Robert Reich, Clinton’s former Labor Secretary, has been an outspoken supporter of banning speech he considers dangerous, including attempts to silence Elon Musk for reducing censorship on X. Reich has asked foreign governments to put pressure on Musk and even called for his arrest, accusing him of promoting lies and hatred. He believes that the public interest should take precedence over citizens’ free speech rights and has called on the US government to terminate relations with Musk’s firms, despite their national security relevance.
Editor’s Note: This signals a disturbing shift toward authoritarian control over free speech. Reich’s call for Musk’s arrest, framed as an effort to stop the spread of “hate” and “lies,” mirrors these actions. Ironically, while individuals like Musk and Telegram’s Durov are targeted, Mark Zuckerberg, whose platform was involved in censoring factual information during the COVID-19 pandemic, faces no such repercussions. [Read this for context: Zuckerberg Admits Government Pressure Led to Censorship of COVID-19 Content] This selective enforcement reveals that the issue isn’t about combating falsehoods, but rather about controlling who gets to speak.
Hannah Arendt’s insight into the power of lying in totalitarian societies perfectly applies here. She cautioned that when lies become ingrained in society, the public loses its ability to recognize truth, think critically, and act. Censorship has the same result: it silences criticism and prevents open debate, allowing only the government narrative to form public consciousness and opinion. [Read Hannah Arendt’s Interview here]
Instead of empowering citizens, these actions are similar to the manipulation seen in authoritarian regimes, where those in power dictate acceptable speech under the guise of “public interest.” By normalizing censorship, platforms risk becoming mere tools of government control rather than spaces for genuine free expression. [See also: The Democratic Erosion Through Censorship, Challenging Big Tech Censorship: A Lawsuit’s Fight to Reclaim Online Freedom of Speech]
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These people are running out of lies so they will resort to censoring those who never run out of facts. They are tired to countering truths therefore they want truthers to shut up.
Its been a long time these people hated us for being free. And it is justifiable for us to hate them for meddling with our lives who want to remain free.