"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."
"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."
"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."
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(Infowars) A new proposal from Michigan Republicans is drawing alarm over its intent to criminalize vast portions of online speech, ban common privacy tools, and restrict depictions of transgender individuals in almost all public-facing content.
House Bill 4938, titled the “Anticorruption of Public Morals Act,” was introduced on September 11 and has been sent to the House Judiciary Committee for review.
Filed by Rep. Josh Schriver of Oxford and co-sponsored by five other Republican lawmakers, the bill lays out one of the most expansive attempts at state-level internet censorship in the country.
It demands that internet providers and platforms adopt round-the-clock surveillance systems, block the sale and use of VPNs, and prohibit a wide range of content that includes erotic AI material, sensual ASMR audio, pornographic manga, and anything representing transgenderism.
He framed the bill as necessary to protect children and claimed that current obscenity laws are outdated and rarely enforced.
The bill’s language defines “prohibited material” in broad terms. It covers depictions of sexual acts whether real or fictional, written or visual, and includes specific bans on “moaning or sensual voice content” as well as “erotic autonomous sensory meridian response content.”
It also criminalizes any portrayal of a transgender individual unless the context is strictly medical, instructional, or academic and peer-reviewed.
Under the bill, an individual or organization that distributes such material to anyone in the state could face up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. That increases to 25 years and $125,000 if over 100 instances of prohibited material are involved.
The legislation also demands that all websites, platforms, and ISPs operating in Michigan implement 24/7 automated surveillance and censorship systems to detect and remove flagged content immediately.
Companies would be forced to revise their terms of service to explicitly ban the covered content and comply with real-time enforcement protocols.
One of the most invasive aspects of the bill is its attack on VPN usage.
House Bill 4938 would make it illegal to sell or use virtual private networks within Michigan and would require internet providers to block any VPN activity.
Fines for violations related to VPN use could reach $500,000.
VPNs are commonly used to secure online activity, prevent data collection, and protect users on public Wi-Fi. Criminalizing this technology would have widespread consequences for both individuals and businesses..
Schriver publicly stated, “Don’t make it, don’t share it, don’t view it,” and called for porn distributors to be added to the sex offender registry.
The WNBA is utilizing new technology this season to squash out "hate speech" among its fans.
The league announced a new initiative titled "No Space for Hate" this week ahead of the season tip-off. The campaign will include the use of AI social media monitoring tools that will help the league enforce a revised code of conduct.
"As part of the comprehensive plan, the WNBA is rolling out an AI-powered technology solution to monitor social media activity, in partnership with players and teams, to help protect the community from online hate speech and harassment," the announcement read.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the WNBA for further clarification about how the technology will be used, but has not received a response.
A revised WNBA fan code of conduct includes regulations for fans on social media, and threats of sanctioning those fans from official content if they are violated. The new policy lists racist, homophobic, sexist, sexual, threatening or libelous content as "subject to blocking or deletion."
"Repeat violations of these guidelines may result in the violator no longer being able to follow our news, comment on our posts or send us messages," the policy reads. "Additionally, any direct threats to players, referees or other league and team personnel may be referred to law enforcement and may result in the violator being banned from all WNBA arenas and events."
Columbia University announced Tuesday it will lay off approximately 180 staff members following the Trump administration’s March decision to revoke $400 million in federal grants due to the school’s “failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment,” Fox News reported.
“This represents about 20% of the individuals who are funded in some manner by the terminated grants,” acting Columbia President Claire Shipman said in a statement. “Across the research portfolio we have had to make difficult choices and unfortunately, today, nearly 180 of our colleagues who have been working, in whole or in part, on impacted federal grants, will receive notices of non-renewal or termination.”
The Trump administration canceled funding from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The agencies cited “the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students,” Columbia acknowledged in a statement issued in early March.
The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a sweeping law that not only bans TikTok but gives the President the power to ban any popular social media app deemed to be controlled by a "foreign adversary."
From CBS News, "Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, clears way for app to shut down in U.S. as soon as Sunday":
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a new law that would lead to a ban of the social media platform TikTok, clearing the way for the widely popular app to shutter in the U.S. as soon as Sunday.
"We conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate the petitioners' First Amendment rights," the court said in a unanimous unsigned opinion, which upholds the lower court decision against TikTok. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote separately, with Gorsuch agreeing with the outcome of the case but splitting with the court's reasoning.
The court's ruling comes days before the law, which was passed with bipartisan majorities of Congress last April, is set to take effect. TikTok and a group of content creators who use the app argued the law infringes on their free speech rights, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in their bid to block it one week ago.
"There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community. But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary," the court's opinion said.
Longtime Donald Trump ally Roger Stone joined The Alex Jones Show Thursday to break the latest on the future of Infowars
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She voiced this out during a Sept. 17 appearance on "The Rachel Maddow Show" on MSNBC. According to the former first lady, holding American individuals accountable through civil or criminal charges could serve as a warning to deter the distribution of "disinformation."
Clinton also acknowledged the importance of indicting foreign actors, namely the Russians, who are responsible for what she dubs as election interference. However, Americans who play a role in amplifying disinformation shouldn't be overlooked, she added.
"I think it's important to indict the Russians … who were engaged in direct election interference and boosting [former President Donald] Trump back in 2016. But I also think there are Americans who are engaged in this kind of propaganda. Whether they should be civilly, or even in some cases criminally, charged is something that would be a better deterrence," Clinton told program host Rachel Maddow.
Naturalnews.comTech companies continued to cut jobs at a rapid pace in August 2024. More than 27,000 workers in the industry lost their jobs as over 40 companies, including big names like Intel, IBM, and Cisco, as well as numerous smaller startups, announced layoffs.
To date, more than 136,000 tech workers have been laid off by 422 companies in 2024, indicating significant upheaval in the sector.
Intel is undergoing one of the most challenging periods in its history, announcing 15,000 job cuts, which represents over 15% of its workforce. These layoffs are part of a $10 billion spending reduction plan for 2025.
(Zerohedge) A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can continue to pursue his lawsuit against the Biden administration over censorship at the direction of the government.
The decision comes after a June ruling by the Supreme Court, which established who can sue the Biden administration for violating their First Amendment rights when government officials pressured social media companies to suppress free speech did not have standing to sue.
According to District Court Judge Terry Doughty, Kennedy meets the standard set by the Supreme Court because there is "ample evidence" to show he was censored at the direction of government actors, and is at "substantial risk" that the censorship will continue, the Daily Caller reports.
Kennedy was named by one of the "Disinformation Dozen" - and was specifically targeted by the government over what they alleged was COVID-19 misinformation, Doughty noted in his ruling - adding that there is "not much dispute" that Kennedy, and his organization - Children's Health Defense, were "were specifically targeted by the White House, the Office of Surgeon General, and CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency]."
"The Court finds that there is further risk for future risk injury here because Kennedy is a 2024 presidential candidate," wrote Doughty.
Jenna Ortega shared her thoughts to Vanity Fair about the intersection of Hollywood and politics, mainly how the need for actors to be politically correct often contributes to their loss of integrity.
The actor left the "Scream" franchise last year one day after her co-star Melissa Barrera was fired due to social media posts about Israel and Palestine. Ortega cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for her departure.
"The business that we work in is so touchy-feely," Ortega told Vanity Fair about Hollywood. "Everybody wants to be politically correct, but I feel like, in doing that, we lose a lot of our humanity and integrity, because it lacks honesty."
"I wish that we had a better sense of conversation," she continued. "Imagine if everyone could say what they felt and not be judged for it and, if anything, it sparked some sort of debate, not an argument."
"Am I describing world peace?" she then asked herself on a lighter note.
Barrera was fired from "Scream 7" due to her social media posts supporting Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. "Scream" producer Spyglass Media Group said in a statement to Variety at the time: "Spyglass' stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."
Barrera had shared one post that accused Israel of "genocide and ethnic cleansing" and reposted an excerpt from Jewish Currents magazine about distorting "the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry."
In the wake of Barrera and Ortega's exit, "Scream 7" was overhauled and brought back longtime franchise star Neve Campbell to lead the movie. Ortega's franchise work will continue with the upcoming "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," Tim Burton's long-awaited "Beetlejuice" sequel opening in theater Sept. 6 from Warner Bros. after a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.