If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The authorities in the UK are “thinking of the children” – but really‚ of online censorship‚ say critics – and in doing so‚ thanks to Online Safety Act‚ are dipping their toes into the long since established in the US “revolving door” policy. In the UK there is evidence of this flow going in one direction – from private Big Tech corporations to government jobs. Reports say that in order to implement the controversial law that considerably restricts online speech‚ the regulator tasked with this‚ Ofcom‚ has employed as many as some 350 new staff – those from tech giants among them. Former senior Microsoft‚ Google‚ and Meta employees are now working for Ofcom – and a further 100 jobs will be created in order to make sure the Online Safety Act is enforced. Those who pushed its adoption for a long time and continue to justify it‚ as well as the new‚ ex Big Tech hires‚ like to frame and sell the legislation as necessary in order to protect children’s well-being online. However‚ this is also the easiest way to protect themselves from criticism‚ as few people are willing to argue against a case positioned in this way. However‚ many still have and do‚ and the gist of their opposition to the act and nebulous terms like “legal but harmful content” that must be suppressed is that one of the provisions – forcing messaging apps to scan user content (with child sexual abuse always first mentioned as a target – but not the only one) means a serious threat to encryption and therefore‚ online safety of everyone‚ including children. But when big legacy media outlets are now reporting about the law‚ and the Ofcom hiring policy that has just come to light‚ they too like to focus on just the part of the Online Safety Act that its creators say is there for the sake of the children. If they mention any “critics” – it’s to‚ bizarrely‚ like the FT has done‚ say that despite the move to bring in hundreds of new people‚ Ofcom will still be “stretched” – in‚ that is‚ its effort to control and censor at such a large scale. The post UK Communications Regulator Forms 350-Person Team to Enforce UK’s New Online Censorship Law appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The social media platform X publicized on Wednesday that it is strategically restricting access to certain accounts that critique Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan. This decision echoes earlier restrictions implemented before the general elections in May‚ in accordance with controversial censorship laws. Under current scrutiny are 12 accounts overseen by Kurdish businessman Muhammed Yakut or connected fan accounts disseminating his videos. Yakut‚ originating from Diyarbakır province in southeastern Turkey‚ previously utilized YouTube to expose alleged ties between key figures in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and questionable business practices as well as a murky historical coup attempt on July 15‚ 2016. Yakut’s YouTube channel was incapacitated following a court order just before Turkey’s elections in May. The actions taken by X‚ previously known as Twitter‚ per their press release‚ aim to maintain compliance with a recent court order issued by the Ankara 9th Criminal Court of Peace to hinder access to 210 posts and profile accounts. Platforms including Instagram and YouTube‚ in addition to X‚ are affected by this. Noncompliance could lead to X getting blocked in Turkey. Amidst the crackdown‚ X‚ despite its contentious decision‚ says it strives to uphold freedom of speech with its platform. X posted: “Ahead of Turkish local elections on March 31‚ the Turkish Government has made clear to us that X is the only social media service not complying in full with a recent court order. “In order to prevent the X service being blocked we have taken action on twelve accounts and 15 Tweets identified by court order.” The post X Restricts Access to Accounts Criticizing Turkey’s President ErdoÄŸan After Government Orders appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

'Experts' Declare 'Misinformation' Greatest Threat in the World

Trump's Financial Fraud Trial Comes to a Close

In Concordia‚ Kansas‚ a black Labrador named Bo‚ known for his adventurous spirit‚ gave his family a bit of a scare. Bo‚ who loves exploring the open fields near his home‚ went missing during a routine potty break. His family‚ the Kriers‚ were understandably worried. Laura Krier‚ Bo’s human mom‚ shared with The Dodo‚ “We... The post Man spots runaway dog in field and chuckles seeing the 2 ‘friends’ he’s bringing home appeared first on Animal Channel.

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy accused Google-owned YouTube of election interference by censoring the account of one of his recent interviewers. Influencer Shaneyyricch (Shane Ginsburg) posted on X (formerly Twitter) Jan. 9 that his channel had been banned from YouTube on the very same day his view-grabbing interview of Ramaswamy was posted. Subsequently‚ Ramaswamy slammed the Google-owned platform’s decision in an X post accusing Google of attempting “to rig this election.” As Ramaswamy himself noted‚ MRC Free Speech America research previously found he was the most censored presidential candidate in the 2024 race. Ginsburg stated in the X post that his interview of Ramaswamy had millions of views before his channel was abruptly terminated. “In the past 3 months I’ve taken this channel from 0 to 150‚000 subs and 185 million views‚” Ginsburg wrote. “This is blat[a]nt censorship in front of our eyes. I had zero strikes on this channel and was given no reason for the ban.” He included an apparent screenshot of YouTube’s message‚ which merely claimed “severe or repeated violations of our Community Guidelines.” No specific examples were cited in YouTube’s notice. Ramaswamy quoted Ginsburg’s post and added his own rebuke: “If Google is going to rig this election‚ just end the charade &; say so. That seems to be the message they’re sending.” In another post about the YouTube ban‚ Ramaswamy declared sarcastically‚ “Big Tech censorship to rig an election…who would have ever imagined.” While the exact content violation is unknown‚ The Daily Dot noted that the interview included controversial discussions‚ which could trigger leftists. For instance‚ Ramaswamy reportedly called for an end to birthright citizenship‚ insisted on only paper ballots for voting‚ and vowed to fire most of “the deep state‚” or the entrenched federal bureaucracy. Ginsburg later posted footage of his interview with Ramaswamy on X. Conservatives are under attack. Contact YouTube here and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency‚ clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Sunny Hostin’s racist and ageist attacks against former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley have been well-documented. But during the Thursday edition of ABC’s The View‚ she seemed to dabble in sexism as well‚ as she suggested that the only reason people‚ “especially women‚” supported her was because she was a woman. She even bizarrely announced: “Last I checked Nikki Haley has [a vagina].” It was just one of the few moments of panic the cast had about the Democratic Party’s prospects in 2024. While they were discussing the previous night’s GOP presidential primary debate in Iowa‚ Hostin went on a rant accusing Haley’s supporters of somehow being hypocrites. She asserted‚ without evidence‚ that they supported the Ambassador because she was a woman and whined that they didn’t support Hillary Clinton for the same reason. “I don't understand why everyone is backing Nikki Haley‚ especially women‚” she kvetched. She then suggested that she personally “checked” on Haley’s biological status of being a woman. “I remember when Hillary Clinton was running‚ there was a lot of talk about ‘I don't vote for someone just because she has a vagina.’ Well‚ last I checked Nikki Haley has one too‚” she proclaimed with no explanation. Co-host Joy Behar asked the question that was likely on the minds of most viewers: “What do you mean‚ the last you checked?!” “Sunny is full of surprises‚” she quipped.     Self-described “conservative” co-host and Haley supporter‚ Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back on Hostin’s suggestion that Haley supporters only backed her because she’s a woman. Hostin ridiculously asserted that it was Republicans‚ not Democrats‚ who played to identity politics like that: FARAH GRIFFIN: But I haven’t heard a single person – real quick – say they were supporting her because she was a woman. We don't do identify politics as much. HOSTIN: Oh‚ yes you do. FARAH GRIFFIN: I don’t. I literally never said it’s because she’s a woman. HOSTIN: Yeah‚ but your party does. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg was in a full-blown panic that former President Trump could be elected again because of women who say: “I'll vote like my husband votes.” “We've seen this!" she warned‚ insisting people were going to die. "This is our lives we're talking about! This is‚ like‚ for real.” “I mean‚ the fact that we’re even talking about putting a psychopathic man into the Oval Office is making me nuts! I can't even believe this is happening in my lifetime‚” a flabbergasted Behar exclaimed. As the conversation weaved into fretting about alternate/third-party candidates‚ Farah Griffin pointed out the obvious: “If we’re risking [Biden] losing to [Trump] it’s because the Democrats aren't putting up someone could beat a 91-times indicted candidate!” Goldberg then blamed “the media” for “the blackout on any other candidate but the ones that they want to see.”   Alyssa Farah Griffin points out that if they're worried about a third-party candidate hurting Biden‚ that means Dems didn't put up a good candidate. Whoopi blames "the media" for not allowing other Dems to have the spotlight‚ but The View has CONDEMNED every other candidate. pic.twitter.com/iTActNVm6D — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) January 11‚ 2024   If only Goldberg had a national TV show where she could invite the other Democratic candidates on to give them exposure. Oh‚ that’s right‚ The View condemned them all. In October‚ the cast denounced Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips’ challenge to Biden‚ suggesting he has “a lot” of “arrogance” to take on Biden‚ who Goldberg called the “GOAT” (the greatest of all time). The cast had also insanely claimed Democrats had never backed their incumbent presidential candidate before Biden. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View January 11‚ 2024 11:05:07 a.m. Eastern (…) SUNNY HOSTIN: I'm not going to question his‚ you know‚ his intentions or anything like that. But I will say this‚ I don't understand why everyone is backing Nikki Haley especially women. I remember when Hillary Clinton was running‚ there was a lot of talk about ‘I don't vote for someone just because she has a vagina.’ Well‚ last I checked Nikki Haley has one too. JOY BEHAR: What do you mean‚ the last you checked?! [Laughter] HOSTIN: Let me just finish. So‚ and the thing is‚ Nikki Haley -- BEHAR: Sunny is full of surprises‚ you know. HOSTIN: Nikki Haley has said that she will sign a national ban‚ a federal ban for – against abortion. Even though – And I think she's saying that to sort of talk -- talk to the MAGA base and bottom-line she knows that legislation won't pass. One other thing -- ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: But I haven’t heard a single person – real quick – say they were supporting her because she was a woman. We don't do identify politics as much. HOSTIN: Oh‚ yes you do. FARAH GRIFFIN: I don’t. I literally never said it’s because she’s a woman. HOSTIN: Yeah‚ but your party does. (…) 11:10:52 a.m. GOLDBERG: No one has voted. No one is uninformed about Biden. They know about Biden. They know about bonehead. We don't know -- we don't know what people are going to do. People have from now until then to say‚ on Monday they'll say‚ well‚ I'm going to do this and Tuesday they say‚ no‚ no‚ Wednesday‚ I'll vote like my husband votes or they'll say -- We've seen this. We've seen this. We don't know‚ and that's part of what’s fueling all of this because we want it to be over and it's not going to be and it shouldn't be over like that. BEHAR: Another year of this‚ I can't take it. GOLDBERG: It's another year of this and you have to take it. BEHAR: I need a spa treatment. FARAH GRIFFIN: 11 Months. 11 Months. GOLDBERG: You need to take it because this is our lives we're talking. This is‚ like‚ for real. BEHAR: I mean‚ the fact that we’re even talking about putting a psychopathic man into the Oval Office is making me nuts! I can't even believe this is happening in my lifetime‚ frankly! (…) 11:11:56 a.m. Eastern FARAH GRIFFIN: If we’re risking him losing to [Trump] it’s because the Democrats aren't putting up someone could beat a 91-times indicted candidate! GOLDBERG: Wait a minute. I'm sorry. This is already – We already know the direction we're going in. Everybody has already said this is the direct. Even if there was another candidate you couldn't get them in there because no one would talk about them. Let's talk about the media and the blackout on any other candidate but the ones that they want to see. So it's not that the people are doing this. This is what we're being shown. (…)

Eyeballs were rolled when Brian Stelter argued to MSNBC's Joy Reid that Fox's audience is radicalized and wants to be dangerously misinformed‚ and in response‚ "It is not biased or partisan to tug on the side of truth." Leftists constantly justify their righteous declarations of Democratic spin as the essence of what the late John McLaughlin used to call "ontological certitude." Earlier in this segment Stelter borrowed this Margaret Sullivan trope. the "reality-based world‚" which he described as Democrats‚ moderates‚ independents‚ and Chris Christie. You are required to oppose Trump as a mortal threat‚ or you don't qualify as "reality-based." Greg Gutfeld’s comedy show on Fox loves making fun of Stelter‚ but it was a pretty sweet pairing to make fun of Brian as you’re making fun of Don Lemon getting a show on X – or Twitter‚ as we know it. Lemon touted his new show for having "no hall monitors‚" which we all use as lingo for Stelter.  Finally‚ Joe Biden launched his 2024 campaign with two speeches ripping Trump and the "MAGA Republicans" for hating democracy and employing violence. The "independent fact-checkers" had plenty of opportunities to pluck from Biden's speeches for inaccuracy or unfairness‚ and they have failed to engage. Enjoy the podcast below‚ or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) believes Republicans are hypocrites for pursuing contempt charges against Hunter Biden‚ but Fox News anchor John Roberts on Wednesday poked holes through Moskowitz's claims.The interview took place after Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance at a House Oversight Committee hearing focused on holding him in contempt.Moskowitz's argument is twofold. First‚ he claimed Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R) invited Hunter to testify publicly‚ but he is now "reneging the invitation" and only wants the testimony to take place in a "basement" to produce a transcript Americans will "never see." Second‚ he claimed GOP lawmakers who defied the Jan. 6 committee must be held in contempt if Hunter faces the same punishment.Roberts quickly disarmed the narrative."First of all‚ you said a transcript that will never see the light of day. These transcripts will be released to the public. I mean‚ that's part of the deal — it was the same thing with the Jan. 6 committee‚" the anchor responded."And in terms of whether or not Comer ever said‚ 'Look‚ you can do it behind closed doors‚ you can do it in public' — the subpoena was specifically for a behind-closed-doors deposition‚ which Hunter Biden continues to refuse to do. So legal experts are saying it's not what Comer may or may not have said in public‚ it's what the subpoena says‚" Roberts pointed out.His narrative totally undercut‚ Moskowitz conceded that Hunter's attorneys are those in a position to battle the subpoena.Moskowitz‚ however‚ did commit to support the contempt resolutions against Hunter — which will go to a full House vote — only if the GOP congressmen who defied the Jan. 6 committee receive equal punishment. But this is misleading. First‚ because those subpoenas were issued by a committee in the 117th Congress‚ they expired when the Congress ended on Jan. 3‚ 2023‚ and thus they are no longer enforceable. Second‚ Congress‚ by virtue of not bringing contempt charges against the GOP lawmakers‚ chose not to punish them‚ though they were referred to the House Ethics Committee.Putting a nail in the coffin‚ Roberts played clips of Democrats previously defending closed-door depositions as necessary when the Jan. 6 committee was conducting its investigation."A lot of critics are saying‚ Congressman‚ 'Rules for me‚ but not for thee‚'" Roberts noted. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

North Korea's communist dictator kicked off the year by threatening to annihilate America. China‚ facing another year of economic turmoil and record-high youth unemployment‚ continues to threaten to conquer Taiwan and engage its defenders. Ukraine remains occupied by nearly 500‚000 Russian troops. While signaling continued support for Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists‚ American forces‚ running low on munitions‚ recently sank the ships of Iranian proxy fighters. Despite the pressing threat of worsening armed conflicts and possibly even nuclear holocaust‚ Klaus Schwab's World Economic Forum revealed this week that the world has far more pressing concerns. According to the WEF's " Global Risks Report 2024‚" the greatest threats facing humanity over the next two years are "misinformation and disinformation" and bad weather. The report — based on a September survey of 1‚490 academics‚ politicians‚ bureaucrats‚ and other elites ostensibly severed from Main Street concerns — analyzed global risks through three time frames "to support decision-makers in balancing current crises and longer-term priorities." Concerning the year at hand‚ 66% of respondents suggested weather was most likely to present a material crisis on a global scale. Only 25% said the same of war or escalations in ongoing conflicts. After undesirable speech and weather events‚ societal polarization‚ cyber insecurity‚ and interstate armed conflict ranked third‚ fourth‚ and fifth in terms of risk severity‚ according to the technocratic outfit's two-year period risk assessment. Inflation of the kind now eating away into American savings and driving up the cost of living ranked seventh‚ while economic downturn barely made the top ten. — (@) Josie Glabach‚ the commentator known online as the Redheaded Libertarian‚ highlighted that the "first four concerns deal in how to control the populace. The following topics that deal more in the well-being of that populace come secondary." The Virginia Project‚ a state Republican PAC‚ responded to the WEF's list‚ noting‚ "Literally every single one of these problems is driven by the kind of people who made this chart." Unlike the globalized average‚ American respondents to the survey indicated their top five risk concerns were: economic downturn; infectious diseases; inflation; use of biological‚ chemical‚ or nuclear weapons; and energy supply shortage. The report claimed that over the next 10 years‚ the top four perceived risks were all related to the environment: extreme weather events; critical change to Earth systems; biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; and natural resource shortages‚ in that order. "Misinformation and disinformation" reappeared‚ ranking fifth. Unlike misinformation‚ war did not make the top ten for the list of 10-year global risks. Totalitarianism‚ plutocracy‚ sterility‚ and a declining birth rate similarly did not make the list or receive mention. South African billionaire Elon Musk responded to the report‚ writing‚ "By 'misinformation'‚ WEF means anything that conflicts with its agenda." One critic suggested‚ "This is how Experts always end up sleepwalking into censorious and/or genocidal policies. Just take it to the logical conclusion: - 'Misinfo is worse than War because it causes War.' - 'Dissidents are worse than Misinfo because they create Misinfo.'" The report defines misinformation and disinformation thusly: "Persistent false information (deliberate or otherwise) widely spread through media networks‚ shifting public opinion in a significant way towards distrust in facts and authority." While acknowledging that the crackdown by authorities on so-called misinformation‚ particularly of an AI-generated sort‚ poses a risk of "repression and erosion of rights‚" the WEF suggested that there is also "a risk that some governments will act too slowly‚ facing a trade-off between preventing misinformation and protecting free speech." The WEF report concluded by claiming "known and newly emerging risks need preparation and mitigation. ... Localized strategies‚ breakthrough endeavours‚ collective actions and cross-border coordination all play a part in addressing these risks. Localized strategies‚ leveraging investment and regulation‚ are critical for reducing the impact of global risks." Unsurprisingly‚ the report stressed the need for "cross-border coordination." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!