If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, a prominent Democrat, is pressuring the Biden administration to expand its collaboration with Big Tech and local governments in an effort to curb what he calls “election disinformation” ahead of the 2024 elections. In a letter obtained by Reclaim The Net, Warner urges Jen Easterly, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), to work closely with social media companies, researchers, and local officials to tackle online content that could influence voters. Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, claims that election officials are under severe pressure to handle an “unprecedented rise in targeted election disinformation campaigns.” He has urged CISA to use all available tools to support election administrators in building resilience against these so-called “information manipulation campaigns.” This kind of government-driven pressure to control speech, however, treads a fine line given Americans’ constitutional right to free speech and has previously resulted in controversial outcomes, such as the censorship of legitimate news stories. The debate over government intervention in online content is particularly charged given the 2020 experience when the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story—a story that was later verified as true—was justified as a necessary measure to combat “disinformation.” The collusion between social media companies and the government to prevent the story from spreading before the 2020 election has become a prominent example of how efforts to counteract “disinformation” can lead to the suppression of accurate information. In his letter, Warner also referenced repeated warnings from US intelligence about foreign interference, pointing to ongoing operations by Russia, China, and Iran. He asserts that these actors aim to influence US elections, and urges CISA to offer more support to state and local officials facing such challenges. However, Warner’s call for heightened censorship raises questions about how far the government can go without violating constitutional rights, particularly given the vague definition of “disinformation” that often encompasses political viewpoints and dissent. Warner cited incidents like the 2020 Florida election, where voters received emails threatening them to change their party affiliation and vote for a particular candidate. He acknowledged CISA’s work in providing educational resources to election offices but insists that additional measures are needed to prevent disinformation campaigns, particularly those employing advanced AI. However, critics warn that framing these efforts as “protective” overlooks their chilling effect on legitimate political speech. Despite Warner’s push for more aggressive action, the involvement of government entities in policing online content ultimately brings up critical issues regarding free speech. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Sen. Mark Warner Urges Biden-Harris to Boost Big Tech Collusion for 2024 Election Censorship appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. There is no such thing in the world as “consensus” let alone a “unanimous vote” on opinions that pertain to life and death. And, in the US, there should be no such thing as stifling lawful public free speech and debate, on any topic. Euthanasia (of animals) meets the First Amendment here. Euthanasia in itself is a massive issue that will never see any kind of consensus, whether it concerns people, or dogs and cats – companions for thousands of years and a part of their lives. So – let people discuss it. Yet – San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS) decided it was its way or the highway for hundreds of Facebook comments. More precisely, the organization decided that even if those were merely the voices heard on ACS’s Facebook page, they had to be, well – destroyed. ACS appears to be enthusiastic about its policy about dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, getting promptly “put down” as a way of handling abandoned pets. Naturally, not everyone agreed. But ACS just removed those comments as well. At this point, the issue became the right to freedom of expression, and, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) said, that there were some 400 comments hidden by ACS, 80% of which were critical of the organization’s practices. This number of censored comments is reported to have happened in just four weeks since the start of May this year. Fire decided to remind ACS that the First Amendment does not let them cherry-pick which reaction to their conduct they will allow to be publicly heard – instead, “it must allow all commenters to express themselves freely.” A letter sent to ACS on September 11 that went into its practices, and what the US Constitution says they must adhere to as far as letting people have their say, received a prompt response on September 23. According to FIRE, they “agreed to stop hiding or removing comments.” Or, as FIRE suggested – creating a false perception that everyone agreed with them. Some of the comments previously removed include citizens accusing the local ACS of putting puppies on the “kill list” the day after their return from foster families, and similar issues critics were describing as an inhumane cycle started by irresponsible owners, and perpetuated by San Antonio ACS. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post San Antonio’s Animal Control Caught Silencing Dissent Over Euthanasia Practices appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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