Ben Weingarten Federalist Senior Contributor; Claremont Institute Fellow
Share
Opinion

The global censorship-industrial complex

Share
Ben Weingarten Federalist Senior Contributor; Claremont Institute Fellow
Share

Misinformation and disinformation have become enormous problems for people and governments around the world and have contributed to a rise in political violence and extremism, among other serious concerns. Technology experts have issued public warnings that these problems may become more severe in the near-term future as AI deepfakes become more realistic, as credible news organizations confront mounting financial difficulties, and as people become lost in ever-growing networks of false or misleading information.

How to regulate and respond to these issues is by itself a complex and hotly debated topic, however, because those discussions require a workable consensus regarding the limits, definitions and rights of free speech granted to all Americans in the First Amendment.

Watch the above video as Straight Arrow News contributor Ben Weingarten argues that progressive-leaning anti-disinformation efforts have gone further than they should, and singles out one organization, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, as an example.


Be the first to know when Ben Weingarten publishes a new opinion! Download the Straight Arrow News app and enable push notifications today!


The following is an excerpt from the above video:

But most disturbing, the internal documents show, is CCDH’s extensive lobbying of U.S. congressional offices to destroy X through regulation and to target advertisers [that] provide a pivotal revenue stream for the social media platform.

In separate reporting, unheard detail that, in an interview with CCDH’s current head, Labor Party-linked Imran Ahmed, the group has the ambitious and terrifying five-year plan to make it impossible for anyone to generate revenue from “hate speech” and “disinformation,” which for CCDH would seem to include what it defines as climate denial, anti-vax misinformation, and a whole slew of other areas demonstrative of a distinctly progressive worldview.

For my part, I think the major takeaway from this story is that it highlights that while the censorship-industrial complex in America has faced scrutiny that has led some elements of it to close up shop or shift tactics, it is again global in nature. It uses every possible lever to try and crush speech it doesn’t like through killing businesses that allow such speech to proliferate or outlets that promote news and views anathema to it.

In reporting for real, clear investigations. Earlier this month, I spoke about the global nature of the censorship industrial complex. Specifically, I chronicled how often Biden Harris White House aligned and coordinated foreign governments and NGOs were playing an integral role in seeking to kill a disfavored American Speech via an international back door through law, fair, hyper regulation and as detailed previously, otherwise taking aim at the business models of social media companies who refuse to censor news and information the West, globalist rolling elites don’t like while propagating the news and information they do like x and its owner, Elon Musk, I demonstrated, were being targeted in particular because the platform and its protector have shown the greatest devotion to free speech of all the platforms and the greatest willingness to thumb their nose at the censorship industrial complex, with Musk’s alignment with Donald Trump likely only further putting a target on his back and that of the company. Now, investigative journalists Paul Thacker and Matt Taibbi have shown that killing x as we now know it, is the explicit aim of one of the US government’s foremost foreign censorship partners, according to internal documents obtained and released by the journalists, the UK senator for countering digital hate, originally founded and led by major power players associated with the Labor Party, now leading the UK under Prime Minister care Starmer, made it its explicit purpose under its annual priorities to kill Musk’s Twitter. What is the Center for countering digital hate, and why do its efforts matter? Was I noted in my RCI reporting America first legal found that the Biden Harris White House quote solicited policy recommendations from ccdh, the group behind the UK is online safety act under which the UK, beginning in 2025 may find social media platforms up to 10%

 

of their global annual revenues. Should they fail to take robust action against content that includes racially or religiously aggravated public order offenses inciting violence or apparently even raising concerns about illegal immigration, likely protected speech in America, not so across the pond, British authorities have threatened to try and extradite even American citizens, should they spread speech the UK seeks to criminalize on social media platforms, threats raised in response to Elon Musk’s own criticism of British authorities pertaining to their open borders immigration policies. What’s more, the White House I wrote, adopted commitments to hold companies accountable through DOJ prosecutions and FTC enforcement actions for allowing online harassment on their platforms, based upon ccdh is urgings. Ccdh works to stop the spread of online hate and disinformation through innovative research, public campaigns and policy advocacy. It published a report on the disinformation dozen calling for social media platforms to suppress prominent skeptics of public health orthodoxy regarding COVID 19, including Robert F Kennedy Jr, that Biden administration officials and Democratic Party state attorneys general use to press the companies accordingly Thacker and tell you be focused on the myriad ties between labor leaders and the HARRIS waltz campaign. Certainly, it’s telling the anti free speech ticket is working closely with the anti free speech Labor Party, including being advised by Morgan McSweeney, the founder of ccdh, and an operative credited with helping land Prime Minister care Starmer at Downing Street. And perhaps even more disturbing as they’re reporting tying a now defunct ccdh offshoot to successful efforts to harm the business models of a number of independent or right of center outlets, from Zero Hedge to the Federalists through organizing boycotts, ccdh has also targeted sub stack but most disturbing the internal documents show is ccdh is extensive lobbying of US congressional offices to destroy acts through regulation and To target advertisers provide a pivotal revenue stream for the social media platform. In separate reporting, unheard detail that, in an interview with ccdh, is current head Labor Party linked Imran Ahmed, the group has the ambitious and terrifying five year plan to make it impossible for anyone to generate revenue from quote unquote hate speech and quote unquote disinformation, which for ccdh would seem to include what it defines as climate denial, anti Vax, misinformation, and a whole slew of other areas demonstrative of a distinctly progressive world view. For my part, I think the major takeaway from this story is that it highlights that while the censorship industrial complex in America has faced scrutiny that has led some elements of it to close up shop or shift tactics, it is again global in nature. It uses every possible lever to try and crush speech it doesn’t like through killing businesses that allow such speech to proliferate, or outlets that promote news and views anathema to it. This demands interrogating the relationships between the US government, directly and indirectly, and foreign governments and NGOs who in collusion with American officials and sometimes funded by American dollars, may be working to suppress protected First Amendment speech. What remains of free speech is on the ballot in America this fall, but the censorship industrial complex is hedging its bets through outsourcing its work overseas and seeing to make it boomerang on our shores. We must staunchly resist this regime the.

 

Foreign interference in American life, or we can kiss liberty. Goodbye. You.

More from Ben Weingarten