141 influencers published a statement on freedom of expression

Journalists, artists, writers, activists, technologists and academics released a statement for freedom of expression this Saturday (October 21, 2023). In the document, they text a “International Censorship Warns of Rise, Threatens to Destroy Centuries-Old Democratic Norms”. Here it is completeness (PDF – 4 MB).

total, 141 people He signed the document till Saturday night. State actors, social media companies, universities and NGOs around the world are increasingly working together, the report says.“To track citizens and steal their voices”.

“These large-scale coordinated efforts are sometimes called the ‘audit industrial complex'”Highlighted the election manifesto.

The text published by the experts said that some countries and institutions are implementing so-called “Audit Industrial Complex”. Among them:

• India;
• Turkey itself;
• Germany; This is
• Brazil’s STF (Supreme Federal Court).

“German Legislature and Brazilian Federal Supreme Court Criminalize Political Speech”They say.

Among other countries, Ireland’s ‘hate speech’ bill, Scotland’s hate crime law, The UK’s Online Safety Bill and Australia’s ‘Misinformation’ Bill threaten to create a chilling effect by severely restricting disclosure.That’s what the text says.

The group says the information is false “The Real Problem”But they claim that the agencies created for this fight are actually creating censorship of users on social networks.

“Open opinion is a central pillar of a free society and is essential to holding governments accountable, empowering vulnerable groups and reducing the risk of tyranny”They announced in a statement.

as indicated in the election manifesto Censorship in the Name of “Protecting Democracy” Inverts and creates structure “Ideological Control”, Apart from being “Counterproduction”First “It sows distrust, encourages radicalization and delegitimizes the democratic process.”.

The group said “Freedom of expression is essential to guarantee our protection against abuses of government power.” And highlighted 3 key points in this fight:

1. We call on governments and international organizations to fulfill their responsibilities to people and uphold Article 19 of the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights);
2. To protect the digital public square as defined in Article 19 of the UDHR, we call on tech companies to refrain from politically motivated censorship, censorship of dissent and censorship of political expression; This is
3. We request the public to join us in the struggle to protect the democratic rights of the people. Legal amendments are not enough. We must reject the climate of tolerance that encourages self-censorship and creates unnecessary personal conflicts for many and create an environment of freedom of expression from the ground up. Instead of fear and dogmatism, we recommend embracing inquiry and debate.

Among the signatories of the statement:

• Matt Taibbi, Journalist – USA;
• Steven Pinker, Psychologist – Harvard, USA;
• Julian Assange, editor and founder of WikiLeaks – Australia;
• Tim Robbins, actor and filmmaker – USA;
• Nadine Strosen, Professor of Law – USA;
• Glenn Lurie, Economist – United States;
• Richard Dawkins, Biologist – United Kingdom;
• John Cleese, comedian and acrobat – United Kingdom;
• Jeffrey Sachs – Columbia University, USA;
• Oliver Stone, film producer – USA;
• Edward Snowden, Whistleblower – USA;
• Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Disclosure – America;
• Glenn Greenwald, Journalist – USA;
• Claire Fox, founder of Academy of Ideas – United Kingdom;
• Jordan B. Peterson, psychologist and author – Canada;
• Niall Ferguson, Historian – Stanford, United Kingdom;
• Matt Ridley, Journalist and Author – United Kingdom; This is
• Melissa Chen, Journalist – Singapore/USA.