#China's internet #censors have deleted a video in which #children at a private #PerformingArts school in the southwestern province of #Sichuan dance to British rock band #PinkFloyd's 1979 hit "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" which featured a choir of #schoolchildren protesting overbearing authority & "thought control" in #education.
Il est manifeste que la loi de 1955 sur l’État d’urgence ne mentionne que le terrorisme et l’apologie du terrorisme comme justifiant le blocage d’un réseau social. Le gouvernement devra se défendre devant le #ConseildEtat, et il ne sera pas dépourvu d’arguments non plus.
💻 #YouTube has blocked at least three videos that show viewers how to evade military service after it received a request from the Russian authorities, the investigative news outlet Agentstvo reported Monday.
"In 2023, the Israeli military censor barred the publication of 613 articles by media outlets in Israel,"
"Even before the war, the Israeli government had advanced a series of measures to undermine media independence. This led to Israel dropping 11 places in the 2023 annual World Press Freedom Index, followed by an additional four places in 2024 (it now sits in 101st place out of 180)."
A #webcomic page I quickly sketched out while I get ready to go visit my dad in the hospital, inspired by some in-shells in my mentions whining out the same nonsensical arguments for why #gender based #censorship against so-called "female npls" should remain the status quo. First of all, "sksual organs" only applies to the parts actually involved in procreation; the term you're looking for is "erogenous zones," which can apply to ANY gender's npl, as well as lips, ear, knee, elbow, foot, whatever... It depends on the person, and is absolutely not limited to "people who look female." in addition to that, the argument that "female npls must remain banned from public and online because men are attracted to them" is the most asinine argument and I don't understand how (besides #misogyny) anyone can say this with a straight face?? You think straight women and gay men aren't equally as turned on by MALE chests?
It continues to amaze me how, for all our supposed progress towards #equality in other regards, especially #lgbt / #queer issues, top free #inequality remains this one US issue that continues unquestioned and unacknowledged by the vast majority of Americans, even so-called leftists. YOU ARE SAYING IF SOMEONE "LOOKS FEMALE," THEN THEY DESERVE LESS RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES THAN SOMEONE WHO "LOOKS MALE." HOW ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS?!?
...with Lara Friedman & Rabbi Jay Michaelson on the Antisemitism Awareness Act
"There's something innane about this: in order to engage in criticism of Israel, you have to be an antisemite"
~ Lara Friedman, Foundation for Middle East Peace.
The US Senate is expected to vote soon on the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
A French draft law, passed Monday, would let citizens vote in local elections after 10 years' residency in New Caledonia, prompting opposition from independence activists worried it will dilute the representation of indigenous people. The violent demonstrations that have ensued in the South Pacific island of 270,000 have killed at least five people and injured hundreds.
In response to the protests, the government suspended the popular video-sharing app — owned by Beijing-based ByteDance and favored by young people — as part of state-of-emergency measures alongside the deployment of troops and an initial 12-day curfew.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal didn’t detail the reasons for shutting down the platform. The local telecom regulator began blocking the app earlier on Wednesday."
...with Lara Friedman & Rabbi Jay Michaelson on the Antisemitism Awareness Act
"There's something innane about this: in order to engage in criticism of Israel, you have to be an antisemite"
~ Lara Friedman, Foundation for Middle East Peace.
The US Senate is expected to vote soon on the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
Fight for your libraries. Don’t let them take away your library by defunding it out of providing vital services. Don’t let them shackle the library with rules meant to prevent the right people from getting the right book to change their life. Don’t let them close the doors, because you know they will never open again. Fight for the freedom to read and explore new ideas. Fight against censorship and denying people the materials their souls need. If a library closes, it will never open again. You couldn’t create libraries today. You want to loan out books? And people will just willingly give them back? Are you mad? Naïve, perhaps? Once a library closes its doors, it’s over. The book banners have won. Do not let them win. Fight for libraries. Fight for library workers. Fight for patrons. Fight for free people reading freely. #libraries#censorship#librarians#LibraryWorkers#LibraryPatrons#BookBans
"Minnesota is poised to prohibit #bookbans in #schools and public #libraries... The law establishes... a 'Library Bill of Rights' and states that libraries cannot restrict access to material 'because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.'"
CBC has whitewashed Israel’s crimes in Gaza. I saw it firsthand.
Working for five years as a producer at the public broadcaster, I witnessed the double standards and discrimination in its coverage of Palestine—and experienced directly how CBC disciplines those who speak out
No. Just, no. Not #VPN, nor any other technology is a solution, because the problem is much deeper than that. The US banning TikTok is just the beginning, they will simply continue expanding #censorship of any content the government finds objectionable. We may soon find governments like the US passing legislation that running an #ActivityPub server of any kind is illegal "terrorist activity" before long, and all NATO countries will follow suit (they must, or else risk losing NATO membership).
And of course the stated reason for the US blocking whole portions of the Internet is for "cypersecurity" reasons. Anyone with half a brain knows the real reason is to try to prevent sharing knowledge across borders, because that is the real threat to the politicians and their bosses.
It is really no different than what countries like China does with their Great Firewall, or what Iran does whitelisting only certain blocks of the Internet that exists outside of their borders, also for "cybersecurity" reasons. Of course the US government will continue to cite censorship of free speech as a reason that countries like China or Iran are inherently evil. This deranged political double-speak is the norm nowadays, as "antisemitism" is used as a justification to arrest Jewish people who protest war at their universities, but I digress.
they will simply continue expanding #censorship of any content the government finds objectionable
The thought error here is that it isn't just the US government.
Over here in Europe various NGO's informed about bad practices of TikTok first. How addicting it is. How little they do to kill videos making younglings do fatal things (some people died to do Tiktok challenges, thousands were hospitalized!). The list goes on.
Only after years (!) of repeated warnings did the EU commission start to apply rules to TikTok. Which TikTok do far seem to ignore intentionally.
In my eyes, this has nothing to do with "censoring". You misuse the word, I'd say.
But I'm not following a libertarian mindset. Most immediate "but censorship!" cryers however do. They never lived in a country that does actual censorship (like German Third Reich, former Eastern Germany, current China or Russia). But hey, the term describes a horrible in practice, so let's use it for the outrage feelings it induces, even if it doesn't fit at all.
But if you are in this libertarian mindset, then I have a quest for you: relocate to Sudan or Somalia. They both have effectively anarchy: the central government is totally powerless. You can follow a libertarian mindset as much as possible: doing anything, saying anything. However, other parties will do the same, and some of this "doing anything" will probably harm you. But you asked for a weak government, that is cold and ignores the weak. So have it, your dream, your choice, your utopia!
And then you might perhaps understand that no single freedom is absolute. There are many freedoms and basic rights that compete. Here e.g. freedom of speech, freedom of expression. And freedom of being unharmed.
Today I learned that the Mastodon instance I’m posting from is subject to censorship, as soon you post something in regards to the Israeli hardline right wing government’s genocide in Gaza. Democracies can only be successful with educated and informed citizen. I’ll look into running my own instance to avoid future censorship. #mastodon#censorship#genocide#israel
Powerful and Continuing #Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of #patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. #Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
Disdain for the Recognition of #HumanRights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, and long incarcerations of prisoners.
Supremacy of the #Military
Even when there are widespread #domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
Rampant #Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional #gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to #abortion is high, as is #homophobia and anti-#gay legislation.
Controlled #MassMedia
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Government #censorship and #secrecy especially in war time, are very common.
Obsession with #NationalSecurity
Fear of hostile foreign powers is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
#Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
Protection of #Corporate Power
The #industrial and business #aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
Suppression of #Labor Power
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor #unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
Disdain for #Intellectuals and the #Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to #HigherEducation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other #academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
Obsession with #Crime and #Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the #police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego #CivilLiberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Rampant #Cronyism and #Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
#Fraudulent#Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by #SmearCampaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control #voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
This post is a summary of Fascism, Anyone? by Lawrence W. Britt published in 2003 by Free Inquiry magazine."
#SocialMedia#Twitter#Censorship#FreedomOfSpeech: "Elon Musk is taking an increasingly combative approach against what he claims are government efforts to censor posts on his social media platform X, as the billionaire engages in public battles with political figures over the issue.
X has attacked “takedown” requests in Brazil, India and Australia in recent weeks, after authorities demanded the removal of content on the site they deem as illegal or harmful.
Its owner, a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist, has gone further, labelling Brazil’s supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes a “dictator” and Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant, a former Twitter employee, a “censorship commissar”.
In one of these disputes, an Australian legal hearing began on Friday to determine whether X must scrub footage of a violent attack in Sydney from the platform."
"The courageous stance of students across the country in defiance of genocide is accompanied by a near total blackout of their voices. Their words are the ones we most need to hear.
"The genocide has awakened a sleeping giant. Let us pray the giant prevails."
Random shower thought as a #gamer inspired by this Discord conversation about the " #censorship " modesty update to cover up dem heinous side boobs in #StellarBlade :
People always going on about whether the outfits for female characters in fighting-focused games is practical, without mentioning THE HAIR. You're already in the realm of fantasy when they have long-ass hair that would get their head pulled off in their first real fight, who cares about the outfit??
(This reminds me, I need to put together some kind of video essay type thing about my thoughts as a feminist gamer on the Stellar Blade controversy...[I think the hub-bub is silly, this isn't a game you play for realism and having sexy female characters is fine sometimes, just not at our ONLY choice, or in a game that otherwise pretends to be realistic, ie some kind of CoD type thing]))
One of this city's most haunting #monuments isn't even particular monumental: An unsuspicious window in the middle of #Berlin’s Bebelplatz (former #Opernplatz) - bookshelves in the ground.
Empty bookshelves.
Commemorating the #BookBurning which took place right here #OnThisDay, May 10th in 1933.