Heritage President Kay C. James on Social Media Censorship

Washington, D.C. - January 8, 2021 - (The Ponder News) -- Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James made the following statement about recent actions by social media companies:

“Americans have legitimate concerns about the role of Big Tech in shaping and influencing political speech. Time and again, social media companies have squandered the public’s trust and don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.

“Letting dictatorial regimes from China and Iran use their platform while banning the democratically elected leader of the United States shows the hypocrisy and political motivations of these companies.

“Shutting off legitimate debate and intellectual diversity comes at a very high cost. Big Tech is not going to stop with the president of the United States. They can ban you next and everyone reading this.

“This is why it is time for Congress to reform Section 230 and Americans to exercise their power by continuing to put pressure on Big Tech.”

Laura Loomer Files $3 BILLION Lawsuit Against Facebook for Defamation

Source: Laura Loomer

On Tuesday, Larry Klayman, the founder of Freedom Watch and a former federal prosecutor announced the filing of a defamation lawsuit by conservative investigative journalist Laura Loomer against Facebook. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 9:19-cv-80893), alleges that Facebook and its wholly owned sister company Instagram, in banning Ms. Loomer from the social media sites, maliciously defamed her by publishing that she is a “dangerous individual” and a domestic Jewish terrorist.

Read more...

Apple Threatened to Kick Parler Off App Store Unless They Banned “Certain” Individuals

Source: Todd Starnes

Matze said they were told they had to change their community guidelines so they reflected Apple’s. They were also told to remove certain kinds of individuals.

Read more...

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Bill Demands Facebook, Twitter Be Vetted for Political Bias

Source: PC Magazine
June 19, 2019
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) calls for top internet companies to undergo external audits to vet whether their content moderation systems are free of political bias.

Read more...

Check out the Bill HERE

Conservative Digital-Media Guru Battles Facebook ‘Censorship’

Source: Daily Beast
June 20, 2019
A large conservative digital-media company has taken a novel step in efforts to beat back what the right considers politically motivated censorship by major social-media platforms: It’s hired a lobbyist.

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Big Social Media Boss Stands in Way of Financial Well-being of Conservatives

When is it okay for someone to stop you from making a living simply because they don't like you or what you believe? In true Revelation apocalyptic prophetic style, how long before all those who call themselves "Christian" are kept from making money at all, unless they publicly renounce their faith?

It's coming to that. Check this out:

YouTube demonetizes conservative commentator one day after saying he didn't violate its rules
Source: The Hill
June 5, 2019
YouTube on Wednesday announced it will no longer allow a conservative commentator accused of online harassment to make money from ads on his videos, just one day after the company said he had not broken any of the platform's rules.

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High school student claims his freedom of speech was violated after MAGA hat censored in yearbook

Buy it: Besti Make America Great Again Donald Trump Slogan with USA Flag Cap Adjustable Baseball Hat RedSource: Yahoo Lifestyle
May 24, 2019
School officials in Littlestown, Penn. are investigating after two "Make America Great Again" hats were censored in a high school yearbook. Littlestown High School administration said in a statement that the censorship of the pro-Trump apparel was a "mistake" that was not noticed before printing.

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Introducing American Thinker

American Thinker is a daily internet publication devoted to the thoughtful exploration of issues of importance to Americans. Contributors are accomplished in fields beyond journalism and animated to write for the general public out of concern for the complex and morally significant questions on the national agenda.

Visit American Thinker by clicking HERE

Leaked internal document reveals Facebook wanted special scrutiny of Candace Owens's background, ideology, looking for reasons to ban her
Source: American Thinker
May 22, 2019
Facebook is being exposed as a naked propaganda organ that ought to be treated by law as a "publisher" legally responsible for the content it hosts, and not as a "forum" — the status it currently enjoys, exempting it from libel laws and other downsides to the content it spreads out to the world

Read more...

ACLU Defends Free Speech

ACLU OF IOWA DEFENDS RED OAK MAN'S RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Source: American Civil Liberties Union
May 21, 2019
The ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit in federal court defending the right of a Montgomery County man to post criticism of a nearby county sheriff's office on his Facebook page.

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WHAT IS CENSORSHIP?
Source: American Civil Liberties Union
May 22, 2019
Censorship, the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are "offensive," happens whenever some people succeed in imposing their personal political or moral values on others. Censorship can be carried out by the government as well as private pressure groups. Censorship by the government is unconstitutional.

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Censorship is the Issue

by: Shonda Ponder
CNN has recently held an interview with Jane Coaston, and Irin Carmon about Censorship. They hold that there is no proof of Censorship and that Facebook and Twitter have the right to do with their platform what they like because it is about THEIR freedom and not the user's freedom, and if we don't like Facebook and Twitter, we should move elsewhere.

While they have a point about choosing another platform, it looks as if CNN, a leftist news outlet, is downplaying the importance of allowing free speech and room for debate on sensitive topics.

The Ponder is about proving that Censorship exists and with who and how, and we are posting the reasons cited for the censorship.

Click Here to see CNN take Facebook and Twitter's side

Then, read the side of William Lohier at the New York Law Journal.

William Lohier, a student at Stuyvesant High School, is the winner of the annual essay contest sponsored by the Association of New York State Supreme Court Justices and the New York Law Journal. He had a lot to say on the matter of Censorship.

Click Here to read the article, How To Protect Free Speech in a Social Media Age

See also:

As Huawei Loses Google, the U.S.-China Tech Cold War Gets Its Iron Curtain
Source: The New York Times
May 20, 2019
Google said on Monday that it would limit the software services it provides to Huawei, the telecommunications giant, after a White House order last week restricted the Chinese company’s access to American technology. Google’s software powers Huawei’s smartphones, and its apps come preloaded on the devices Huawei sells around the world. Depending on how the White House’s order is carried out, that could come to a stop.

Read more...

Don’t let Zuckerberg kill free speech
Source: The Frederick News-Post
May 20, 2019
Social media titans such as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have more influence over our freedom than Supreme Court justices or U.S. presidents. But these internet executives are selling out core American principles for the almighty dollar. They’ll do whatever a host country demands. In China, Russia and even capitalist Singapore, internet freedom is already dead, without a murmur of protest by Zuckerberg and others.

Read more...

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I Am Turtleboy: A teacher turned blogger battles big tech censorship, threats, and political correctness to protect free speech and democracy
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Breitbart: Twitter Is Banning Conservatives for Posting Facts

Although Congress has focused on Facebook’s alleged censorship in recent weeks, Twitter continues to engage in mass bans of conservatives with little outside scrutiny. Increasingly, these bans come after users post “hate facts” — statements that are factually true, but politically inconvenient for progressives.

READ MORE...

Fight Censorship!

To Our Readers:

We have, as of late, found our Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Thought, and many other freedoms (pick one) under attack like no other time in our nation's history since the Revolution. 

People are angry, but feel helpless as giant corporations who oppose these freedoms have determined to change the face of America into a social society where everyone is who THEY want them to be. 

Choice has been limited by growing monopolies. 

Facebook is in the forefront of censoring public thought. 

Our Constitution is in a crisis where online communication is concerned. 

Therefore, We, at The Ponder, are going to start promoting those who have been censored simply for standing up for Freedom, as well as those who are in line to be so. 

​It's time we all did. 

These people, groups and organizations are living martyrs for freedom. You don't have to agree with everything they say or do, but you HAVE to respect them enough to fight for their freedom to be who they are -- because they are ALREADY fighting for yours.

AS we do so, we may also find ourselves censored. So, we are asking YOU to support this effort by visiting an purchasing from the advertisers. If we can't afford a new and better platform should we find ourselves censored, then THEY would have won.

Let's keep America great! FIGHT TYRANNICAL CENSORSHIP!

So, I am no longer going to be doing things as before. Instead, I'm going to do what I do best: PROMOTE and bring attention to those who are giving you truth and being attacked for it!

You need truth to fight in this current war against freedom in America. There are too many sources for me to post all of the information available. So, I'm sending you to the sources!

Sincerely,

Shonda M. Ponder, Editor

Measles, God, Tariffs, Censorship, Scams

US measles cases still climbing, topping 800 for year
Source: KSLA
May 14, 2019
U.S. health officials say this year’s count of measles cases has surpassed 800, a growing tally that is already the nation’s highest in 25 years.

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‘So Help Me God’ No More: Democrats Give House Traditions a Makeover
Source: New York Times
May 11, 2019
“I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress,” said Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. What Republicans are doing, he continued, “is using God.”

Read more...

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God, Government and Globalization
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Coast seafood supplier weighs in on Chinese seafood tariffs
Source: KXOL
May 10, 2019
President Donald Trump announced via Twitter that the United States would raise tariffs on seafood coming in from China from 10% to 25%. Some of the seafood includes tilapia, tuna, crab and shrimp.

Read more...

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HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship (Inalienable Rights)
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Facebook Bans Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos, Other Far-Right Figures
Source: Bloomberg
May 2, 2019
Facebook Inc. said it’s banning a number of controversial far-right figures, including Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer, for violating the social-media company’s policies on hate speech and promoting violence.

Read more...

Nebraska passes bill to outlaw scam calls from fake numbers
Source: NBC
May 2, 2019
Scam artists who use fake phone numbers to trick people into answering their calls would be violating the law in Nebraska under a bill passed in the Legislature.

Read more...

Zuckerberg Comments on Hateful Activities Are First Step Toward Changing the Terms

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by: Free Press

Washington, D.C. - April 1, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Over the weekend, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called for internet rules to better govern harmful content on social media. In a Washington Post Op-Ed, Zuckerberg wrote, “we have a responsibility to keep people safe on our services. That means deciding what counts as terrorist propaganda, hate speech and more.”

Zuckerberg added that Facebook alone shouldn’t make important decisions about harmful speech. Earlier this year, the founder of the world’s largest social network proposed the creation of an independent oversight board that would operate free of Facebook to oversee critical content-blocking decisions but whose decisions are binding.

In past years, Free Press and other public-interest advocates proposed that Facebook create an expanded version of a public editor to assess the platform’s many content-related decisions. Late last year, Free Press and other civil- and human-rights organizations and free-speech advocates launched Change the Terms, a campaign urging tech companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter to combat hateful activities on their platforms.

Change the Terms has created model corporate policies to help internet companies stop hate and extremism online and ensure that they do more to protect people of color, women, LGBTQIA people, religious minorities and other marginalized communities.

Free Press Senior Policy Counsel Carmen Scurato made the following statement:

“We agree with Mark Zuckerberg that online platforms need to do much more to address the spread of hatred across their networks. The good news is that some companies have taken concrete efforts to curb hateful activities on their websites and services. But it’s time to move from words to action: to invest the time and effort it takes to listen to the concerns of people that online extremism most harms.

“We’ve outlined this approach in detail at ChangetheTerms.org with a set of recommended policies and terms of service that could serve as the roadmap to disrupt hateful activities online. Included in the Change the Terms recommendations is guidance on enforcement, transparency, staff training, governance and appeal rights.

“It’s time to start this process in earnest. Coordinated online attacks by White supremacists have sparked violence offline everywhere from Charlottesville to Pittsburgh to Christchurch and beyond. These attacks chill the online speech of those of us who are members of targeted groups, threatening our safety and freedom in real life. Silicon Valley must do more to ensure that it’s taking the spread of extremism on these platforms seriously.

“Zuckerberg’s words this weekend may indicate a willingness among tech leaders to confront the forces of hate that threaten our democracies. We hope this is more than a public-relations ploy. Facebook and the rest of Silicon Valley can show they’re serious by committing to change the terms now.”

Censorship in Social Media Leaves Users in Frustration

San Francisco, CA - November 29, 2016 (The Ponder News) -- User reports of censorship of social media posts show a deep frustration with companies’ content moderation policies, according to an analysis by Onlinecensorship.org, a project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Visualizing Impact.

In “Censorship in Context: Insights from Crowdsourced Data on Social Media Censorship,” researchers analyzed reports of content takedowns received from users of Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube from April to November of 2016. At a time when many are asking for more content moderation—like calls for Facebook to crack down on “fake news”—election-related censorship complaints focused on the desire of users to speak their minds and share information about a tight election without worrying that their posts will disappear.

“Social media is where we receive news, debate, and organize. These companies have enormous impact on the public sphere, yet they are still private entities with the ability to curate the information we see and the information we don’t see at their sole discretion,” said Jillian C. York, EFF Director for International Freedom of Expression and co-founder of Onlinecensorship.org. “The user base is what powers these social media tools, yet users are feeling like they don’t have any control or understanding of the system.”

“Censorship in Context” recommends best practices for social media content moderation, including transparency in how company policies are enforced and any available remedies. The researchers also urge strengthening systems of redress when content is removed in error, and doing a better job of educating users about what is acceptable on a given platform and what isn’t.

“Many people depend on Facebook to talk to friends, family, clients, and fans, and to debate the issues of the day,” said Project Strategist Sarah Myers West. “While these companies have the right to set their own rules, the least they can do is to tell everyone how they’re enforced.”

Onlinecensorship.org was launched in November of 2015 to spot trends in content removals and learn how these takedowns impact different communities. The site also includes a guide to appealing a content takedown and hosts a collection of news reports on content moderation practices.

For more information, visit: https://www.eff.org/press/releases/censorship-social-media-leaves-users-frustration