The Hidden Reality of Censorship

Written by Jeffrey A. Tucker, Courtesy of the Brownstone Institute

The past week has been a challenging one for the Censorship Industrial Complex. This clandestine machinery, which has been operating for almost a decade, has been working in the shadows to manipulate and control public information. Its modus operandi includes covert dealings with media and tech companies, intelligence involvement in "fact-checking" organizations, and various other strategies, all aimed at promoting certain information sources while suppressing others. Its ultimate goal? To propagate regime narratives and shape public opinion.

The Secret Nature of Censorship

This machinery was designed to operate in secrecy. And there's a reason for that. The government's systematic efforts to coerce private sector companies into promoting a specific narrative and suppressing dissenting views contradict American law and tradition. It also infringes on human rights as understood since the Enlightenment era. Up until recently, it was widely agreed that free speech was a cornerstone of a functioning society. Four years ago, many suspected that censorship was taking place, that the banning and throttling of information was not just an error or the result of overzealous employees. Three years ago, evidence began to emerge. Two years ago, it started pouring in. A year ago, with the release of the Twitter files, we had undeniable proof that censorship was systematic, directed, and highly effective. But even then, we only knew a fraction of the truth.

The Unveiling of Censorship

Thanks to court cases, FOIA requests, whistleblowers, Congressional inquiries, and various upheavals in the industry, we now have tens of thousands of pages of evidence pointing to the same reality. The censors, those at the highest levels of government control, believed it was their duty to dictate what information the American public should and should not see, regardless of the truth. This war on information was waged with complete disregard for the First Amendment. It wasn't just political; it also involved intelligence agencies that were already deeply involved in the "all-of-society" pandemic response.

The Industry of Censorship

Censorship has now become an industry, with hundreds and thousands of universities, media companies, government agencies, and even students studying to become disinformation specialists. The aim is to turn the primary source of news and sharing into a giant American version of Pravda. This is happening right under our noses and continues to this day. Incredibly, the pervasiveness of censorship is now so widespread that it often goes unreported. These revelations should have been headline news. But the news media today is so compromised that very few outlets even bother to report the full extent of the problem.

The Report on Censorship

A new report from the Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government of the US House of Representatives deserves more attention. This nearly 1,000-page document provides overwhelming evidence of a systematic, aggressive, and deeply entrenched effort by the federal government, including the Biden White House and many agencies, to dismantle the Internet and social media culture and replace them with propaganda. The report reveals that the White House directly intervened in Amazon's marketing methods to suppress books that questioned the Covid vaccine and all vaccines. Amazon reluctantly complied. All these companies – Google, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon – acquiesced to the Biden administration's priorities, even going so far as to run algorithmic changes by the White House before implementation.

The Impact of Censorship

What's astonishing is that this industry was allowed to grow so extensively over 4-8 years, with little legal oversight and minimal public awareness. It's as if the First Amendment doesn't exist. Even now, the Supreme Court seems confused, based on our interpretation of the oral arguments over this entire case (Murthy v. Missouri). This widespread interference from the government against social media companies raises several questions: is this normal? Do we have to comply? What happens if we refuse?

The Ongoing Struggle Against Censorship

Despite the mounting evidence and public outcry, the censors are not backing down. If anything, their grip is only tightening. This industry aims to completely shut down the Internet as we know it. The best way to combat this plan is through widespread public outrage, which is made more difficult by the fact that the censorship itself is being censored. This report from the US House of Representatives needs to be widely shared while it's still possible. Future reports like this may themselves be censored. It could also be the last such report you'll ever see before freedom is completely extinguished.

About the Author

Jeffrey Tucker is the Founder, Author, and President at the Brownstone Institute. He is also the Senior Economics Columnist for Epoch Times, author of 10 books, including Life After Lockdown, and has written thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press. He speaks widely on topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.

Written by Tyler Durden, Published on 11th May 2024 at 21:10

Final Thoughts

The issue of censorship is a complex and contentious one. As we navigate through the digital age, it's crucial to consider the implications of such practices on our freedom of speech and access to information. What are your thoughts on this matter? Share this article with your friends and engage in a discussion. Sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm, to stay updated on this and other important issues.