CENSORSHIP: Social networks, Govt officials, universities & NGOs "using 'disinformation' claims to silence free speech, 136 academics, historians & journalists warn PM Rishi Sunak" with #WestminsterDeclaration
"Figures from all sides of the political spectrum, including comedian John Cleese, author Jordan Peterson and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, raised concerns over the “censorship of ordinary people, journalists and dissidents” in a statement delivered to the Prime Minister.
"Their intervention comes after The Telegraph revealed that a secretive government unit was flagging criticism of lockdown as Covid “disinformation”.
"The Counter Disinformation Unit, which operated out of Whitehall, worked with intelligence agencies to monitor the online posts of journalists and members of the public...
"Their “Westminster Declaration” said: “We are all deeply concerned about attempts to label protected speech as ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’, and other ill-defined terms.
"“What’s more, time and time again, unpopular opinions and ideas have eventually become conventional wisdom. Free speech is our best defence against disinformation.
"“By labelling certain political or scientific positions as ‘misinformation’ or ‘malinformation,’ our societies risk getting stuck in false paradigms that will rob humanity of hard-earned knowledge and obliterate the possibility of gaining new knowledge.”
"The signatories expressed alarm over the widespread use of such terms, adding: “We do not want our children to grow up in a world where they live in fear of speaking their minds.”...
"The 136 signatories also included the writer Richard Dawkins, the historian Robert Tombs and the American whistleblower Edward Snowden, who warned of “increasing international censorship that threatens to erode centuries-old democratic norms”. They said this included “visibility filtering, labelling, and manipulation of search engine results” as well as “deplatforming and flagging” of controversial content.
“Social media censors have already silenced lawful opinions on topics of national and geopolitical importance,” they wrote."
Full article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/17/rishi-sunak-protect-free-speech-social-media-disinformation/
"Figures from all sides of the political spectrum, including comedian John Cleese, author Jordan Peterson and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, raised concerns over the “censorship of ordinary people, journalists and dissidents” in a statement delivered to the Prime Minister.
"Their intervention comes after The Telegraph revealed that a secretive government unit was flagging criticism of lockdown as Covid “disinformation”.
"The Counter Disinformation Unit, which operated out of Whitehall, worked with intelligence agencies to monitor the online posts of journalists and members of the public...
"Their “Westminster Declaration” said: “We are all deeply concerned about attempts to label protected speech as ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’, and other ill-defined terms.
"“What’s more, time and time again, unpopular opinions and ideas have eventually become conventional wisdom. Free speech is our best defence against disinformation.
"“By labelling certain political or scientific positions as ‘misinformation’ or ‘malinformation,’ our societies risk getting stuck in false paradigms that will rob humanity of hard-earned knowledge and obliterate the possibility of gaining new knowledge.”
"The signatories expressed alarm over the widespread use of such terms, adding: “We do not want our children to grow up in a world where they live in fear of speaking their minds.”...
"The 136 signatories also included the writer Richard Dawkins, the historian Robert Tombs and the American whistleblower Edward Snowden, who warned of “increasing international censorship that threatens to erode centuries-old democratic norms”. They said this included “visibility filtering, labelling, and manipulation of search engine results” as well as “deplatforming and flagging” of controversial content.
“Social media censors have already silenced lawful opinions on topics of national and geopolitical importance,” they wrote."
Full article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/17/rishi-sunak-protect-free-speech-social-media-disinformation/
The Telegraph
Social media firms are silencing free speech with 'disinformation' claims, Sunak told
Over a hundred academics, historians and journalists have warned the PM against censoring free speech, in a statement delivered to No 10
Media is too big
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"Sinister": Social networks, Govt officials & Non-Governmental Organisations are labelling & censoring legitimate views as "disinformation"
#WestminsterDeclaration
#WestminsterDeclaration
CENSORSHIP: The video we posted last night with Julia Hartley-Brewer discussing on Talk TV how social networks are censoring legitimate discussion by using labels like "disinformation" or “misinformation”...
…has been censored by TikTok as “misinformation!”
But don't worry folks - it's all just a “conspiracy theory,” right?
This is what the recent #WestminsterDeclaration warned was happening - thanks to the censors at TikTok for providing such a blatant example - see: https://westminsterdeclaration.org/
…has been censored by TikTok as “misinformation!”
But don't worry folks - it's all just a “conspiracy theory,” right?
This is what the recent #WestminsterDeclaration warned was happening - thanks to the censors at TikTok for providing such a blatant example - see: https://westminsterdeclaration.org/