I can't help but notice your use of parentheses:
a ‘decentralized’ social platform
Would you also use parentheses when calling Hive 'a censorship-resistant social platform'?
After all, downvotes with financial and reputational penalties drive users away (and we're talking about highly motivated users, because they managed to complete the registration on Hive!).
I hear you when you say:
So, if you form a new group of any size, it won't be long before some form of 'law' and 'policing' sprouts up.
You've been on Hive for about three months. So how would you answer your own question:
Are Hive's methods closer to Iceland's sublime peace-keeping record, or more like the U.S. or even Afghanistan?
Heh, good eye, yes. My mega-post on censorship & free-speech covers in exquisite detail why 'decentralization' can't/won't exist in any human social group, whether it's a small family, a medium social club, a great nation, or a global blockchain, as much as people since the dawn of time have seen this kind of thing as a noble cause.
I aim to avoid labelling Hive's policing-methods short of admitting that a) they're not Iceland-level, and b) we can aim for better, so let's do so, so that we end up with a better Hive for all. :) Either way, thanks for reading, commenting, and your insightful questions! 🙏