiting for "academic consensus" to act is not the neutral position it seems. Skepticism in the face of a pressing concern is not neutral, but instead acts to support the status quo. [1]
If we don't do something, more people will die. Possibly a lot more people. Academics have documented the dramatic rise in online radicalization. [2] Violent radicals themselves have described how online fora have pushed them towards extremism. So if you're going to argue a wait-and-see approach, I think you have to justify the bodies that will stack up in the meantime.
[1] https://twitter.com/jichikawa/status/1134323822096658433
[2] E.g., https://www.amazon.com/Alt-America-Rise-Radical-Right-Trump/... and the many resources it points to.