Freedom of Speech Under Attack Worldwide (Worthy News In-Depth Analysis)
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Over the past month, there has been a notable assault on free speech, evidenced by the detention of Telegram’s head in France, the banning of the platform X in Brazil, heavy fines imposed in Germany, and revelations of active censorship by the Biden administration on Facebook and Instagram.
Brazil
The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was effectively banned in Brazil following legal disputes between Elon Musk and the Brazilian government.
“Free speech is the bedrock of democracy, and an unelected pseudo-judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes,” Musk wrote. “The oppressive regime in Brazil is so afraid of the people learning the truth that they will bankrupt anyone who tries.”
The conflict began in April 2024 when Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of numerous X accounts accused of spreading misinformation.
Elon Musk, known for his staunch support of free speech, criticized the decision as censorship and voiced his displeasure with what he saw as the Brazilian court’s judicial overreach.
The situation escalated after Justice De Moraes gave X a 24-hour ultimatum to appoint a legal representative in Brazil. X did not comply, leading the Supreme Court to order ISPs to block access to X. Following this, Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, directed all internet service providers to prevent access to X, effectively making it inaccessible in Brazil.
The Supreme Court has since banned X (formerly Twitter), and any Brazilian users or companies attempting to access the platform via VPN face fines of nearly $9000 per day.
European Union
Earlier this month, Thierry Breton, European Union Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, sent a warning letter to Elon Musk ahead of his interview with former President Donald Trump, which was later posted on X. The letter reminded him to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In the letter, Breton emphasized that “DSA obligations apply without exceptions or discrimination to the moderation of the whole user community and content of X (including yourself as a user with over 190 million followers) which is accessible to EU users. These obligations should be fulfilled in line with the risk-based approach of the DSA, which necessitates greater due diligence in the event of a foreseeable increase in the risk profile.”
“My services and I will be extremely vigilant to any evidence that points to breaches of the DSA and will not hesitate to make full use of our toolbox, including by adopting interim measures, should it be warranted to protect EU citizens from serious harm,” Breton wrote.
Critics argued that Breton’s enforcement of the DSA seemed aimed at stifling debate during the U.S. election cycle.
Great Britain
Earlier this month, the British government intensified its efforts to curb the dissemination of social media content it deemed capable of inciting racial hatred following riots sparked by false rumors attributing a deadly stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed event to an asylum seeker.
The violence, purportedly initiated by a British citizen of Rwandan descent, fueled widespread unrest and amplified concerns regarding immigration in the U.K. This situation led to significant social media activity, with viral footage of the clashes between anti-immigration groups and counter-protesters, some displaying Palestinian flags.
Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, warned against sharing content that could incite racial hatred. He emphasized the legal consequences of reposting such material, stating, “If you retweet that, then you’re republishing that and potentially committing that offense [incitement to racial hatred].” Parkinson underscored the seriousness of these actions, noting that dedicated police officers are actively monitoring social media for such offenses, ready to identify and arrest offenders.
Sky News correspondent Matthew Thompson, during his interview with Parkinson, highlighted the severe implications for British citizens, even those sharing content with no malicious intent.
Thompson reiterated the reality of enforcement, pointing out that the Crown Prosecution Service has already pressed charges against individuals for stirring up racial hatred online. He cautioned that even innocuous acts of sharing or retweeting could lead to criminal charges, emphasizing the government’s firm stance against any actions that could exacerbate societal tensions.
France
In France, Pavel Durov, originally from Russia and co-founder of Telegram with his brother Nikolai in 2013, faced preliminary charges in France and was barred from leaving the country due to alleged criminal activities conducted on his platform, which boasts over 950 million users. Durov was detained on Sunday and underwent questioning for four days.
Germany
In Germany, a podcast episode of Hoss and Hopf was ordered to be deleted by a German court because the hosts referred to a trans-identified individual, Laura Holstein (formerly known as Nicolas), using male pronouns and called her “a man.” The podcasters now potentially face prison time or a fine of up to €250,000.
The episode involved a discussion about Holstein, a balding woman who identifies as a woman and has been in the news recently for demanding access to women-only spaces. Most notably, Holstein, with backing from the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, has taken legal action against a women-only gym in Bavaria for denying her access.
Hossainpour, one of the podcast hosts, shared screenshots of the letter they received from the court on social media. The court’s order included prohibitions on the hosts from “distributing, publishing, or having third parties distribute or publish” statements that assert Holstein’s sex assigned at birth.
In the court’s letter, the hosts were accused of violating Holstein’s “personal rights” by referring to her as male, noting that she is “legally and socially recognized as a woman.”
United States
Earlier this week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed regret in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee for not being more vocal about the Biden administration’s “government pressure” to “censor” content on its platforms.
“Like I said to our teams at the time, I feel strongly that we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any Administration in either direction,” he stated in the letter.
Mark Zuckerberg explained in detail how senior administration officials pressured the company to censor posts about COVID-19, including humor and satire, expressing significant frustration when the platform resisted. He also regretted effectively suppressing content related to the New York Post’s coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop story before the 2020 election, following FBI warnings that it might be part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
In August 2022, the New York Post reported that, according to a poll, nearly four out of five Americans who have been following the Hunter Biden laptop story believe that truthful coverage of the scandal would have altered the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Donald Trump has warned that he would imprison Mark Zuckerberg if the Facebook founder engages in any illegal activities to influence the upcoming presidential election, according to his new book, “Save America.”
“We are watching him closely,” Mr Trump wrote in his new book, “and if he does anything illegal this time, he will spend the rest of his life in prison – as will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election.”