After they get through attacking fake news could free speech be the ultimate fatality?

As the attacks against fake news increases could the next act be limiting free speech on line just like China? There are multiple sources of propaganda on the net. If it comes the government ANY government it's not fake news it's propaganda. Take a close look when the government starts controlling the news our freedoms are under attack.
Dies this mean the old tried and true politician mudslinging will have to stop. I'll bet those in power will exempt themselves from this. Only the little people will have to worry. There is no one entity that should be trusted to control the facts and rumors that are on the net.
What do you think? Am I going off the deep end or is this ultimate goal of the fake news phenomenon?

a reply to: datasdream

After they get through attacking fake news could free speech be the ultimate fatality?

Obviously.

No.

They are not going to go after free speech. Individual media and social media sites have the right to control content, as that's a matter of personal property rights and liability protection, but the government will not be able to squash free speech otherwise.

Also remember, the GOP controls congress and Trump has the WH. If the government did push for such things, the Right would have to be in cahoots.

originally posted by: introvert
. . . . If the government did push for such things, the Right would have to be in cahoots.

And your point is?

Looks like they are doing just that:

Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act H.R. 5181

" In other words, the Act will i) greenlight the government to crack down with impunity against any media property it deems "propaganda", and ii) provide substantial amounts of money fund an army of "local journalist" counterpropaganda, to make sure the government's own fake news drowns that of the still free "fringes."

So while packaged politely in a veneer of "countering disinformation and propaganda", the bill, once signed by Obama, will effectively give the government a full mandate to punish, shut down or otherwise prosecute, any website it deems offensive and a source of "foreign government propaganda from Russia, China or other nations." And since there is no formal way of proving whether or not there is indeed a foreign propaganda sponsor, all that will be sufficient to eliminate any "dissenting" website, will be the government's word against that of the website. One can be confident that the US government will almost certainly prevail in every single time. " The administration in power will literally have the keys to kingdom.

a reply to: datasdream

They will call it hate speech but yes, of course.

You have the right to speak, but no rights to be heard, there is the rub. Wait, correction, you have a right to speak only where you are allowed to speak, probably in your closet or when you scream into your pillow. Maybe your dog or goldfish will hear you, and they don't give a crap.

a reply to: sad_eyed_lady

Written by a republican.

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: sad_eyed_lady

Written by a republican.

The Bill's verbiage was added to the NDAA for 2017.

It passed both the House and Senate overwhelmingly.

originally posted by: sad_eyed_lady

originally posted by: DBCowboy
a reply to: sad_eyed_lady

Written by a republican.

It passed both the House and Senate overwhelmingly.

They all suck.

Don't they.

deleted

a reply to: DBCowboy

Yes, they do.

originally posted by: datasdream
As the attacks against fake news increases could the next act be limiting free speech on line just like China? There are multiple sources of propaganda on the net. If it comes the government ANY government it's not fake news it's propaganda. Take a close look when the government starts controlling the news our freedoms are under attack.
Dies this mean the old tried and true politician mudslinging will have to stop. I'll bet those in power will exempt themselves from this. Only the little people will have to worry. There is no one entity that should be trusted to control the facts and rumors that are on the net.
What do you think? Am I going off the deep end or is this ultimate goal of the fake news phenomenon?

I think what is happening is far worse, because even if we were censored we could still communicate covertly.
I think what is happening is that America is suffering from a mass psychotic breakdown. I mean there are two groups who believe two alternate views of facts, and that perspective is not based upon thought as much as it is based upon affiliation.

We might have a day where our country is in real danger and this split reality might be used to take us down. I think our opponents understand that we as a country have rejected the notions of a factually based reality in favor of a rhetorically based reality.

Well that is free speech right?

If you have no outlet for your speech..

The censorship is happening right here on ATS!

They are throwing mature and intelligent/educational conversations right into the trashbin, outright deleting them - not even closing them, because it does not align with them. Meanwhile they are keeping threads on the same topic that aligns with them.

Many know what I am talking about. That is outright censorship where it should not happen.

a reply to: introvert

No, they just have Google to do it for them. And Google is the Government, by the way. Google it!

a reply to: introvert

They are not going to go after free speech. Individual media and social media sites have the right to control content

Yes they are going after free speach. Laws are being passed in Europe to quash fake news.. Laws are being passed to the same effect in the USA. Social media sites have been coherence into this by the powers that be.
Regarding pizzagate. I have never seen such a large internet take down..twitter,facebook, google, redit. Making it very difficult for people to talk about this and get the information out.

As snowden put it. Its all about control. The powers that be what total dominion over the gateways of information. Without this you cannot spoon feed propaganda to the masses. It worked very effectively in the past.. But in the last decade has been failing badly..