How do you see that, Lex?
I could agree their influence is present, and their new overstretch with censorship may well be playing a bit of a part, but little more. This forum does allow a lot of leeway with our choice of topics and response, best I've seen.
The question is one of: Is there
any uninvited 3rd party interference, backed by the threat of violence, in standards setting?
It's not a question of: "Is the sector totalitarian, right now?"
Because if there is even a bit, then you cannot call it a 'private' business.
And it should be common knowledge, that the State has never been shrunk in scope. It only ever expands. The only time it shrinks is an optical illusion. This happens when it expands to a far greater extent in one large overreaching power grab e.g. Convid, and then retracts..... but
never to its former scope.
If there is an example of a State who's scope of control/power, over individuals, has ever been shrunk, then it's news to me.
If there is just
some of this involuntary interaction, backed by the threat of violence, in a sector, it taints the all confidence in who is the most competent. Because to know this, you need zero interference.
And if your sector is interfered with, in this way, and you prefer to celebrate the freedom it grants you out of
mercy, or having
pity on you, with only permission being required from a monopolized accreditation provider, well.... what can I say? You may just be about to be stared into by the abyss. if you haven't been already.
It is extremely costly and damaging to a society for the right to freedom of association to be denied.
We've been groomed not to question where we might be now, were it not for our capacity to spot the most competent, in markets, having been knee-capped by that monopoly accreditation provider's persistent existence.