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Facebook responded to Kevin Sorbos claims that the social media site removed his page without any explanation.

In a statement provided to Fox News, a Facebook company spokesperson said that Sorbos account was removed from the platform over posts he made about the coronavirus and vaccine.

"We removed Kevin Sorbos Page for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines," the statement reads.

The openly conservative actor appeared on "Fox News @ Night" Monday alongside his wife, Sam Sorbo, to discuss what he believed was cancel culture run amuck after the social media platform took down his official verified account. He saidat the time that he was not given prior notice or an explanation.

KEVIN AND SAM SORBO STARRING IN NEW PRO-LIFE DOCUMENTARY THAT ENDORSES TRUMP

But a Facebook spokesperson thatper its policy, Sorbos account was notified twice that it had 48 hours to remove posts that promoted alleged misinformation prior to its policy change. After the offending account allegedly failed to act, the page was removed. It's unclear specifically which posts violated the site's new policy.

Sorbo quickly took to Twitter to promote a new page, but that was promptly taken down by the social media site as well. The spokesperson noted that it is against the company's rules to create a new page to avoid enforcement of punishment on a previously offending page.

"FACEBOOK DID IT AGAIN!" Sorbo tweeted Wednesday. "I created my new page about a week ago, and with roughly 5 total posts, it has been deleted. No politics, just a few funny posts my kids sent me. Censorship at its finest, spread the word!"

Representatives for Sorbo did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment.

'HERCULES' STAR DISCUSSES NEW 'HARDCORE FAITH-BASED' MOVIE AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONSERVATIVES IN HOLLYWOOD

The site recently updated its policies on COVID-19 misinformation in an effort to crack down on pages and people who they say post potentially misleading or fraudulent claims about the pandemic to users.

"As the situation evolves, we continue to look at content on the platform, assess speech trends, and engage with experts like the World Health Organization (WHO), government health authorities, and stakeholders from across the spectrum of people who use our service, and we will provide additional policy guidance when appropriate to keep the members of our community safe during this crisis," the companys website reads.

Kevin Sorbo claims he was not told by Facebook why his account was removed. (Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)

During his interview, the "Hercules" actor said that he was not given any prior notice or explanation for his initial verified pages removal.

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"Ive been told absolutely nothing, I mean theyve been shadow banning me for the last year telling me that theyre purposely only letting a select few people see the posts that I make," he explained. "And the posts that I make, I do a lot of humor and obviously Facebook doesnt like humor because they dont have anything to laugh about."

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Sorbo continued: "And then I post things from doctors saying Hey check out the other side of the issue of COVID or check out the other side of the issue of voter fraud and what do you guys think? Thats pretty much what I post and thats enough to make them get angry and take my account down, I dont know. Id love to get an answer, trust me."

More:
Facebook responds to Kevin Sorbos claims of censorship, alleging he violated coronavirus misinformation rules - Fox News

There's a new bird on the block in India, as government ministers try to persuade the nation's 700 million netizens to take up a new microblogging app called 'Koo'.

Known by its yellow bird logo, the app and its bird branding appear to be a not-so-subtle rip off of the US-based social media giant Twitter.

But a tussle between the Indian government and Twitter has fuelled a surge in Koo users and raised questions over censorship and freedom of speech in the world's biggest democracy.

So how did Twitter fall so out of favour and what exactly is Koo?

And could the move to this fledgling online platform also be part of a broader geopolitical strategy to out-manoeuvre one of India's biggest tech rivals, China?

Twitter has become embroiled in one of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's biggest political challenges since he took office.

Widespread protests against new laws that would deregulate some areas of India's agriculture sector have riled government ministers who have said misinformation has fuelled resistance to the reforms.

The Indian government cited the example of Twitter deleting and blocking misinformation during the siege of the US Capitol building to demand similar action be taken against accounts it said were fomenting unrest during last month's protests.

After initially complying, Twitter eventually reinstated many of the removed posts and accounts which included journalists, activists and opposition politicians.

Speaking in Parliament last week, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad warned overseas social media platforms they were only welcome to continue operating in India if they complied with the law.

But Twitter hit back saying it did not believe the directives were consistent with Indian law.

"In keeping with our principles of defending protected speech and freedom of expression, we have not taken any action on accounts that consist of news media entities, journalists, activists, and politicians," it said.

The government also banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps last year over security concerns.

Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist and the founder of MediaNama.com, said the government's demands had been shrouded in secrecy and had fallen under a complex area of Indian law.

"Twitter has seemingly violated the government's orders under this law ... but if the matter was to go to court, then it would give us room for transparency around these orders, it would give us an opportunity to scrutinise them," he said.

Unlike when it banned TikTok, the government did not release any statements explaining its decisions on what it was seeking to have censored.

Internet shutdowns and censorship have become part of the Modi government's regular playbook to manage unrest and dissent.

Mr Pahwa said there had been hundreds of shutdowns over the last few years.

"[There have been] the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world [and] some of the longest in the world," he said.

"That is mass censorship."

This latest spat with Twitter is for many another sign that patience for cyber-dissent is wearing thin within some ranks of the Modi government.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ministers and supporters have wasted no time in leveraging the dispute to try and convince netizens to migrate to Koo.

What makes Koo particularly appealing in a multilingual country such as India is that it is already operating in five languages and plans to introduce 12 more.

It was launched in March last year by a duo of well-known start-up entrepreneurs, who claim to have 3 million downloads and 1 million active users still significantly fewer than Twitter's 17 million users in India.

Despite some glitches and privacy concerns, the app has managed to attract a slew of high-profile government ministers and a handful of cricket personalities and celebrities.

#Kooapp was the top Twitter trend in India last week, followed by #BanTwitter a sign of how quickly the tide might be turning.

It has been reported that the government will make announcements via Koo first, rather than Twitter, in the near future.

Koo co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna said some government handles "have already started kooing first", and then tweeting about one to three hours later.

"We are committed to a free speech platform for everyone in India irrespective of the language they know," he said.

"That's the main reason we started working on Koo in Nov 2019. We welcome every Indian to join the platform."

But Mr Pahwa said the app so far appeared to be largely populated by like-minded users and supporters of the ruling BJP party and its allies.

"It takes a democracy to create a debate, it takes a debate for a platform to flourish," Mr Pahwa said.

"If Koo is going to be just right-wing focused, and there's only one side on it, then I guess it will become an echo chamber and there'll be no-one to fight," he said.

The move to Koo is seen by some as an effort to wean off overseas apps and online technology.

Mr Pahwa said Modi's government is now aiming for technological self-sufficiency.

"There is a sense of 'China envy' in the Indian government, and not just about how big Chinese internet companies are ... but because it's closed out its tech ecosystem [to only Chinese apps]."

"India probably needs to do that in order to get Indian tech giants going as well," he said.

But unlike China's Twitter equivalent Weibo, Koo is not state-run or controlled, and exactly why the Modi government thinks it will be a more "BJP-friendly" platform in the long run is unclear.

The ABC has approached the Indian government for comment.

"There is a joke in India that I've read a bunch of times on Twitter, saying that sometimes the government feels that there is too much democracy in the country," Mr Pahwa said.

"But if you think about it, what makes Twitter work for many Indians is the fact that it's a global ecosystem, that we get voices from across the world."

Continue reading here:
Indian netizens are flocking to Koo, but what does it mean for censorship in the world's largest democracy? - ABC News

Editor:

Is the City of Edmonds censoring speech?

Yesterday the city Facebook page posted a nice picture of the waterfront center. To which I commented:

Going to be lovely once they get that highrise hotel built nextdoor

Which drew a quick private message response from the city.

Just so you know, no highrise commercial building of any kind is allowed on the waterfront. The Council simply added hotel to the existing list of the many commercial uses allowed in that zone (including offices, restaurants, retail, marine-oriented uses, etc.), all of which are limited to a maximum of 30 in height.

Seemed strange they didnt respond on the page. Another person had also made a comment to which they received a private message. He responded on the Facebook page that he was not interested in a private conversation and wished to continue on the public page. Some reasonable back and forth went on between the city, me and the other person, which has since been deleted. This is one of them from the city I was able to save before it was deleted:

Jim Fairchild We encourage and allow comments directly related to our posts. We do not wish to hide comments, but do so when they are off-topic or for other reasons listed in our About section.

I was able to save one of my two replies before it was deleted:

City of Edmonds Community and Government fair enough but the counsel just voted to allow hotels in that area or transformation of existing structures. First step. So I feel it is relevant. Feel free to block me or remove my comments it is what I would expect you to do in your attempt to limit free speech.

This is the last private message received from the city.

The first usage policy for the Citys FB page is this: 1. Is not topically related to the particular City-posted content or does not contribute to the intent of the posted content. Your statement about highrise hotels is both inaccurate and noncontributory to the intent of the post simply to showcase the new Waterfront Center.

To which I replied.

Again please feel free to block me or delete my post if you dont think it is appropriate I disagree.

How is my thought of the waterfront center being lovely with a potential future highrise next to it inaccurate or noncontributory?

I think my original comment is still up. But all the other comments including all from the other person have been deleted.

I can only conclude that the city only wants favorable comments and is unwilling to offer a space for reasonable discourse which is in violation of the first amendment. The city either needs to allow reasonable civil discourse or turn off the ability to comment.

I think a public apology is in order from the city. But I doubt it will be forthcoming.

Jim FairchildEdmonds

Read more:
Letter to the editor: Censorship on the city's Facebook page? - My Edmonds News

One of the main missions of DW is to advocate for freedom of expression and free access to information around the world. One of the growing threats to these tenets is internet censorship. Countries are increasingly blocking access to news sites like DW that provide reliable information and social media platforms that foster dialogue.

In order to allow users in these countries access to DW and other blocked content, DW has been working with Psiphon, a commercial provider in Canada, to create censorship-bypass tools for the needs of free media.

Psiphon offers apps and computer programs that offer different censorship-avoidance mechanisms and utilize a variety of servers, proxy servers and VPN technologies. DW now offers different means for users to utilize Psiphon technology to access content that has been censored.

Since 2020, Psiphon software has been integrated into the DW app for iOS and Android and makes DW content available in countries with limited internet access. With a click of a button, users in Iran and China where DW is blocked can access DW content by activating the Proxy setting in the app.

To do so, click on the menu button at the top left of the DW app, click on "Proxy" and then click on "Activate Proxy" (see image).

Users will find the Activate Proxy button by clicking on the Proxy setting

Please be aware that the proxy uses various technologies that may affect the apps loading speed and that the use of the proxy may violate laws in some countries. The DW app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store (iOS) or the Google Play Store (Android).

Download the DW app.

It is becoming more common for governments to block social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and other sites as a means of stifling expression. DW has also been working with Psiphon to provide a tool for access to other content and platforms that are being blocked by internet censors.

For a download link, send a blank email to dw-w@psiphon3.com

If you are experiencing such problems, consider using thePsiphonapp. To add the app to your phone (iOS/Android) or desktop, send an email to dw-w@psiphon3.com for a download link. If you use Psiphon via DW, you will first be redirected to DW's website. From there, you can continue onward to any other website.

Continue reading here:
Using DW and Psiphon to circumvent internet censorship - Deutsche Welle

The English version of Final Fantasy Legend 2 on the Game Boy was forced to rename opium, so the localizers decided to switch it with bananas.

TheFinal Fantasyseries has had its fair share of censored content, but none are as strange as the banana smuggling operation fromFinal Fantasy Legend 2on the original Game Boy. The first six mainlineFinal Fantasygames were released on Nintendo systems, and they faced some strict content guidelines.

The first threeFinal Fantasygames were limited in the kinds of stories they could tell, due to the limitations of the NES' hardware and cartridges. Once the series reached the SNES era, Square Enix (then known as Squaresoft) was able to tell more expansive stories. The only problem was that Nintendo had strict rules for the games that appeared on its consoles, especially in the era when violence in video gameswas a hotly-debated topic. This was part of the reason why Square Enix brought theFinal Fantasyseries to PlayStation systems, as Sony let the company go further than it ever could before in regards to adult storytelling in games.

Related:Why Final Fantasy 12 Was Censored In Japan (But Not In The West)

The most common form of censorship theFinal Fantasyseries has faced is covering up bare skin, as well as recoloring blood effects, both of which make sense for games that are trying to avoid high age ratings. There is one bit of censorship from theFinal Fantasyseries that is completely ridiculous, and feels like an attempt by the localizers to make fun of a change that was imposed upon them.

InFinal Fantasy Legend 2on the Game Boy, the player can visit a town called Edo. It's here that they will encounter a banana smuggling ring, as well as people who are addicted to bananas. If this doesn't make any sense, it's because it was a purposely comedic localization. According toLegends of Localization,the people of Edo were supposed to be addicted to opium, but it was changed to bananas, likely due to Nintendo mandating that alcohol/drug references couldn't be made in its games. A similar change happened inPokmon RedandBlue, where the drunk old man in Viridian City was changed to needing a cup of coffee.

The jump to the PlayStation allowed Square Enix to make drug references in its games, asFinal Fantasy Tacticsincluded references to opium. The people who want to check out the banana smuggling operation can do so on the Nintendo Switch, asFinal Fantasy Legend 2is part of theCollection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legendset, along with the other two games in the series. All three of theFinal Fantasy Legend games are retro in terms of their gameplay design, and that also includes its localization, which comes from a time when drugs had to be switched with fruit.

Next:Did Final Fantasy 7's Aerith Secretly Debut In Final Fantasy 5?

Source: Legends of Localization

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Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and regularly contributes to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. It turned out that wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comic books, and watching movies could be used for finding employment, regardless of what any career advisor might tell you. Scott specializes in gaming and has loved the medium since the early 90s when his first console was a ZX Spectrum that used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as news reports, opinion pieces, and game guides. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.

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The Final Fantasy Censorship That Turned Drugs Into Bananas, Explained - Screen Rant