The surveillance and anti-terrorism bureaucracy is now targeting right-wing and white Americans. And, of course, Big Tech is bringing all the pieces together to make it happen.
Top Tech companies are working with a counterterrorism group to create a shared database to crack down on America’s so-called enemies. “A counterterrorism organization formed by some of the biggest U.S. tech companies including Facebook and Microsoft is significantly expanding the types of extremist content shared between firms in a key database, aiming to crack down on material from white supremacists and far-right militias,” Reuters reported July 26.
This same database has been used to hold information on Islamic terror groups and the group works closely with the UN. Now, it’s ordinary Americans. Reuters observed that “Until now, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism's (GIFCT) database has focused on videos and images from terrorist groups on a United Nations list and so has largely consisted of content from Islamist extremist organizations such as Islamic State, al Qaeda and the Taliban.”
In what may be a sign of the times, Reuters reported in a political shift: “Over the next few months, the group will add attacker manifestos - often shared by sympathizers after white supremacist violence - and other publications and links flagged by U.N. initiative Tech Against Terrorism.” It will also “use lists from intelligence-sharing group Five Eyes, adding URLs and PDFs from more groups, including the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters and neo-Nazis.”
One does not need to side with truly objectionable groups to know where these measures are headed. Much like the banning of outlandish InfoWars host Alex Jones and libertarian activist Gavin McInnes, totalitarian measures often begin with controversial targets. However, those restrictions inevitably come after increasingly more mainstream people.
Even Reuters had to admit that some free speech watchdogs expressed concern: "’This expansion of the GIFCT hash database only intensifies the need for GIFCT to improve the transparency and accountability of these content-blocking resources,’" Director of Free Expression at the Center for Democracy & Technology Emma Llansó reportedly said in a statement. "’As the database expands, the risks of mistaken takedown only increase.’”
HumanEvents Senior Editor Jack Posobiec commented on both GIFCT shifting to focus on domestic right-wing extremism and the Anti-Defamation League’s disturbing partnership with Paypal in a tweet:
“Republicans have done nothing to prevent this from coming.They’re bought off by big tech.
“Are you paying attention yet?”
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar responded via a tweet that acknowledged the problem but said improvement is on the horizon:
“Fair criticism. Last congress I sponsored:
“-Stop the Censorship Act (23 cosponsors)
“-Don’t Push My Buttons Act
“-Break Up Big Tech Act
“All were bipartisan.”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representative and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
