Facebook’s Actions Don’t Support Their Leaders’ Words

Meta's soon-to-be CTO: "If your democracy can’t tolerate the speech of people, I’m not sure what kind of democracy it is." (reclaimthenet.org)

I totally agree. I guess these words don’t apply to Facebook itself, though.

He contradicted the anti-free speech stance of his company by saying: “I don’t feel comfortable at all saying they don’t have a voice because I don’t like what they said.”

Bosworth added: “If your democracy can’t tolerate the speech of people, I’m not sure what kind of democracy it is. [Facebook is] a fundamentally democratic technology.”

The statement is particularly jarring considering the constant censorship of thought the platform engages in, under the guise of censoring “misinformation.”

It will be wonderful to see his company take actions that go along with these words. I won’t hold my breath, though.

More Censorship From Big Tech

I’m going to keep calling these when I see them. You need to understand how much Twitter and Facebook hate you.

Facebook bans former professor Dolores Cahill over Covid stance (reclaimthenet.org)

Want some irony here?

Cahill retired from her position at UCD amid, but seemingly not because of, backlash from her comments about the virus and its vaccines.

The school dismissed calls to fire her because of the principles of academic freedom.

Her employer wouldn’t muzzle her, but Facebook has no problems doing so.

Another Reason to Stay Off Twitter

Twitter will now ban users that repeatedly claim vaccinated people can spread Covid (reclaimthenet.org)

This is a true statement. Twitter will now ban you for making a factually accurate statement.

One of the most notable changes to this “COVID-19 misleading information policy” we noticed is related to claims about whether vaccinated people can spread the coronavirus. The policy now states that Twitter will label tweets with “corrective information” and give users a strike if they:

• Claim that “the vaccines will cause you to be sick, spread the virus, or would be more harmful than getting COVID-19”
• Post what Twitter describes as “false or misleading claims that people who have received the vaccine can spread or shed the virus (or symptoms, or immunity) to unvaccinated people”

Actually there are several true statements there. There’s ample evidence that the vaccine poses more risk to young boys than the disease does.

And as I noted earlier:

This means Twitter users could now be sanctioned for sharing or discussing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) admission that “vaccinated people can still become infected and have the potential to spread the virus to others.”

Get off this horrible platform now.

I Have Two Problems With This

Facebook says it's not liable for false "fact checks" used to censor, because they're “protected opinion" (reclaimthenet.org)

Wait, what?

Back up. Let’s start at the beginning.

John Stossel, a libertarian journalist and author, filed a lawsuit against Facebook, claiming the platform defamed him through a “fact check” label. Facebook added a “misleading” label on a video he posted.

Stossel was censored on Facebook and his work was undermined by the “fact check” that he alleged was defaming his character by falsely accusing him of lying.

Hmm. Okay. And how did Facebook respond? Ah, here’s the part I have trouble with.

In recent court filings, Facebook’s attorneys argued that the “fact check” on the video was an “opinion” and not an actual fact.

Libel law protects opinions from defamatory liability.

We obtained a copy of the filing for you here.

“The labels themselves are neither false nor defamatory; to the contrary, they constitute protected opinion,” Facebook’s lawyers wrote in the court filings.

So, if they’re “protected opinion” doesn’t that mean they’re not actually fact checks?

And if they’re saying that “protected opinion” is free speech, doesn’t that kind of hurt their argument for censoring Stossel in the first place? If their fact check is “protected opinion”, how in the world does that tag not apply to Stossel’s post?

Just a thought.

Facebook wants the ability to allow fact checkers to accuse their users of lying and censor and ban users based on those “fact checks,” but not to have any liability for accusing those users of lying.

Well, I don’t know if that’s legal, but it’s certainly not just.

You Cannot Mock the King

YouTube censors Dr. Fauci satire song video (reclaimthenet.org)

YouTube censored and demonetized a song criticizing Dr. Anthony Fauci. The platform claimed that the song violated its policy on medical misinformation.

The song, called “Sad Little Man” by Five Times August, accuses Fauci of lying. It references experiments performed on beagles that the Fauci-led National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was accused of funding.

The song also says people worship Dr. Fauci, accepting everything he says.

The video of the song contains animated images of Fauci in a crown, clown shoes, and at some point with devil’s horns.

It’s satire. It’s not supposed to be an information source.

The Left has no sense of humor whatsoever.

Stay Off Twitter!

Twitter’s New CEO In 2020: Company Not ‘Bound By First Amendment,’ Must Think ‘How Times Have Changed’ | The Daily Wire

Our role is not to be bound by the First Amendment, but our role is to serve a healthy public conversation and our moves are reflective of things that we believe lead to a healthier public conversation. The kinds of things that we do about this is, focus less on thinking about free speech, but thinking about how the times have changed. One of the changes today that we see is speech is easy on the internet. Most people can speak. Where our role is particularly emphasized is who can be heard. The scarce commodity today is attention. There’s a lot of content out there. A lot of tweets out there, not all of it gets attention, some subset of it gets attention. And so increasingly our role is moving towards how we recommend content and that sort of, is, is, a struggle that we’re working through in terms of how we make sure these recommendation systems that we’re building, how we direct people’s attention is leading to a healthy public conversation that is most participatory.

He wants to control “who gets heard”. He wants to “direct people’s attention”.

In short, he wants Twitter to be the gatekeeper on what speech is allowed to be heard and what isn’t. God help us if we heard something different from the narrative. We might start thinking. We might learn something.

Twitter is a cesspool, and it’s only going to get worse.

One of the Other Tenets of Free Speech Is That It Can Remain Anonymous

Social media firms will be forced to unmask online trolls, says Australia (bitdefender.com)

Apparently that’s not important to Australia.

The Prime Minister of Australia has said his government will introduce legislation which will compel social media companies to "unmask anonymous online trolls," and allow victims to launch defamation proceedings.

Morrison, who is readying himself for a general election next year, says that his legislative reforms will give victims of defamatory online comments two ways to identify their abusers, and resolve disputes:

1. Global social media platforms will be required to establish a quick, simple and standardised complaints system that ensures defamatory remarks can be removed and trolls identified with their consent.
2. A new Federal Court order will be established that requires social media giants to disclose identifying details of trolls to victims, without consent, which will then enable a defamation case to be lodged.

For the record, you don’t have my consent. And if I ever get back on Social Media, it will be through an anonymous account, and I’ll be hooked in through so many VPN’s that you’ll never find me.

Australia is becoming a fascist state.

Facebook Decided He Was Guilty Before the Trial

so, saying otherwise was “misinformation”.

Facebook Reportedly Censored Pro-Kyle Rittenhouse Posts Throughout Saga | The Daily Wire

The New York Post’s editorial board wrote on Thursday that “barely a week” after Rittenhouse shot three people during Black Lives Matter riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Facebook announced that it had “designated the shooting in Kenosha a mass murder and are removing posts in support of the shooter.”

“Just for starters: Killing two people is mass murder now? Sure looks like the social-media giant’s staff just reached for the nearest excuse to suppress posts that conflicted with their personal prejudices — and no higher-up bothered to correct the call,” the Post wrote. “The blackout went far and wide: Facebook actively policed its users for pro-Kyle Rittenhouse posts and removed the content. It even targeted posts from legal scholars arguing the merits of his self-defense case.”

They were wrong. They were legally wrong.

But they are in control, so it doesn’t matter. This is a perfect example of why we need more freedom of speech on social media, not less. We need less censorship, not more.

Pathetic Little Tyrants

Instagram Now Bans All Mention of Project Veritas and James O’Keefe (lifezette.com)

Getting the full Alex Jones treatment soon enough.

We live in a world where the truth is “false content”. https://t.co/okr70b6Pnz

— (@TeeExTee) November 14, 2021

If you’re still on Instagram, get off now.

The Irony, It Burns

Twitter suppresses tweet where Wendy Rittenhouse criticized online censorship (reclaimthenet.org)

Wendy Rittenhouse, Kyle’s mother, tweeted: “The media & many who know better viciously lied about my son from the start. Tech companies tried to crush & deplatform @freekyleusa over 20x, often w/o explanation. We are facing tremendous expenses to help Kyle win this case & could use your help.”

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA-14) was having none of that.

“Twitter has disabled the RT button on #KyleRittenhouse’s mother’s tweet telling about extreme censorship,” wrote Greene. “Communism in America is real.”

“If we don’t fit their narrative, the left works together to make us disappear,” she continued. “You can’t erase us, we out number you. And I won’t back down.”

I think this is more fascism than communism, but tomAYto, tomAHto. Both authoritarians.

I’ll Keep Saying That the Truth Doesn’t Matter to These People

Only the narrative.

Instagram censors suggestions Kyle Rittenhouse acted in self-defense (reclaimthenet.org)

This was before the verdict was delivered, but it doesn’t matter. People should have the right to express their opinions on a trial in progress. And in fact, we now know that the jury decided Rittenhouse did act in self-defense.

So, Instagram was completely wrong and censoring based upon their own beliefs, not on the truth.

In a follow-up post on Instagram, Sarmo was incredulous that the video from the courthouse – which is otherwise being shown on news outlets, without censorship by social media – was qualified as going against the rules enforced by Facebook’s image sharing platform.

The comment Sarmo added to the video showing the distressed teen take the stand said that what the media had done to Rittenhouse was “evil,” and added, “Prayers up for Kyle as he has to relive through this trauma.”

Instagram said this went against its guidelines on violence or dangerous organizations, and the giant stuck to its guns even after Sarmo appealed against the decision to delete the post.

Sarmo wasn’t the only one. Many other users reported similar issues with Instagram.

Ashley St. Clair, a political commentator, also says that Instagram removed a video she posted that showed Kyle Rittenhouse crying during the ongoing trial. Instagram claimed the video violated its policies on supporting violence and dangerous organizations.

“Instagram removed the video I posted of Kyle Rittenhouse crying,” St. Clair explained in a Nov. 10 tweet. “It apparently violates their guidelines on *squints* violence & dangerous organizations. Give me a break!”

Stupid. And wrong. And anti-freedom.

You Can’t ”Support” Journalism With Censorship

Facebook partners with New Zealand media for funding, will help outlets censor "false comments" (reclaimthenet.org)

Garlick denied that the New Zealand journalism program is not a way to keep media organizations from demanding deals such as those afforded to Australian media houses and she also made a commitment to helping news outlets censor “potentially litigious” comments.

There were several strategies to prevent “false comments” being posted, Garlick said, according to RNZ.

The other aspect mentioned by the announcement was that Facebook was committed to help all page administrators to “better moderate” their comments.

Every day we descend further into a world where no one is allowed to say anything or express any opinion not approved by the government.

Reminder: Social Media v. Rittenhouse

Rittenhouse Takes the Stand | Power Line (powerlineblog.com)

All of this reminds us that over a year ago, Facebook banned any expression of support for Rittenhouse, apparently deeming him a “mass murderer.” Twitter also locked the account of Rittenhouse’s lawyer, and a police officer was fired for donating to his defense. This incident illustrates, like so many others, the danger of social media behemoths shutting down discussion of matters that should be very much up for debate.

You weren’t allowed to support someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.

The narrative is far more important than the truth.

Isn’t TikTok Supposed to Be the New ”Cool” Social Media Platform?

I guess “Let’s Go Brandon” isn’t cool.

TikTok censors "Let's Go Brandon" (reclaimthenet.org)

US rapper Bryson Gray’s version of “Let’s Go Brandon” has been deleted from popular video platform TikTok.

The track has already faced much censorship from platforms such as YouTube, even though it’s the number one purchased track in the United States.

“Tik Tok just banned my “Let’s Go Brandon” song from their platform,” the rapper announced on Twitter. “No explanation. No email. No anything.”

You must not speak out against the King.

I Think They’re Just Drunk

Facebook employee said censorship colleagues were "drunk on power" (reclaimthenet.org)

In Facebook internal discussions, obtained by the New York Post, most employees agreed with the censorship of pro-Rittenhouse posts. However, one employee, a data scientist, disagreed.

“The rioting has been going on for over three months and it’s only an issue now because people inside the company saw violence they didn’t like,” the employee said.

“Employees are drunk on absolute power of being in control of civics in America, without ever having to visit a voting booth (if voting is even an option.”

The employee said the company should differentiate between support (which is not allowed) and discussion of the unjust treatment of Rittenhouse (which is allowed).

It doesn’t matter whether the posts really violated their policies or not. The posts violated the narrative. Therefore, whatever reason can be trumped up to censor them will be used. We see this time and time again on a variety of subjects, the two worst being Hunter Biden and natural immunity to the China virus. Both of these topics were verboten on Social Media and are 100% and unequivocally to be proven true.

The power of these companies to control the narrative must be stopped, or there will be no free speech in America, only approved speech.

Once Again, These Accidents Always Seem to Go In the Same Direction

YouTube didn't say why it temporarily disabled Novara Media's channel (reclaimthenet.org)

YouTube suspended then restored the channel of Novara Media, a UK-based left-leaning news outlet. According to the outlet, the channel was suspended without explanation and it had not received a warning.

“We play an important public service role and regularly feature interviews with politicians, human rights campaigners, scientists and campaigners from around the world,” Novara said in a statement.

“We are also regulated by IMPRESS in the UK. We call on YouTube to immediately reinstate our account,” it added.

Novara Media is an online-only news outlet that was founded in 2011 as an alternative to left-wing mainstream media outlets. Its YouTube channel, which was restored a few hours after it was removed, has 167,000 subscribers.

So, what did YouTube say when asked about the suspension?

You guessed it. “We goofed. Sorry about that.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for YouTube said: “Novara Media’s channel was briefly removed after it was flagged, but upon review, it was then immediately reinstated.

“We work quickly to review all flagged content, but with millions of hours of video uploaded on YouTube every day, on occasion we make the wrong call.”

Occasionally they make the wrong call. And always against the Right. Amazing streak of coincidences there. It’s almost as if it was on purpose.

Almost.

Let’s Censor Brandon!

YouTube deletes "Let's Go Brandon" rap track (reclaimthenet.org)

YouTube has deleted the video of Bryson Gray’s increasingly popular track “Let’s Go Brandon,” featuring Tyson James and Chandler Crump.

The Google-owned platform claimed that the video contained medical misinformation.

News of the censorship was announced by Bryson Gray, who describes himself as the “most censored rap artist in America.”

“YouTube has banned ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ song from YouTube due to ‘medical information.’ What medical misinformation is in the song? Whoa,” Gray wrote on Thursday.

It’s a Rap Song. Medical misinformation? Really?

No one could really be this stupid. I don’t believe it.

The China Virus Fatality Rate for Teens and Under Is Something Less Than .001 Percent, or Less Than 1 in 10,000 Cases

YouTube censors Senator Ron Johnson for "misinformation" after he protested vaccinating kids (reclaimthenet.org)

Senators are not allowed to express their opinions on YouTube.

YouTube deleted a video where Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson expressed his disapproval of the pending approval of the COVID vaccines for kids aged 5 to 11. The platform said the video violated its policies on misinformation.

Sen. Johnson made the comments in an interview with Dan O’Donnell. When the reporter posted the video, it was removed by YouTube over violation of misinformation policies.

I’m sorry. Who died and made YouTube the arbiter of truth? No one is even allowed to express their opinions anymore?

What kind of totalitarian regime is this?

Biden’s America, man.

I’m Starting to Think That Instagram Is the Worst of the Social Media Bullies

Instagram to block some users from posting links (reclaimthenet.org)

Since Monday, some Instagram users have been receiving a notification that they will no longer be able to use “link stickers,” a feature used by many users to post links to external sites.

Some users told Reclaim The Net that they had received several warnings about sharing “misinformation” before the message appeared that they would soon no longer be about to link outside of Instagram.

So, if you get tagged with this, you can’t post links to external sites on your Instagram account.

Why not?

No answer. And then there’s this.

“Starting October 25, you will no longer have access to the link sticker because you have shared content that violates our Community Guidelines,” the message Instagram is sending to some users states.

There’s no option to appeal the censorship.

Arbitrary punishments with no way to appeal don’t seem like a good business model to me, but what do I know?

Clearly Facebook Needs More Censorship

Facebook announces new censorship for Groups (reclaimthenet.org)

This time they concern groups, whose members’ posts will be demoted if Facebook determines that they had violated its guidelines in other places on the giant network – meaning that their group-posted content can still be in line with Facebook’s rules, without having broken any. The downranking will apply to all content posted by these users in a group.

Using this platform is an exercise in sado-masochism. Just do yourself a favor and stop.