Corporate Interference - Censorship, Shadow Bans, and Purges
This election has ripped the cover off of the corruption that is rotting society. The powers that be are doing their damnedest to choke off pertinent information from getting to the masses via social media.
Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit are the main purveyors of the approved memes and messaging campaigns of the oligarchs. Corporate algorithms control the flow of information. We've all seen Facebook yank down pages for questionable 'reasons'. We've all seen Twitter squash trending hashtags. And we've all seen Reddit moderators run roughshod over their subscribers.
It doesn't have to be that way. There is a platform that's virtually unhackable and has no central control to interfere with the free flow of information. Before I tell you about it, though, I'm going to list my 'creds', limited as they are, because I don't want this coming off as an infomercial:
1. Joined TOP in 2007. Was a Rescue Ranger there for a couple years before it got insane.
2. Bernie or Bust since the day he announced.
3. Migrated here to keep up with other BoB folks. I follow Jackpine Radicals, The Progressive Wing, The Way of the Bern.
4. Have a Twitter account. Mostly #NoDAPL tweets.
5. I used the same handle in all these accounts.
6. Hopefully, some here will vouch for me.
Okay, that out of the way, on to the meat of my point -
The platform is called Steemit. A few authors there noticed the trend of stifling speech, too. (My apologies for any salty language. I didn't read all them, just grabbed the headlines.) These are from 4 months ago:
Facebook is Censoring Steemit Links
#Steemit - Ending Twitter Shadow Banning and YouTube Censorship
A lesson for STEEMIT: I sincerely hope REDDIT burns in hell after finding out about shadow banning
Steemit is built on a 'block-chain' platform. Everything is time-stamped and authenticated by a third party witness. This is why it's basically unhackable and doesn't need a corporate overlord.
As if that's not incentive enough to check it out, Steemit is designed to allow you to put your mouth where the money is.
Usually, it's the other way 'round. To be blunt - Steemit pays you to post.
The phenomenal content and organizing efforts I see here should NOT be vulnerable to censorship. These efforts should be allowed to be disseminated freely to whoever wants access. Steemit is international and has posts about any topic you'd care to discuss. They have organized a #payitforward community to help folks who are in a bind. They're working on virtual radio stations. There are photography contests and cooking series. They have a chat function sistered to the site. Hell, they just worked out a way to handle NSFW porn posts to shield minors.
It's like TOP, FB, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube all rolled together. Use it how you want - no limits. Oh, and it's only in Beta stage. This new approach is only being held back because of temporary expansion limitations. In other words, it's on the verge of rapid growth. I hope to get y'all interested enough to be on the cutting edge of the next evolution of the web with me.
My handle over there is aunt-deb. You'll learn more about me than you probably ever wanted to know. LOL!
The upshot is I'm asking you to trust me, take a leap of faith, and at least give it a thorough going over. Kick the tires, honk the horn, look under the hood, take it for a test drive. I think you'll be pleased with what you find, regardless of getting paid for posting or commenting. I'm getting my feet wet with this now, because when it comes to new tech stuff, I'm a slow learner. I'm just tickled to be at the start of this instead of having to play catch up down the road like I did with Twitter!
Poke the Oligarchs in the Eye!
[x-posting to Jackpine Radicals after here]
Comments
It's interesting seeing this here
I was just on FB where Caitlyn Johnstone's links from her posts on Newslogue were blocked. FB explanation was that the site was "malicious" and was blocked for my own safety. That's when I thought to myself that we needed an alternative. Don't know of this is it, but the timing works.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
I saw that on Way of the Bern, too.
Ditched FB years ago. I had sent her the link for Steemit previously to help out with her income situation. Censorship is a 'nother level of nasty. I hope she sees these links and sets up over there. Her voice is vitally needed!
Thanks for the reminder to send her a reminder!
Despair is NOT an option!
You're welcome
Thanks for posting the information here.
There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it. ~ Minnie Aumonier
Thanks for the info
The second that Facebook and Google seemed like they were going all in on the censorship bandwagon, I said to myself, these guys have just signed their own certificate of obsolescence. They are all but begging alternatives to rise up who only have to say - we don't track you, we don't censor you, we don't data mine you and we don't babysit you. Can Steemit say that sentence?
While I don't want to be babysat, I do want protection from bad actors who threaten and harass people they don't agree with. Are there safeguards about that, or is it the wild wild west? Does steemit have a political or partisan bias or is it designed for posters to sort themselves out like Reddit?
Can we post here and link there so as not to take away or cannibalize our web traffic here?
What we have here that cannot be replicated IMO is comity and trust. Those are clearly the benefits of a smaller pond to splash in.
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
Can Steemit say that sentence?
Yes, it can.
They have a SteemWhitePaper on the site - it's a dowloadable pdf doc. I haven't figured out how to link to it here.
And it can be used in the way you describe. Bad actors are dealt with quickly by downvotes. They also have a group called 'steem-cleaners' that check for plaigerism, spam, etc. You can tailor you feed to only those you follow or by topic/tag or drink from the firehose on the 'new' tab. You choose.
I've been there since October and have barely scratched the surface. I would love to see more traffic directed here from there. It's a two-way street. You get to choose the direction.
You choose!
Despair is NOT an option!
Thanks for the info. Just realized recently I have been shadow
banned by the Seattle Times and any website that uses the facebook commenting plugin. Will definitely be checking it out and deleting my Facebook account.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
It's incredible, isn't it,...
that they're not even really trying to hide what they're doing? I never in a million years would have thought we'd see this stuff here. Absolutely mind-boggling!
I hope you like the platform. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I figure if my creaky ol' brain can navigate it, then most anybody can. Hope to see you there!
Despair is NOT an option!
It's Orwellian. This has been going on since Sept. 2015
If they want to ban me, then ban me. Don't let me think I'm part of the public discourse when in actuality none of my comments have been seen by anyone. Really shitty thing to do.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
Organization demands communication
TPTB have complete control of the Old World Media ( print, radio, tv. ) and are actively attempting to take over the internet.
I fear the basic printing press will return as a our only resource.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
If that happened, you might have to make your own paper
to avoid watermarks or embedded info that would lead back to you (and build the printer from thoroughly examined parts). That such thoughts even arise is a testament to how far things have gone in the security state.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." --Jiddu Krishnamurti
I don't think it will come to that...
but with things as unsettled as they are now, it's hard not to follow thoughts to their logical conclusion. I'd agree if I didn't know that TPTB are not omnipotent AND there are folks all over the world that are two steps ahead of them. That's what gives me a glimmer of hope. Integrity, principles, accountability, and the common good are under attack. Resistance is there, working under the surface, too.
Despair is NOT an option!
Hey!
Original RR here. In fact I very nearly take credit for the idea as I started adding to what's her name's posts on the subject and pushed the idea. We had way too much fun for while there, although most of us were eventually banned or left in despair.
Given the current status of our propaganda wars, I think we need to retire the use of the adjective "Byzantine." They couldn't have dreamed of this level of scheming.
Hi!
Awesome and pleased to meet you! I was there in the dk3 and 4 days. Had to drop out when I started my own business. Business still going, RR - not so much. Sad really, because there was an abundance of excellent writing.
I've given up trying to figure it all out. Had a stroke (mild) in June & don't need a repeat. So, this is my way of staying involved around the edges. Otherwise, I'm just taking a small step back and watching the big picture.
Despair is NOT an option!
The link below has a good wite up about steemit.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@williambanks/censorship-and-social-media-why-we-need-steemit-more-than-ever
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
Thanks!
I think I read that one and upvoted it. I'd have to go back in check my timeline. It's posts like that that motivated me to mention it here and the other Bernie-friendly sites. There are too many voices under attack that need a protected 'base camp' if you will. I truly believe Steemit and similar platforms provide it.
Thanks again for sharing that link!
Despair is NOT an option!
You are welcome. Signing up today on Steemit.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020
Awesome!
Let me know what handle & I'll add you to my follow list.
Steem On!
Despair is NOT an option!
Some other platforms
Alternative to FB is Ello, though it's more for the creative, content making people.
Alternative to Youtube is Minds.com
Alternative to ? is gab.ai but I don't know because I'm like number one million in the queue.
As always, I'm 'bondibox' in all of these places
“He may not have gotten the words out but the thoughts were great.”
Awesome, thanks. n/t
Beware the bullshit factories.
Great stuff n/t
Beware the bullshit factories.
Thanks for this post--
My ideal would be many, many smaller ponds linked in a lake chain. An association closer than a blogroll, but not an association that dwarfs or drowns smaller communities, making them lose their individuality.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
That sounds like a good solution...
and things may well end up configured around that model. It's only in beta stage now. The developers have an extended wish list culled from community comments. I think those conversations actually take place on github.com. Way to technical for me, tho.
Despair is NOT an option!