House Judiciary Report Says FBI Worked With Ukraine Intelligence Agency To Remove Social Media Accounts

 

FOX News: FBI worked with Ukraine intelligence agency to remove social media accounts: House Judiciary report 

The FBI colluded with a Ukrainian intelligence agency in an effort to disrupt Russian disinformation campaigns by flagging social media accounts in a failed effort that ensnared a verified Russian-language U.S. State Department account and others, the House Judiciary Committee said in a report released Monday. 

The report said the FBI partnered with the SBU, one of Ukraine's intelligence agencies, to flag the accounts believed to have spread Russian disinformation. Both agencies flagged American accounts for removal, as well as those belonging to American journalists, the report said.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The U.S. House Judiciary report is here .... Documents Reveal FBI Colluded with Compromised Ukrainian Intelligence Agency to Censor Americans (US Congress). 

Update #1: The White House has responded .... WH insists it backs ‘press freedom’ when asked about helping Ukraine censor posts (NYPost). 

 Update #2: OMG!!! These people are incompetent .... Social Media Censorship BACKFIRES: Biden Admin Flags Itself, Pro-Ukraine Accounts as Russian Disinformation, Docs Reveal (Daily Signal).  

Update #3: The main stream media's coverage of this story is also becoming a joke .... CNN Mangles Story On Damning House Report To Give Casual Defense Of FBI (Daily Caller). 

House Judiciary Report Says FBI Worked With Ukraine Intelligence Agency To Remove Social Media Accounts  

New House Judiciary report claims FBI worked with Ukrainian agency to remove verified social media accounts -- CNN  

FBI facilitated social media ‘takedown requests’ made by Ukrainian spy agency: report -- NYPost  

House GOP report claims FBI violated Americans' civil liberties -- Yahoo News  

Shocking Report Reveals FBI Colluded With ‘Compromised’ Ukraine Intel Agency To Censor American Social Media Accounts -- Rusty Weiss, Political Insider

U.S. Federal Judge Blocks The Biden Administration From Working With Social Media Companies To Restrict "Free Speech"

 

Politico: Judge limits Biden administration contact with social media firms 

A federal judge in Louisiana ruled Tuesday that the Biden administration likely violated the First Amendment by censoring unfavorable views on social media over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, calling the efforts “Orwellian.” 

 U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty also issueda sweeping preliminary injunction barring numerous federal officials and agencies — including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and all employees of the Justice Department and FBI — from having any contact with social media firms for the purpose of discouraging or removing First Amendment-protected speech.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This ruling is focused on the US government "telling" social media companies during the pandemic to "suppress" dissenting view on Covid and vaccines. But it should be noted that social media played a huge role in helping the Democrats in the 2020 election cycle (i.e. Hunter Biden laptop suppression to name one), and this is the real reason why two Republican state attorney generals filed this lawsuit. 

The question that then needs to be asked is .... will the Biden administration respect this ruling? My gut is telling me that they will appeal, and they will make sure that this will be tied up in the courts until the 2024 election cycle has ended.  

Update: I agree with Zero Hedge. What we saw in the past few years was "arguably the most massive attack against free speech in United States history", and they want to continue .... "Orwellian Ministry Of Truth" Busted - Judge Bars Biden Officials, Agencies From Contacting Social Media Companies (Zero Hedge). 

U.S. Federal Judge Blocks The Biden Administration From Working With Social Media Companies To Restrict Certain "Speech"  

Biden administration blocked from working with social media firms about ‘protected speech’ -- AP  

Federal judge limits Biden administration contact with social media platforms -- The Hill  

Judge limits Biden administration's contact with social media companies -- CBS  

Biden Administration Ordered to Limit Social Media Contacts -- Bloomberg  

Judge bars government agencies, social media companies from discussing certain content -- UPI  

Federal judge blocks Biden administration officials from communicating with social media companies -- CNN

In GOP victory, judge restricts Biden officials from contacting Facebook, tech companies -- USA Today  

Biden officials must limit contact with social media firms -- BBC

Where The Global Internet Has Been Restricted

Statista: Where the Internet Has Been Restricted  

The arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan in Pakistan yesterday has led to nationwide uproar and protests. In the city of Peshawar, a local hospital has reported three people being shot dead and a further 27 suffering injuries. In the state of Punjab, where the army was deployed, officials said that 945 arrests had been made and 130 police officers injured.  

Read more ....  

Update: Where The Internet Has Been Restricted (Zero Hedge) 

WNU Editor: I had to laugh when I saw the above map. WNU is banned from posting on Facebook. But according to the above post the US and Canada (where I live) there are no internet restrictions.

A Look At How The U.S. Is Imposing Censorship On TikTok

For years, US officials and their media allies denounced China, Russia and Iran as despotic for conditioning the ability of Big Tech platforms to maintain access to their countries on their willingness to censor.

Now, the US Security State has done exactly that with TikTok. pic.twitter.com/AaE6e4dXGL

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 28, 2022

Glenn Greenwald: Reflecting New U.S. Control of TikTok's Censorship, Our Report Criticizing Zelensky Was Deleted 

For years, U.S. officials and their media allies accused Russia, China and Iran of tyranny for demanding censorship as a condition for Big Tech access. Now, the U.S. is doing the same to TikTok. Accusations of Chinese tyranny are often based on demands from Beijing that Google and Facebook comply with their censorship orders as a condition for remaining in China. Reports over the years suggested that these firms typically comply: Google was building a censored search engine suited to Chinese demands; The New York Times has claimed Facebook developed a censorship app as its entrance requirement to the Chinese market, and Vox accused Apple of succumbing to Chinese censorship demands by banning an app from its store that had been used by protesters in Hong Kong demanding liberation from control by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). 

But now the tables appeared to be turning when it comes to U.S. censorship demands and TikTok. Threats to ban or severely limit the Chinese-owned-and-controlled platform from the U.S. have been hovering over TikTok's head through both the Trump and Biden years. 

Read more .... 

 Update: Greenwald calls out TikTok for censoring on behalf of US government, not just China (FOX News)  

WNU Editor: The irony that we are seeing cannot be avoided. 

Watch the exact segment that TikTok (ie, the USG) banned (see tweet below)

Ironically, our report wasn't even critical of Zelensky per se. Instead, it showed how the Western media completely reversed its own reporting on Ukraine and Zelensky the minute Russia invaded.

Watch the exact segment that TikTok (ie, the USG) banned:https://t.co/DyN1RZLPMH

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 28, 2022

Emails Show Twitter And Facebook Regularly Coordinated With The Biden Administration To Censor Users

Daily Signal: ‘Censorship Enterprise’: Emails Reveal Biden Administration Coordinated With Facebook, Twitter 

Dozens of federal officials across multiple agencies within the Biden administration communicated extensively with social media companies to coordinate censorship of information, according to internal documents released by Republican Attorneys General Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana. 

Officials within the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services sent emails to employees at Facebook and Twitter to flag instances of alleged misinformation and provide talking points to counter allegedly false narratives spreading on the platforms.  

Read more .... 

Update: Twitter, Facebook Regularly Coordinated With Biden Admin To Censor Users (Zero Hedge)  

WNU Editor: Why am I not surprised. 

House Republicans are saying they will try to stop this .... Republicans push bill to block Biden from encouraging social media censorship: GOP says from 'COVID-19 to Hunter Biden, Biden administration officials are quick to label facts that don't fit their narrative as disinformation' (Daily Mail). More here .... Republicans push bill expanding Hatch Act to keep Biden admin officials from censoring speech (FOX News).

YouTube Has Removed Over 9,000 Channels Relating To The Ukraine War

Unlike some other platforms including Facebook and Instagram, YouTube has not been shut down in Russia. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters 

The Guardian: YouTube removes more than 9,000 channels relating to Ukraine war  

Exclusive: Platform takes ‘unprecedented action’ to address content guideline violations since invasion 

YouTube has taken down more than 70,000 videos and 9,000 channels related to the war in Ukraine for violating content guidelines, including removal of videos that referred to the invasion as a “liberation mission”. 

The platform is hugely popular in Russia, where, unlike some of its US peers, it has not been shut down despite hosting content from opposition figures such as Alexei Navalny. 

YouTube has also been able to operate in Russia despite cracking down on pro-Kremlin content that has broken guidelines including its major violent events policy, which prohibits denying or trivialising the invasion. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Fortunately my favorite Russian YouTube channels are operating. But I think it is only a matter of time before the platform is shut down by Google/Alphabet or the Kremlin.

YouTube Suspends Sky News Australia Channel For 7 Days Over Covid Reporting

Business Insider/Reuters: YouTube suspends Sky News Australia for a week after an apparent breach of the platform's COVID content policies 

* YouTube removed videos and issued a strike to Sky News Australia's channel, the tech platform said. 

* A YouTube spokesperson confirmed the move, saying: "We apply our policies equally for everyone." 

* Media outlets said the suspension followed a review of the broadcaster's COVID-related content. 

Sky News Australia said on Sunday it has been temporarily suspended by YouTube following the platform's review of content for compliance with its COVID-19 policies. 

"Sky News Australia acknowledges YouTube's right to enforce its policies and looks forward to continuing to publish its popular news and analysis content to its subscribers shortly," the broadcaster said in a statement on its website in relation to the suspension.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Instapundit makes a good point .... Sky News needs to put together a special unit investigating Google, YouTube and — especially — their top executives.  

More News On YouTube Suspending Sky News Australia Channel For 7 Days Over Covid Reporting

Sky News Australia has been suspended from YouTube following a review of old videos -- SKY News  

Sky News is BANNED from YouTube for 'posting Covid-denying videos' - after newspapers dumped Alan Jones' column 'over similar misinformation' -- Daily Mail

Sky News Australia given 1-week YouTube suspension after breaching COVID-19 misinformation policy -- ABC News Australia YouTube suspends Sky News Australia channel -- France 24  

Sky News Australia barred for week by YouTube over Covid misinformation -- BBC  

Sky News Australia suspended from YouTube for a week over Covid-19 misinformation -- CNN  

YouTube bans Sky News Australia for a week over alleged Covid misinformation -- RT

One Day Soon Your Favorite Website Will Not Be There

(Twitter screenshot) 

PJ Media: One Day Soon, You'll Wake Up to Find Your Favorite Website Has Vanished 

Joe Biden’s White House is saying the quiet part out loud now. 

Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted last week that, in an effort to crack down on COVID-19 “misinformation,” the Biden administration has been sending Facebook lists of topics they want to be censored. They’re not even trying to hide it anymore.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: My wake-up call on big-tech censorship happened exactly one year ago .... It Appears That Google Has A Black List Of Conservative Sites (War News Updates Is On The List) (July 22, 2021). 

Since then, a lot has changed. 

For 14 years traffic on WNU was increasing by about 50% a year. But after last year, traffic growth stabilized at around five to ten percent. 

For 14 years I would type "war news" in the Google search box, and this blog would be the first search result. Today .... it is not even there. 

I had plans last year to do a Youtube channel .... putting on video what I put on this blog. Upon reflection I am glad that I did not proceed with that project. Under the current environment that YouTube channel would have been quickly restricted/demonetize and probably closed. 

But as bad as big tech has been when it comes to censorship. The US government now wants to get involved.

Case in point. In the past week the Biden administration has openly stated what their intentions are when it comes to social media. 

This should send a shudder in every American. But it has not. In fact .... many are applauding this. 

But as bad as it is in the U.S., I live in Canada and it is worse here. 

The Canadian government now wants to pass laws to criminalize certain types of speech on social media with heavy fines and jail-time .... The Mounties always get their Blog (Small Dead Animals). 

This has sent a shudder among many Canadian social media sites that are focused on politics, and justifiably so. 

The Canadian government's intentions are very clear. They want to weaponize the law to go after sites like this one. And once it is passed, I can see the hounds being released very quickly. 

So what is next? 

Specifically. What is the future of this blog? 

I honestly do not know. 

I have been blogging for 20 years. Fourteen on this blog. 

116,000 posts. 

63 million page views. 

And after all of these years I still enjoy reading and posting stuff .... as well as adding an opinion or two. 

The feedback from readers is what gives me the most pleasure, and the friendships that have been formed because of this blog is a gift that I had never thought I would get. 

So faced with uncertainty I am now forced to take everything day-by-day.

And hope that I can continue as long as it is possible.

Biden Administration Admits That It Is 'Flagging Problematic Posts' To Facebook

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said they're 'flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,' which riled up critics  

Daily Mail: White House admits it is 'flagging problematic posts' to Facebook they believe spread 'disinformation' about the COVID vaccine - sparking Glenn Greenwald to call the move a 'hallmark of fascism' 

* White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said they're 'flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation' about COVID-19 

* This riled up critics, including reporter Glenn Greenwald, who ripped the White House for censoring dissenting voices in an eight-tweet thread * He said the president shouldn't be allowed to flag content that he considers 'problematic' 

* The 'union of corporate and state power (is) one of the classic hallmarks of fascism,' Greenwald tweeted 

* Psaki's comments came the same day US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said health misinformation is 'a serious threat to public health' 

* Psaki criticized Facebook for not working fast enough to remove 'harmful, violative posts' and ban the sources of the posts 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said they're 'flagging problematic posts' on Facebook 'that spread disinformation' about the COVID-19 vaccine and the pandemic, which sent critics into a frenzy. 

Psaki's comments during Thursday's press briefing after the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's said health misinformation is 'a serious threat to public health.' 

During her comments, Psaki said the White House has increased disinformation tracking and is working with Facebook and popular influencers who can get 'accurate information' out to the public. 

Among the critics who lashed out against the White House on Twitter and other social media outlets was journalist Glenn Greenwald, who said the 'union of corporate and state power (is) one of the classic hallmarks of fascism.'  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Twitter is saying the obvious .... ‘Shady government’: Twitter slams White House for helping Facebook censor posts (SKY News). 

More News On The Biden Administration 'Flagging Problematic Posts' To Facebook  

White House ‘flagging’ posts for Facebook to censor over COVID ‘misinformation’ -- NYPost

'We're Flagging Problematic Posts for Facebook': White House Works to Increase Vaccinations and Silence 'Misinformation' -- CBN  

White House admits to ‘flagging problematic posts’ for Facebook, says it’s necessary to fight medical ‘misinformation’ -- RT  

The White House isn't letting Facebook off the hook for allowing misinformation to spread on its platforms -- Business Insider  

Critics slam the White House after Psaki reveals it's consulting with Facebook to 'flag misinformation' -- FOX News

One-Third Of Americans Do Not See 'Cancel Culture As A Threat To Their Freedom

The Hill: 64 percent view 'cancel culture' as threat to freedom: poll

A majority of Americans say they view "cancel culture" as a threat to their freedom, according to a new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released exclusively to The Hill on Monday. 

Sixty-four percent of respondents said that there is "a growing cancel culture" that is a threat to their freedom, while 36 percent said they did not view it as a threat to their freedom. 

Additionally, the poll found that 36 percent of Americans said cancel culture is a "big problem," while 32 percent called it a "moderate problem." Another 20 percent said it was a "small problem" and 13 percent said it is "not a problem." 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Only 64% see it as a threat!!!!! The number should be 100%. But that is unfortunately the trend in the U.S. as witnessed by Silicon Valley's determination to deplatform, demonetize, or remove accounts that they disagree with socially or politically. 

Growing up in the former Soviet Union "cancel culture" was always practiced by the Kremlin and a sad part of my life and the life everyone else. 

Stalin set the standard on government policy when it came to  cancel culture (see picture below), and George Orwell revealed how it operated in his classic book 1984 (You can download a free eboook version of 1984 from here).

In The Age Of Censorship

WNU Editor: Good advice in this era of censorship. 

Hat tip: Instapundit 

Update: This online library has 24,000 ebooks that you can download for free .... Bookyards.

World Leaders And Officials Blast Social Media And Tech Companies For Banning President Trump

Al Jazeera: A ‘bad sign’: World leaders and officials blast Twitter Trump ban 

Allies and critics of the US president slam Twitter’s move to ban him from its platform, citing freedom of speech. 

Citing the danger of inciting further acts of violence, on January 8 Twitter suspended United States President Donald Trump’s account – three days after he called on his supporters on Twitter to march towards the US Capitol building while Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. 

“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” Twitter said. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Russian opposition leader Navalny says it best .... Russian opposition leader Navalny slams Trump ban as 'censorship' (NBC). 

But my worry is on what happened to Parlar. When the three largest tech companies in the world decide to work together to wipe out a competitor on the same day, you know you are living in dangerous times .... Bartiromo: Parler ban coordinated effort 'to put a competitor out of business' (FOX News). 

Update: Its starting to spread. Anyone criticizing Big Tech is at risk of being shut down .... Facebook Locks Out Ron Paul Following Column Criticizing Big Tech Censorship, Cites 'Error' (Foundation For Economic Education). 

Update #2: U.S. tech companies may enjoy Section 230 legal protection in the U.S., but they do not around the world. Poland is showing the rest of us on what should be done .... 

 .... Poland, appropriately enough, is leading the way. Their Justice Minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, announced last month that the Polish government would enact a law constraining Big Tech from censoring their citizens. Polish users who are victims of censorship can go to a new Polish court, get an injunction forcing the company to restore their account and their content, on penalty of a fine of as much as 1.8 million euros. (Rein in abusive Big Tech republic, Will Chamberlain) (New York Post).

Update #3: Faster please .... The Guy Who Built The World Wide Web Is Building A 'New Internet', Where You Control Your Data (India Times).

Free Speech Now Curtailed On U.S. Conservative Talk Radio. If Hosts Do Not Comply They Will Be Fired

Protesters gather near the Washington Monument to protest against the certification of the 2020 presidential election results by Congress in Washington, D.C., January 6, 2021. (Stephanie Keith/Reuters) 

National Review: Talk-Radio Owner Threatens to Fire Hosts Who Dispute Election Results 

A media company that employs right wing talk-radio hosts, including Mark Levin, Dan Bongino, and Ben Shapiro, circulated a memo after the pro-Trump riots on Capitol Hill telling hosts to dial down allegations of election fraud, or else face termination. Cumulus Media sent the internal memo to employees on Wednesday, according to Inside Music Media. 

The Atlanta-based company owns 416 radio stations throughout the country, many using a talk-radio format with local and national right-wing personalities. 

“We need to help induce national calm NOW,” Cumulus’s executive vice president of content Brian Philips wrote in the memo. The company “will not tolerate any suggestion that the election has not ended. The election has been resolved and there are no alternate acceptable ‘paths.’” 

Read more .... 

Update: Talk-radio owner orders conservative hosts to temper election fraud rhetoric (Washington Post) 

WNU Editor: My gut tells me that Cumulus Media has been warned by the powers that be in Washington and by surrogates from the incoming Biden administration that if this is not stopped immediately, they will review the FCC rules that permits them to operate on the radio waves. 

Cumulus Media has already gotten rid of Dr. Michael Savage, so their warnings of firing their hosts should be treated as very real. Rush Limbaugh is on some Cumulus Media stations. Will he now curtail his speech? The repercussions over this demand to not talk about the election will be far reaching.

On a side note. Since leaving radio Doctor Savage's podcasts have become one of the most popular podcasts on the web. Link here.

Amazon, Apple and Google Work Together To Force Free Speech App Parler To Close Down

 

Daily Mail: Conservative 'free speech' app Parler DISAPPEARS from the internet at 3am after tech giants Amazon, Apple and Google all pull the plug over 'posts inciting violence' 

 * Parler went offline at 3am EST after Amazon booted it from its web hosting app 

 * It has already been kicked off Apple and Google's stores after the Capitol siege 

 * The app was the most-downloaded on Apple after Donald Trump's Twitter ban 

 * CEO John Matze warned that 'we will likely be down longer than expected' 

 * He later said the app has 'worked hard' to 'remove prohibited content' 

 * Don Jr. shared a post which read: 'The internet was a hell of a lot safer before @Twitter, @Apple, @Google, and @Facebook started protecting us from it' 

Right-wing social media site Parler has disappeared from the web and vanished from the Apple and Google app stores after tech giants cut ties with the platform in the wake of the deadly mob attack at the US Capitol. 

Parler went offline shortly after 3am EST after Amazon booted the platform off its web hosting service, effectively shutting it down until it can find a new hosting partner. 

Hailed by Donald Trump supporters as a conservative-friendly alternative to Twitter - which permanently suspended the president on Friday - the site is seen as a magnet for the far right and was accused by Apple, Google and Amazon of continuing to allow messages inciting violence after Wednesday's riot. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: If Amazon, Google, and Apple applied the same standards to themselves as they did to Parler. They would also be forced to shut down. Parler's mistake is that they positioned themselves to be dependent on Amazon's hosting services. And because of that dependence .... once Parler was cut-off everyone followed suit including their text message services and email providers. 

I am the cofounder of Bookyards.com .... after Gutenberg the second oldest free online library on the web. I cannot tell you how many times over the years I have been told to put Bookyards on Amazon's cloud. It would be mega-cheaper in the long run to do so, and if technical problems should occur, Amazon would correct it very quickly. 

I have always refused preferring to have my own servers and people involved to avoid exactly what has happened to Parler. 

One thing that I learned very early in the evolution of the web is if the large tech companies see you as a competitor, they will shut you down. Parler has just learned that sobering lesson the hard way. 

 More News On The Force Closure Of Parler 

Parler goes dark after move by Amazon -- The Hill 

Parler goes dark: Amazon suspends the social platform from its web hosting services -- USA Today Parler app and website go offline; CEO blames Apple and Google for destroying the company -- 9 to 5 Mac 

Tech giants crack down on Parler for lack of content moderation -- The Hill 

Bans on Parler and Trump Show Big Tech’s Power Over Web Conversation -- Bloomberg 

Parler CEO says app will be offline ‘longer than expected’ because of Amazon, Apple and Google -- CNBC Conservative Social Media App Parler Is Pretty Much Dead -- Forbes

This Is How China Censors The Western Media

The CCP frequently censors western media.

This is what people in mainland China saw if they were watching the vice presidential debate live on CNN.

This is an @TruthAbtChina EXCLUSIVE pic.twitter.com/DA7JVu1GY8

— Things China Doesn't Want You To Know (@TruthAbtChina) October 9, 2020

WNU Editor: Is anyone surprised?

It Appears That Google Has A Black List Of Conservative Sites (War News Updates Is On The List)

Google on Tuesday briefly stopped displaying conservative news outlets from its search

Daily Mail: Google's right-wing blacklist: Ex-engineer at tech giant says glitch which blocked some conservative websites from appearing in their search may have exposed a secret internal list which suppresses certain outlets

* Google on Tuesday morning for several hours did not display conservative news
* The company says they're aware of the incident but did not give an explanation
* A former Google engineer told Mediate he believes it exposes a 'secret blacklist'
* CEO Sundar Pichai says Google doesn't 'manually intervene' in search results

Google may have a 'secret blacklist' of conservative news outlets, a former engineer at the company has claimed, which was exposed on Tuesday when certain websites briefly vanished from Google search results.

Mike Wacker, a Google engineer who was fired from the company in June 2019 amid a row over his conservative ideology, said the brief incident on Tuesday suggested a 'blacklist'.

'It appears to have revealed the existence of another blacklist that disproportionately targets conservatives,' Wacker told Mediaite.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: War News Updates was one of those sites black-listed. Hat tip to reader James for pointing out to me earlier in the day that WNU was blacklisted by Google.

YouTube Assisting Beijing In Censoring Critics By Deleting Comments That Insult China’s Communist Party

#YouTube "automatically" deletes a comment in Chinese, "Gongfei", which means "communist bandit", in 15 seconds.
This person tested 3 times, same result. #油管 15秒內自動刪除「共匪」留言，網友連試三次皆如此。
他們找了個比李飛飛更厲害的AI專家？ pic.twitter.com/MLCeko0SIY

— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferatntd) May 13, 2020

Verge: YouTube is deleting comments with two phrases that insult China’s Communist Party

These Chinese language phrases are removed within seconds.

YouTube is automatically deleting comments that contain certain Chinese-language phrases related to criticism of the country’s ruling Communist Party (CCP). The company confirmed to The Verge this was happening in error and that it was looking into the issue.

“This appears to be an error in our enforcement systems and we are investigating,” said a YouTube spokesperson. The company did not elaborate on how or why this error came to be, but said it was not the result of any change in its moderation policy.

But if the deletions are the result of a simple mistake, then it’s one that’s gone unnoticed for six months. The Verge found evidence that comments were being deleted as early as October 2019, when the issue was raised on YouTube’s official help pages and multiple users confirmed that they had experienced the same problem.

Read more ....

WNU Editor:You have to wonder what else is being censored.

China Expels 3 Wall Street Journal Reporters

CGTN: 'Racist-like remarks are not welcome,' China says as it revokes press cards of 3 WSJ journalists

China has revoked the press credentials of three journalists from the Wall Street Journal, citing the paper's "racist-like" remarks on China and attacks on China's media, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal carried a recent article by Walter Russell Mead who used the term "sick man" to describe China and smeared the efforts of the Chinese government and people on fighting the COVID-19 epidemic.

The paper has so far neither made an official apology regarding the article nor informed the ministry of what it plans to do with the persons involved despite China's solemn representation.

Read more ....

Update #1: China Expels Three Wall Street Journal Reporters (The Wall Street Journal)
Update #2: China expels three Wall Street Journal reporters over opinion article written by academic (The Washington Post)

WNU Editor: Beijing is becoming paranoid over coverage of its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. They are putting a lot of pressure on media outlets, and the censors are working overtime. As for this specific WSJ expulsion. The Wall Street Journal refused to do a Bloomberg .... When Bloomberg News’s Reporting on China Was Challenged, Bloomberg Tried to Ruin Me for Speaking Out (The Intercept).

China Blocks A Quarter Of Accredited Foreign News Sites

AFP: China blocks almost a quarter of accredited foreign news sites: watchdog

China's "Great Firewall" system of online censorship blocks domestic access to nearly a quarter of the foreign news organisations accredited to report in the country, a press watchdog said Tuesday.

Beijing bars its citizens from accessing the publicly available websites of 23 percent of 215 international news organisations that have journalists based in China, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) said in a statement.

Thirty-one percent of news organisations that publish primarily in English, the most widely-spoken foreign language in China, are blocked, the FCCC said in a statement.

The numbers were determined via an analysis by the press club and GreatFire.org, which tracks Chinese online censorship.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This tool tells you what websites are blocked in china .... Comparitech.

Here Are The 10 Most Censored Countries In The World

Deterioration of free press continues globally as countries implement more sophisticated forms of censorship (AFP/File photo)

Committee To Protect Journalist: 10 Most Censored Countries

Repressive governments use sophisticated digital censorship and surveillance alongside more traditional methods to silence independent media. A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Eritrea is the world's most censored country, according to a list compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The list is based on CPJ's research into the use of tactics ranging from imprisonment and repressive laws to surveillance of journalists and restrictions on internet and social media access.

Under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to seek and receive news and express opinions. These 10 countries flout the international standard by banning or severely restricting independent media and intimidating journalists into silence with imprisonment, digital and physical surveillance, and other forms of harassment. Self-censorship is pervasive.

Read more ....

More News On The 10 Most Censored Countries In The World

Eritrea Tops List of Most Censored Countries -- VOA
CPJ: Turkmenistan, Iran, Belarus Among World's 'Most Censored Countries' -- RFE
10 countries cited for extreme media censorship: watchdog -- AFP
Eritrea tops CPJ list of worst countries for press censorship -- Al Jazeera
Saudi media freedom sharply deteriorating under crown prince's leadership: Report -- Middle East Eye