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After the beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamist, teachers in France are very shocked. A survey shows that half of French teachers practice self-censorship in matters of religion. This is reported by the Belgian VRT.

After Samuel Patys death, more and more French people seem to feel a certain pressure to pay attention to what they say. It makes sense, too, because no one wants to be the next beheaded for a wayward Muhammad cartoon. A recent survey shows that no less than 50% of French teachers are of this opinion.

The French principle secularism, the division between Church and State, is partly because of this under enormous pressure. Tolerance towards people with different worldviews and being able to believe what you want in private, without forcing it on others, is no longer taken for granted by everyone in France.

From the VRT report it appears that even if teachers find that they do not even understand the concept correctly explained anymore. It is understood by the students as a prohibition of the faith. Where the French say, You only wear symbols of faith outside of your school, French Muslims experience this as an outright reduction of their religious beliefs.

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This puts things in place in the French school system. Teaching about gender equality in companies is already avoided by a teacher. Another was previously told that his Muslim students would not play that day because of Ramadan. The potential for classroom conflict is already present when it comes to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The Islamic minority in France seems to be more and more able (and willing) to impose its will, while the French majority has not yet been able to give a correct answer. And with French President Macron busy tackling the more radical elements, it looks like the tension will only increase in the years to come. In any case, we are a team of freedom of expression!

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Infuriatingly humble social media ninja. Devoted travel junkie. Student. Avid internet lover.

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Allahu Akbar! Half of French teachers censor their own comments on Islam after Samuel Paty's murder - From Daily Standaard - DodoFinance

The Texas Senate early Thursday approved a bill that would prohibit social media companies with at least 100 million monthly users from blocking, banning, demonetizing or discriminating against a user based on their viewpoint or their location within Texas.

Senate Bill 12, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Bryan Hughes of Mineola, was approved after 2 a.m. Thursday. The measure, which would apply to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among others, would also require the companies to disclose their content moderation policies, publish regular reports about the content they remove and create an appeals process for user content that has been taken down.

The Texas attorney general would be allowed to file suit against any company that violates a provision of the bill. If upheld in court, the attorney general could recoup "reasonable" attorney's fees and investigative costs.

Experts have raised doubts about the legality of the measure. Hughes acknowledged that, if signed into law, SB 12 would almost certainly be challenged in court. He repeatedly referred to social media platforms as common carriers, though they have never been classified as such by law or in the court system. Common carriers, such as phone companies and cable providers, are private or public companies that transport goods or people and are barred by government regulators from discriminating against customers.

Even though theyre private actors, because they are common carriers, because they chose to enter this business and offer their services, then they are bound by certain rules, Hughes said.

Facebook and Google, which owns YouTube, did not respond to requests for comment. In remarks before Congress last week, company executives denied removing content or blocking users based on their viewpoints.

A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment specifically on SB 12, but said in a statement that the platform enforces "the Twitter Rules judiciously and impartially for everyone on our service regardless of ideology or political affiliation and our policies help us to protect the diversity and health of the public conversation."

The bill heads to the House, where two identical bills have been filed but so far have not moved forward in the State Affairs Committee.

During Tuesdays debate on the bill, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, pointed out that while Facebook and Twitter would be included under the measure, websites such as Parler and Gab, which are popular among conservatives, would be left out because they have fewer than 100 million monthly users. He proposed an amendment that would have lowered the threshold to 25 million monthly users, but it was voted down by a vote of 21-10.

Hughes stressed that the measure seeks to protect all viewpoints. But at a press conference earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott announced his support for the measure and chided social media companies for leading a dangerous movement to silence conservative ideas [and] religious beliefs.

The rhetoric about silencing conservatives ramped up following the 2020 election, when platforms including Facebook and Twitter removed former President Donald Trumps account for inciting violence during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. Prior to that, the platforms attached warnings to posts by Trump and other conservatives who were, without evidence, sowing doubt on the legitimacy of the election.

Republican politicians have long targeted technology giants accusing them of an anti-conservative bias and for silencing free speech, even though the actions to ban members were often in response to credible evidence that communications were inciting violence. A February report by researchers at New York University found that there are no credible studies showing that Twitter removes tweets for ideological reasons.

In a congressional hearing last October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told lawmakers that Democrats often say that we dont remove enough content, and Republicans often say we remove too much.

The fact that both sides criticize us doesnt mean that were getting this right, but it does mean there are real disagreements about where the limits of online speech should be, he said.

Twitter in January purged more than 70,000 accounts linked to the dangerous conspiracy theorist group QAnon for the movements connection to the U.S. Capitol attack.

Hughes in 2019 filed a similar measure that won Senate approval, but it ultimately died in committee in the Texas House.

Read more here:
Texas Senate approves social media "censorship" bill - The Texas Tribune

Do social media and big tech companies have too much power when it comes to blocking political candidates from using their platforms? According to abill backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the answer to that question is "yes," a position that has prompted no small amount of debate among state lawmakers.

If passed, the bill would impose a daily $100,000 fine on social media platforms for de-platforming statewide candidates and a daily $10,000 fine for all other Florida candidates.

The bill also attempts to provide equal access for news organizations and political candidates to reach users free from manipulation by algorithms and give users the power to opt out of algorithms.

House Speaker Chris Sprowls, a supporter of the legislation, also spoke out about the bill during the news conference, saying how it would let Florida take back the virtual public square as a place where information and ideas can flow freely.

However, not all House members agree.

Were going to pass something that we have very strong reason to think is unconstitutional, Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura, said during a House Appropriations Committee hearing. Ultimately, were probably going to lose, and the people who are going to pay are really not us sitting at these tables; its going to be the taxpayers.

The main concern if the bill is passed is that it could infringe on companies right to free speech by regulating the content they publish, possibly violating the First Amendment.

However, the bills primary sponsor, Commerce Committee Chair Blaise Ingoglia, says that the bill would do more good than harm.

The bill, which the House Appropriations Committee cleared by a 19-8 vote, is now being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee.

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Florida Big Tech Censorship Bill Takes Another Step Forward - Government Technology

Rose McGowan is accusing Twitter of trying to censor her after the social media giant suspended her account for what it said was a violation of itsnon-consensual nudity policy in a tweet slamming Vice President Harris and former President Clinton,Fox New reports.

"What are you so afraid of Jack Dorsey, a little freedom of speech?" McGowan said a video response shared by RT.com Tuesday in which she calls out the Twitter CEO for her suspension from his social media platform. "I know Twitter is trying to silence me, and I know a lot of powerful Democrats are behind it."

Activist, author, and artist Rose McGowan has had her Twitter account suspended, over a tweet she posted about Jeffrey Epstein and President Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson ClintonNew York Democrat calls on White House to reverse 'old school' marijuana policy while admitting own past use Bill Clinton on Georgia's new voting restrictions: 'An attack on our democracy' Harris hails child tax credit during interview with Bill Clinton MORE pic.twitter.com/V2NmM9ZQld

The activist andactor had taken to Twitter to condemn Harris prior to the vice president's appearance atthe Clinton Global Initiative summit for a speaking engagement focused on women empowerment last week.Clinton, she pointed out, has been accused of sexual misconduct.

"This is obscene@KamalaHarris," McGowan tweeted at Harrison March 25, a day before the event, according to Fox News. "You speaking with Bill Clinton about empowering women & girls is disgusting. Have you no soul? Have you no ethics? Ask him about being on an island of human trafficking victims 27 times. You are showing us exactly who you are."

The tweet referenced a claim from former Clinton confidant Doug Band, whoalleged in December that he had visited Jeffrey Epstein's "pedophile" island in 2003. Clinton has denied ever stepping foot on the island.

McGowan was suspended from Twitter over themessage, which featured a realistic piece of artwork byBritish artist Alison Jackson depictingClinton receiving a massage from an unknown woman.The social media site flagged the tweet as being a violation of itsnon-consensual nudity policy, Fox New reports.

"Let me speak," McGowan concluded her video retort. "I am more dangerous if you silence me."

McGowan is one of the women who accuseddisgracedHollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.

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Rose McGowan accuses Twitter of censorship over Clinton tweet | TheHill - The Hill

By Dom Serafini

The late U.S. president Ronald Reagan used to tell and retell a joke about an American bragging to a Russian about the fact that he could pay a visit to him at the White House, and banging his fists on his table, tell him, Mr. President I dont like the way youre running our country. The Russian answered that he too can go to the Kremlin and tell Mikhail Gorbachev, Mr. President, I dont like the way Reagan is running his country.

The point of the joke is that in Russia then and now there is no liberty, no democracy, and no freedom of speech.

Indeed, Americans and Europeans alike like to think that they live in states where freedom of the press and freedom of expression are observed. On the other hand, Russians, Chinese people, and Iranians, just to name a few, live under dictatorships, otherwise called authoritarian states, with no freedom of the press, of liberty, or of expression.

While people in democratic states think they enjoy free press, those in authoritarian states know that their media is controlled, and thus, those who can, tend to follow the media imported (mostly illegally) from democratic states, believing that it is fair and balanced. At least this is what happened years ago. Today, however, people in authoritarian states are starting to believe that even the so-called free press is biased, full of fake news, and most importantly, censored and full of propaganda (read advertising) that determines elections and public policies.

Trying to look impartially at various forms of censorship we can identify five forms of widely used censorship: State Censorship, Corporate Censorship, Social Censorship, Privacy Laws, and Libel Laws.

State Censorship is what is practiced in countries like Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and the like. In these states, censorship takes different forms, like direct and indirect media ownership, and various strategies such as restricting news and conditioning news. It even extends to film, theater, and text messaging. In China, for example, a department of the Chinese Communist Party (one of the countrys multiple censorship organs) employs two million people to monitor and censor content.

In democracies, censorship takes different forms, but at all levels it begins with self-censorship and denying access, keeping in mind that, by definition, an editor cannot be impartial.

Then there is the so-called Corporate Censorship, where corporate owners of media control the news by selecting those who report it, by establishing an editorial line (e.g., progressive or conservative), and by limiting access to only those who reflect their values. Corporate Censorship tends to take guidance from governments, especially with regard to foreign policies. The most recent examples come from the Iraqi War, the Syrian War, and the bias towards authoritarian states. Corporate Censorship is a topic widely discussed in academia and explained in books such as Puerto Rican scholar Giannina Braschs United States of Banana. In addition, in the U.S., the First Amendment protects against censorship from the government, but does not protect against Corporate Censorship or from non-public outrages, like hate speech.

Social Censorship is now emerging in established democracies, which is enforced by the sarcastically called Political Correct Police Force, and complemented by advocates of Cancel Culture. Left-leaning influential groups have the power to fire people, embarrass noncompliant individuals, and discredit those who deviate from the sanctioned school of thought.

Additionally, in countries like Italy, for example, censorship is widely applied by threating libel suits, which could threaten the survival of small publications. Italy is also unique because most professional journalists are licensed by the state. Plus, like in authoritarian states, defamation is a criminal offense in Italy. (In the U.S., its a civil issue.)

In China, defamation is used to prosecute people for having slandered the people of China, by expressing views not in accordance with the government mandates.

Finally, democracies especially those in Western Europe have strict privacy laws, which tend to protect the rich and powerful, who have lots to hide from the public.

Illustration by Bill Kerr licensed underCC BY-SA 2.0.

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The Age of Censorship VideoAge International - videoageinternational.net