The free and independent internet is swiftly becoming history, and big tech is marching in lockstep with the Biden administration and government radicals to censor what everyday Americans may say or see online.
The 1st Amendment rights of U.S. citizens are under fierce attack from the White House and its allies, and those allies now include companies that should instead be on the front lines of free speech.
Documents proving the collusion between big tech and the federal government were revealed as part of a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Ken Klippenstein. Some others, including memos and emails, were exposed through leaks.
They point directly to the Department of Homeland Security expanding its reach into speech that it considers dangerous.
By the way, one day after this massive story about the US Govt directing Big Tech censorship was published by a Dem-friendly site, with a popular left-wing figure as one of the reporters, neither CNN nor MSNBC invited them on, and no Dem politician has mentioned it.
Why is this? pic.twitter.com/xnwQUGjETp
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 2, 2022
It was earlier this year when the DHS revealed the new “Disinformation Governance Board.” This insidious-sounding panel was intended to police various forms of information deemed harmful by the agency.
The ensuing firestorm of criticism from conservatives and other civil libertarians forced the DHS to close it down. That did not, however, put the brakes on several efforts to control information and public online discourse.
A specific internal strategic document revealed how the agency intends to pursue what it believes is inaccurate information disseminated over the internet.
The subject matter includes “the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, (and) racial justice.” Further, politically sensitive subjects such as the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion are also targeted.
An example of big tech’s complicity comes from Facebook, which reportedly implemented a portal specifically for the DHS and other government officials to directly report “disinformation.”
One document revealed that the FBI’s Laura Dehmlow warned a meeting that disinformation on social media may undermine support for the government.
Dehmlow told the gathering, at which senior executives from Twitter and JPMorgan Chase were present, that “we need a media infrastructure held accountable.”
Such revelations point to the willingness of federal authorities to take direct action to subvert citizen’s rights to free speech and unfiltered information. And while that is not surprising, it is ominous that big tech’s gatekeepers are more than willing to make it easier for Washington’s censors.
