Big tech has moved in lockstep to censor Russian news networks Sputnik and RT, further ensuring that westerners only receive one narrative when it comes to coverage of the conflict in Ukraine.
Facebook is restricting access to content from RT and Sputnik on both its main social media platform and Instagram following “requests from a number of governments,” according to he company’s vice president Nick Clegg.
We have received requests from a number of Governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state controlled media. Given the exceptional nature of the current situation, we will be restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU at this time.
The move comes just hours after the EU announced it will ban RT and Sputnik broadcasts across the bloc, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen declaring that the networks are spreading “harmful disinformation,” and that the EU is further “developing tools to ban toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe.”
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, we’re blocking YouTube channels connected to RT and Sputnik across Europe, effective immediately. It’ll take time for our systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action.
Facebook and Google already both barred RT and Sputnik from monetizing content on the platforms last week.
Users who attempt to visit the YouTube channels of either Sputnik or RT or watch videos posted from those channels are now met with a message saying “this channel is not available in your country,” and “this video is not available in your country,” This even applies to non-EU countries, including the UK.
At time of writing, RT and Sputnik’s YouTube channels are still accessible in the U.S., and Europeans can access the channels and videos if they use a VPN.
In the UK, RT TV broadcasts are not yet being blocked (Sputnik stopped broadcasting last year) because the country is no longer a part of the EU and there is a broadcast regulator that is somewhat independent of the government.
Twitter will also begin putting warning labels on all content related to Sputnik and RT, as well as continuing “to de-amplify articles from these websites by barring the URLs from the platform’s top search function,” according to Politico.
Netflix has also announced it is blocking all Russian TV channels, which were previously available on the platform in the country owing to a Russian law mandating they be included.
It is very clear that big tech has taken all of these actions immediately at the direct behest of the EU, and not of individual governments. Countries such as the UK are not even a part of the EU, yet the platforms have taken the same actions there. Critics have warned that sets another dangerous precedent and highlights that information can be completely restricted with the proverbial flick of a switch without any government involvement or oversight.
“Don’t Be Intimidated” By The Censors – Tucker Carlson Urges Americans To Fight Back By ‘Telling The Truth’
Published
4 days ago
on
25 September, 2023
Zero Hedge
Screenshot
In a brief clip of him speaking in Utica, MI, Tucker Carlson expresses his deep concern over widespread acceptance of dishonesty in public life, lamenting, “what’s true? The true things are the things that you can’t say.”
The former Fox News man rages at the lack of penalties for public figures who lie or display incompetence; contrasting this with the societal backlash against those who aim to speak their own truths, suggesting that in today’s society, “the only penalty is for noting what’s true.”
“Every society penalizes something…” In America, “it’s telling the truth.”
Drawing a parallel with foreign (banana republic) governments, Carlson recounts a recent experience in Buenos Aires that exposed the government’s dishonesty about the Argentine peso’s exchange rate. He emphasizes, “so the government lies about the value of its own currencies,” reflecting on the economic lies and falsehoods and manipulations (think non-farm payrolls jobs data revised lower every month this year for instance) of the US government.
Further into the speech, he points out the pattern of backlash he believes truth-tellers face, noting, “first they’ll tell you you’re hurting someone’s feelings… then they call you insane… the third thing they do is just criminalize telling the truth.”
He raises concerns about the role of significant U.S. institutions like the FBI and CIA, alleging they are partisan, and mentions, “when federal employees… take an aggressive position on the side of one political party, you can’t have a fair election.”
Lastly, he touches upon the 2020 U.S. presidential election, suggesting potential irregularities and fraud, blasting tech oligarchs’ influence in silencing the truth-sayers.
“If some oligarchs… spent nearly half a billion dollars to control the mechanics of the Bolivian election in 2020, we would say it’s not a legitimate election.”
Tucker closes by encouraging Americans to stand up against the censors: “don’t let them,” he exclaims, urging listeners“don’t be intimidated, your children’s future depends on your bravery.”
The media assured us claims Brand was the subject of a coordinated political attack were baseless “conspiracy theories”.
Now the political class, the media and literally *the government*, is carrying out a coordinated political attack to unperson him from all public platforms.