Exclusive Facebook Censorship Interview About Recent Account Removals [audio]
[Potent News Editor’s note: Around a month ago I had 2 weeks’ worth of my posts on the Potent News facebook page deleted (no idea why). However, even weeks before that I had already lost the ability to send out friend requests on facebook (people can send me requests and I can accept them, but I can’t send any out myself), and at the same time I had lost the ability to like/share anything, the ability to respond to anything on any wall and also, my chatting became limited to that little chat window on the bottom right. It won’t let me send message unless I’m using that stupid small chat window. You know the one. At the time that they did all this and rendered me almost completely useless on facebook the excuse they gave was they said I violated their community guidelines or some crap like that, and they claimed I was “spamming” although I never spammed anyone. That said, I saw this kind of censorship coming and this is one of the reasons I avoided facebook for several years.
UPDATE from PN: It seems that no more than 24 hours after publishing the previous paragraph detailing the limitations facebook had imposed on me ALL those limitations have been lifted… I forgot to mention that when I was initially blocked from all those features they said the ban would be lifted after 30 days, however they seem to have taken almost 60 days to do that.]
By JG Vibes
theintelhub.com
December 28, 2012
Facebook has become more and more of a problem for activists over the years, between charging for views and random account cancellations it has become increasingly difficult to get the message out through this medium. This week Facebook suspended the accounts of hundreds of prominent activists over a “terms of service” violation that stemmed from a profile that all of these people act as administrators for.
To get to the bottom of this censorshop, Bob Tuskin conducted and interview with Justin Wallis , the creator of the “Infowar social networking group”. In this interview some background information is given on this mass blocking and we learn of the specific post that led to this censorship.
Some activists have had their pages reinstated, while others are still suspended. The following post was made to the facebook page, in hopes of gathering support to have those remaining pages reinstated:
“Just over 24 hrs. ago, the over 100 Admins that have run this page were all “mass blocked”
Facebook informed us it was because of an image which was posted here that they deemed “inappropriate” for their site.
In an unprecedented move, instead of blocking the poster(as was the norm up until yesterday)they blocked EVERYONE.
Please help us all to get our profiles unblocked by following the instructions below. We also request that this link be shared everywhere! Thank you all!
Instructions for lodging a complaint to Facebook on behalf of over 100 Admins of the Infowars Social Networking Coalition group:
Feedback link: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/?id=354963731183415
Fill out the feedback info as follows:
-Click “negative”
-Add the link to the group: http://www.facebook.com/InfowarSocialNetworkingCoalition
-Add the feedback text:
The “negative” feedback is for you, Facebook, and not the page in question.
I am complaining to you, Facebook, on behalf of over 100 admins at the Infowars Social Networking Coalition page.
One of the admins there recently posted an image which was deemed “inappropriate” by your standards.
After this incident, you have blocked all the admins of this group(over 100) for 30 days.
They can’t post anything, anywhere. Not on their own wall, not in this group, and not on any other groups which they might admin.
We find this a bit extreme on your part, to punish over 100 people for the actions of one?
We request that all of the admins which didn’t post this image have their accounts unblocked immediately.
Thank you.
While it is impossible at this point to tell for certain how and why this went down the way it did, it seems apparent that this is a case of over sensitive algorithms and a very loose banning policy that could honestly effect anyone, especially those of you who find yourself on pages such as this.
Facebook Yields to Pressure: Reactivates Political Critics’ Accounts
Global Research
December 28, 2012
Outcry Leads Facebook to Back Off Away from Overt Censorship
Prominent political critics confirmed to us that their accounts had been suspended or inactivated yesterday in a coordinated purge.
But after we – and others – slammed the censorship, the activists’ accounts have been reinstated.
Peter Dale Scott told us:
The issue seems indeed to have been activism, but of many varieties, including gun advocacy. Above all it seems to have affected many more accounts in England than here. See the Guardian story on my webpage, now restored, also this:
It is possible we [9/11 activists] were marginal victims of a procedure designed to prevent flash mobs (which alas we will never be).
Ejournalism seems to have taken care of the problem. Let’s take heart from this.
Michel Rivero writes:
Last night while I was sleeping the Magic Elves turned my Facebook account back on. I understand that most if not all of the other accounts were also switched back on. Frankly, I am honored to have been included in the list of leading political critics thus attacked. I feel like I made the varsity team!
Not a word of explanation has been forthcoming from Facebook. This, I think, rules out an external hacker attack.
The lesson to be learned here is that the alternative media has more power to affect change than we ourselves fully comprehend, and it is time to use that power.
Mike Adams of Natural News reports:
Facebook … suspended our account and gave us a “final warning” that one more violation of their so-called “community guidelines” would result in our account being permanently deactivated.
They then demanded we send them a color copy of a “government issued identification” in order to reactivate our account. Our account was removed from suspension just minutes before InfoWars posted its article on this Facebook censorship, and the Facebook page is now functioning at:
www.Facebook.com/NaturalNews
Related content:
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Facebook Bans Gandhi Quote as Part of Revisionist History Purge
By Mike Adams
Natural News
December 28, 2012
The reports are absolutely true. Facebook suspended the Natural News account earlier today after we posted an historical quote from Mohandas Gandhi. The quote reads:
“Among the many misdeeds of British rule in India, history will look upon the Act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.” – Mohandas Gandhi, an Autobiography, page 446.
This historical quote was apparently too much for Facebook’s censors to bear.
They suspended our account and gave us a “final warning” that one more violation of their so-called “community guidelines” would result in our account being permanently deactivated.
They then demanded we send them a color copy of a “government issued identification” in order to reactivate our account.
Our account was removed from suspension just minutes before InfoWars posted its article on this Facebook censorship, and the Facebook page is now functioning at:
www.Facebook.com/NaturalNews
This is a separate account from our primary Facebook account, which has nearly 250,000 followers at:
www.Facebook.com/HealthRanger
Logic is an enemy and history is a menace
That Facebook would choose to disable our account after we posted a Gandhi quote is incredibly shocking. The historical rise of oppressed Indian people against tyrannical British rule is apparently no longer allowed to be discussed on Facebook.
The very IDEA of a free people overcoming tyrannical government rule now “violates community guidelines.” The removal of this content is akin to online book burning and the destruction of history.
This post was not in any way malicious, nor encouraging violence, nor even describing guns or the Second Amendment. It merely reflected the words of one of our world’s most celebrated rebel leaders who helped an entire nation throw off the shackles of oppression and British occupation. That Facebook would find this to “violate community guidelines” is nothing short of absolutely bewildering.
Here is the full image as originally posted on Facebook. Keep in mind that THIS is now considered unacceptable speech across the “Facebook community,” where any number of people can openly call for the murder of the NRA president and have absolutely no action taken against them:
InfoWars.com is also now reporting that Facebook is running an across-the-board PURGE of pro-gun accounts. A huge number of accounts are all being systematically disabled or suspended, with all content being wiped clean.
We have entered the era of the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s 1984 novel. And while Facebook assaults the First Amendment in America, Senator Feinstein is busy assaulting the Second.
Facebook declares war on human history
What’s especially alarming about all this is that Gandhi himself was of course a champion of resistance against tyranny.
To banish quotes from Gandhi is much like banning quotes of freedom from Martin Luther King (who also openly supported concealed firearms, by the way, and who personally owned an entire “arsenal” of firearms).
What’s next? Will Facebook ban quotes by Thomas Jefferson and George Washington?
Any and all patriots, founding fathers and liberty lovers throughout history might soon be stricken from the Facebook servers, and any who dare to post historical quotes supporting liberty, the Bill of Rights, or the Second Amendment risk having their accounts terminated and all content deleted.
Collectivist propaganda has now reached a point where you can’t even discuss liberty or anything out of history that supported the right to keep and bear arms.
You are required to stay focused solely on celebrity gossip, sports stars, fashion distractions and tabloid garbage. Anyone who wishes to discuss actual American history must now go underground and speak softly in dimly-lit rooms, behind secret walls and drawn curtains.
The era of total oppression and collectivist mind control has fully arrived in America. This is not hyperbole… IT IS HERE NOW.
Memorize this quote, because it too shall soon be purged from the internet:
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” – Thomas Jefferson.
Dare to post that on Facebook and you risk your account being disabled or deleted.
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Facebook Suspends Account For Questioning Official Narrative on Shooting
Despite the fact that the mainstream media got key facts wrong in early reporting
by Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
December 18, 2012
Facebook is suspending user accounts that question the official narrative behind the Sandy Hook school massacre, following a warning by Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance that “misinformation” posted on social media sites could result in prosecution.
An image posted in the aftermath of the shootings that questioned whether “a clumsy 20-year-old autistic kid” could have pulled off the murders of 26 people was deleted and the user’s account hit with a three day suspension.
“I was informed the reason for this punishment was the result of a meme I had shared,” writes the editor of SecretsOfTheFed.com. “Facebook told me it “…violates Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities”. I was further warned that “If you continue to abuse Facebook’s features, your account could be permanently disabled.”
On Saturday, Connecticut state police warned that people posting “misinformation” on social media websites would be “investigated and prosecuted.”
However, this threat could apply to the vast majority of the mainstream media, who in their haste to get out ahead of the story reported numerous details that soon turned out to be completely incorrect.
– It was initially reported that Adam Lanza’s mother, the first victim of the rampage, was a teacher at the school, which was not true.
– It was initially reported that Lanza had also killed his father, which was not true.
– It was initially reported that the culprit behind the massacre was Ryan Lanza, Adam Lanza’s brother, which was not true.
– Initial reports that a “second gunman” arrested in the woods behind the school was involved in the massacre were later dropped without explanation.
Given that most of the “misinformation” about the shooting came from corporate media sources, the fact that Facebook is punishing users for asking questions about the proper sequence of events – essentially labeling such activity a thought crime – is a worrying development.
As we have previously highlighted, Facebook occasionally deletes images and posts that it claims violate “Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities,” yet constitute little more than political conjecture or a healthy skepticism of official narratives on current events.
In September 2011, Infowars reporter Darrin McBreen was told by Facebook staff not to voice his political opinion on the social networking website.
Responding to comments McBreen had made about off-grid preppers being treated as criminals, the “Facebook Team” wrote, “Be careful making about making political statements on facebook,” adding, “Facebook is about building relationships not a platform for your political viewpoint. Don’t antagonize your base. Be careful and congnizat (sic) of what you are preaching.”
*********************
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a host for Infowars Nightly News.
[hat tip: Canadian Liberty]
The Power of Twitter, Facebook and the NDAA
P.A.N.D.A. People Against The NDAA
December 18, 2012
The power of Twitter, Facebook and other social media, has been vastly underestimated. Back when we got started, it was just me and a computer. I saw tyranny, and didn’t know what else to do. So, I activated a twitter account and started connecting with other “tweeters.” It turns out there were hundreds of other people concerned about this law, and it might actually be possible to fight it.
It was from there we launched PANDA. We had some struggles at first, with a defeat at the hands of the Bowling Green, OH City Council, but quickly grew. We are now at over 90 chapters across nearly 40 states.
Now, Twitter and Facebook take the cake again as some of the best tools for activism. On December 14th, we launched a campaign to pressure the Michigan legislature into passing a law, HB 5768, against the NDAA. Activists like AnonBig spread the message on Twitter, while A Sheep No More, 1 Billion Against Indefinite Detention, Recall Every Congressman Who Voted for the NDAA, and ourselves spread it via Facebook.
With hundreds of retweets across Twitter, and over 800 shares on Facebook, this campaign went viral. We had people reporting that staffers were saying “You guys must be really well organized, because we’re getting lots of calls.” After all this pressure, the Michigan legislature responded.
Even though Tom McMillin’s HB 5768 will have to be resubmitted next year, Randy Richardivlle, the Senate Majority Leader, guaranteed it will be “the first item on the agenda” for next year.
We did it. Your thousands of calls and emails made a huge difference in bringing the NDAA one step closer to its knees in Michigan. The power of social media should NEVER be underestimated.
Biggest Social Media Sites Censor Alternative News
Global Research
December 15, 2012
“Unreliable News Sources”
The mainstream media skews the news to defend the status quo, and serves the interests of the rich and powerful.
But at least web news sources are free of censorship … one would hope.
Unfortunately, that’s not true.
Facebook pays low-wage foreign workers to delete certain content based upon a censorship list. For example, Facebook deletes accounts created by any Palestinian resistance groups.
Digg was caught censoring stories which were controversial or too critical of the government. See this and this.
Many accuse Youtube of blatant censorship.
Reddit – the 133rd most popular website worldwide on the Internet – is also censoring.
I’m not talking about censoring specific websites (For example, I was informed today that Reddit’s News category censors all stories from this website. But that’s just an example). I’m talking about censoring entire categories of news media.
Specifically, Reddit’s WorldNews category has 2.5 million subscribers. Most tv news shows have less than 2.5 million daily viewers. So that means that Reddit’s WorldNews is itself a mainstream media source in terms of numbers. And many more people see WorldNews stories on the front page of Reddit, even if they are not subscribers to the WorldNews subreddit.
(Reddit is owned by the 46th largest company in the United States – Advance Publications – which owns a number of mainstream newspapers and magazines.)
Yet WorldNews censors blogs, and doesn’t consider them real news sources. Here’s a discussion I had recently with WorldNews moderators:
In fact, the top independent experts in every field – economics, business, foreign affairs, military, science, energy, etc. – have their own blogs, making blogs one of the best sources of information, a good way to fact-check the mainstream news, and the best way to read the experts’ insights direct and unfiltered. See this, this and this.
Indeed, the whole reason that news blogs have become popular is that they get around the censorship which is ubiquitous in the mainstream television news. And social media is popular as a news source – especially among youth – because it pretends that it provides uncensored news, where a free market of popularity governs.
That’s obviously not the case, where specific websites – and entire classes of media, such as blogs – are barred.
Reddit holds itself out as a young, hip, progressive news source. But if it is censoring blogs, it fails to live up to any of these claims.
The government already censors and manipulates social media. More proof here and here.
It is sad that the moderators of the social media sites themselves are doing the same thing.
——————————————————————————
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EU Censors Alternative News in Bid to Dominate US-NATO War Narrative
Western media quietly attempts to censor growing global opposition, begins with Iranian media.
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Media watchdog organization Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting notes:
The conventional corporate media timelines usually stress, whatever the facts, that Israel is responding to violent attacks by Palestinians.
For example, the New York Times…
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author’s copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: publications@globalresearch.ca
http://www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
For media inquiries: media@globalresearch.ca
Leaks From UN Telecom Conference Show Orwellian Proposals
Russia Today
December 10, 2012
Leaked documents from a recent International Telecommunications Union meeting have exposed several disturbing examples of potential usages of the Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) standard, which was recently adopted by a UN conference in Dubai.
The leaked documents include a full draft recommendation on the ‘Y.2770’ standard for DPI. This technology is used to monitor, filter and manage Internet traffic. It could potentially be used by governments and international telecom companies to easily scan data sent on the Internet.
Though the recommendation specifies only the requirements for DPI in next-generation networks, it also suggests that such standards be applicable to the current generation.
The draft document does not cover the potential impact of the DPI, but recommends that implementers and users of the described capabilities “shall comply with all applicable national and regional laws, regulations and policies.”
DPI will provide functionality to control and inspect Internet traffic – including encrypted and compressed data – in a wide range of possible scenarios.
The paper mentions several such scenarios, including: forwarding copyright-protected audio content, detection of a specific transferred file from a particular user, identifying uploading BitTorrent users and detecting and blocking Peer-to-Peer VoIP telephony.
Critics are calling the DPI standard invasive, expressing concern of its approval, while the ITU itself has been accused of secrecy because it did not allow individual countries to publish their own proposals for changes in the standard.
The World Conference on International Telecommunications this week was held behind closed doors, with even representatives from Google, Facebook and Twitter barred from attending.
The conference was briefly disrupted by a suspected hacker attack that forced the WCIT website offline for about two hours.
ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Toure accused the attackers of hypocrisy, saying that it was ironic that those who claim to be fighting for a free Internet disrupt online access to the event. “Do they believe in one rule for them and another for everybody else?” he said.
This article originally appeared at RT
[hat tip: TheIntelHub]
PN 
