I was just banned from discussion for asking a question in a steam forum about whether a game has DRM.

I wrote to steam customer service who promptly told me that they were ok with such a decision on their platform.

Pretty close to zero surprise about any of that.

Just tipping you off that if you even ask a question about DRM on a steam forum they MAY insinuate you have nefarious designs. I find it rather pathetic that they would limit a users FREE speech in such an utterly basic way. Customers deserve to be able to ask questions. There is a whole bunch of LISTS about whether games are DRM or otherwise for a reason, because it is in FAVOR of the customer almost always!

So word to the wise...remember GOG encourages ALL FREE SPEECH in the DRM FREE area :)

Clickbait/sensationalistic title aside, while GOG's forums can have some glaring issues, from my experience with both forums, I do agree GOG's is the best one of the two. Steam's, with the vices of both their users and moderators, often feel worse than Twitter and bigger subreddits.

The relevant XKCD : Free Speech.

in which forum? game specific forums are not moderated by Valve / Steam, but the publisher / developers of the game.

nor is it anti-free speech to be blocked on a private forum. https://xkcd.com/1357/

Nope.avi

Steam forums certainly do not allow free speech, and nor do GOG forums either.

Both are anti-free speech platforms.

On gog everything is alowed as long as you don't put a certain teddybear in your game.

While obviously not always correct it may surprise you that these people do certainly exist and tend to be very vocal about DRM (usually Denuvo). If all the people complaining about Denuvo actually cared about DRM-Free then GOG would be in a much better place right now. Clearly that is not the case.

The GOG forums are not a total free for all where you can say whatever you want. Technically you can if you don't mind living with the consequences whatever they may be. There is a code of conduct that you're expected to follow:

https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115001814049-Forum-Code-of-Conduct?product=gog

Technically, a forum banning you is a form of free speech since speech conducted on their service isn't regulated by the state. It's more in the same way a private establishment can escort you off the premises for trespassing. You can say whatever you want, but your presence is unwanted.

If that doesn't sit well with you, then maybe you're also the kind of person that wants to live in a moneyless, classless, stateless society where everything is publicly owned and regulated by the people, in which case then you have to deal with democracy impeding your shitposting.

Is the OP serious, I've gotten multiple temp bans over on Steam since I signed up with them oh so many years ago. Plus several game discussion permanent bans. They were Always Draconian.
Recent ban in community after I accused them of stealing games, for not refunding them or unlocking the DRM for Windows 7/8.1 users. A game behind corporate lock & key held hostage to modifications they want to make artificially and unnecessarily to my PC is a game I do not own nor can use, aka stolen.


But I turned that around the libtard users and started reporting TOS violators that post pornographic photos & such, it's rule#1 on Steam. So I served it.
Wrong ! Under national and international law, a business or corporation must be in compliance with the country's laws within who's borders they operate inside. Electronic or not.
Highest Law of the Land in USA is The Constitution, of which the Bill of Rights belongs to undivided. And the 1st Amendment of such bill protects Freedom of Speech among other things.

Also the 2007 Act granting businesses "Private Entity" status, still does not grant them the power to be above the Law and create policies they enforce AS LAW, ad-hoc, arbitrary and POST signing the original contract.

Then there is UCC 1-308 that states that signing of a contract does not debar one of their Constitutional protected rights, aka 4th Amendment - the right to be safe & secure in one's property against unlawful seizures. Which is what Steam is about to do to Windows 7/8.1 users in 2024.

Riiiight. Tell all the red states to stop impeding my freedoms then.

You know who you are... I have nothing to say to you at all, I don't fancy talking to a rock.

People who scream the loudest "Freedom of Speech" are usually the ones who know the least of what that actually means.
Not to forget: quite often they are also the same people who have zero problems with gagging others to keep them from speaking their mind.