Dan GillmorDec 25, 2022

The New York Times has editorialized angrily against forced arbitration -- a system designed to protect companies from accountability.

So guess what I found in my inbox this morning. Yes! Subscribers to the NY Times must now submit to forced arbitration if there's a dispute:

https://help.nytimes.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014893428-Terms-of-service?launch_id=18232205#12

Show threadantipode77

@dangillmor

The law ought to forbid involuntary arbitration.

It is a way of creating an alternave law universe, where citizens are severely disadvantaged relative to companies.

Dec 25, 2022 at 5:42pmWeb
Show threadCatherine is not complacentDec 26, 2022
@antipode77 @dangillmor I would make an exception in the case of divorce, and some civil cases ,having seen people drag each other through the courts for years.
But corporations should not be allowed to do it.
Show threadantipode77Dec 26, 2022

@CatDragon @dangillmor

Only for natural born persons, and only voluntarily.

We also must consider the issue of 'power disparity', which exists where one party has effectively unlimited deep pockets to pay for lawyers and relitigate until 'death by exhaustion' follows.

This was very visible in how the former president treated people providing his businesses with services. I think there are many more examples to be found of people being denied justice through this mechanism.