More Facebook Censorship

'Deeply Disturbing': For Second Time This Year, Facebook Suspends Left-Leaning teleSUR English Without Explanation

"It seems like the censorship power many people on the left want Silicon Valley executives to unilaterally exercise might end up being wielded against the left. One good way to know that would happen is that is already is happening."

For the second time this year, Facebook has suspended teleSUR English's page, claiming the left-leaning Latin American news network violated the social media platform's terms of service without any further explanation—a move that provoked outrage and concern among journalists, free speech advocates, and Big Tech critics.

In a short article posted on teleSUR's website on Monday, the regional news network—which is based in Venezuela but also has received funding from Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Nicaragua—explained:

teleSUR English's page has been removed from Facebook for the second time this year without any specific reason being provided. It should be noted that the first time this occurred back in January 2018, Facebook did NOT provide any explanation in spite of our best efforts to understand their rationale. This is an alarming development in light of the recent shutting down of pages that don't fit a mainstream narrative.

According to the outlet, "the only communication" teleSUR has received from Facebook is the following message:

Your Page "teleSUR English" has been removed for violating our Terms of Use. A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes. Among other things, Pages that are hateful, threatening or obscene are not allowed. We also take down Pages that attack an individual or group, or that are set up by an unauthorized individual. If your Page was removed for any of the above reasons, it will not be reinstated. Continued misuse of Facebook's features could result in the permanent loss of your account.

Max Blumenthal tweet shows the role of the Atlantic counsel had in removing the site from Facebook. Click the link to show who is on the counsel. This group has had a hand in a lot of shit that has been happening since Trump was elected.

It is Deeply Concerning when one of the biggest social media platform censors whomever the hell they want and people say that "what's the big deal? It's a private company that should be able to monitor the content if they want."

Well it seems that its a Big Fucking Deal when that private company is working hand in hand with the government. Facebook has already been removing left leaning website's post for some time now and it looks like they are upping their game.

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Azazello's picture

And yes, their board is a rogue's gallery of warmongers and imperialists.
Reuters

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We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Amanda Matthews's picture

@Azazello

Directors. There’s some real stinkers on that list. ‘Honor’ has nothing to fo with it.

Honorary Directors

David C. Acheson
James A. Baker, III
Harold Brown
Frank C. Carlucci, III
Ashton B. Carter
Robert M. Gates
Michael G. Mullen
Leon E. Panetta
William J. Perry
Colin L. Powell
Condoleezza Rice
Edward L. Rowny
George P. Shultz
Dr. Horst Teltschik
John W. Warner
William H. Webster

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Raggedy Ann's picture

If you don't think that, then good luck. They are tightening the screws. I am more grateful each day that I never signed up for any of this horrific social media. This is as social as I get.

Good luck to us all. Let's hope a supervolcano blows before we are all actually further imprisoned in this open air prison. Help

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

snoopydawg's picture

@Raggedy Ann

They track your web movement any time you read a page that has their "like us" button. They can learn everything about you from your family and friends who are on it because they get access to their contacts in their phones and tons of other places. This is a huge invasion of privacy, but no one should be surprised. The CIA gave Zucchini his start up money to build his site for that reason.

Many lefties were happy when FB deleted Jones and were mad at the Twitter guy who didn't. The site that they censored today isn't an American one, but I'm sure those lefties would be sh*tting bricks if FB did that to Rachel's show and website.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

The Aspie Corner's picture

@snoopydawg If she's left-wing, I'm the queen of England.

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Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.

Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Aspie Corner Well said!

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"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

Raggedy Ann's picture

@snoopydawg
I realize not participating in social media does not exempt me from the surveillance state. Heaven forbid they miss someone. But it’s one or three less things I am giving absolute permission to my life.

Anyway, it’s disheartening how we are giving away our freedoms so easily.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

snoopydawg's picture

@Raggedy Ann

and not enough people care about it because it. This I don't get. They are the ones who say that our military is fighting to defend our freedoms and yet they say that it's okay if the government spies on them because they have nothing to hide.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Raggedy Ann I want them to stay out of my goddamned kitchen.

I hate hackable "smart appliances" that are basically set up to spy on people. TVs are bad enough.

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"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

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
I’m afraid to buy a new tv or anything!

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg Telesur is bad because they don't automatically support Hillary.

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"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

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Raggedy Ann

I am more grateful each day that I never signed up for any of this horrific social media. This is as social as I get.

Ceterem censeo, Facebook delendum est!
(Further, I opine, Facebook must be abolished!)

Diablo

edit: Adjusted translation to less violent (but still accurate) terminology.

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

like the plague. Really donna needa that much back feeden (jive talk for feedback, aka faceback) Wink

after all, it's the rooskies to blame

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@QMS QMS, your work here is about to become a lot more important.

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"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

The Aspie Corner's picture

The pigs will make sure of that.

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Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.

Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.

mimi's picture

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thanatokephaloides's picture

@mimi

So, why is C99p then still on facebook?

Probably because we are careful just which Essays we post over there.

Also, there's this:

[video:https://youtu.be/UL6BdiaGaJ8?t=5m25s]

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

mimi's picture

@thanatokephaloides

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@mimi We're a lot smaller than Telesur or Alex Jones. However, they appear to be getting around to sites our size fairly quickly.

If people want C99 to continue, we should make a backup plan. General brainstorming/ideas can happen here on the site; specific plans should be made, probably, face to face. It's inconvenient and trends away from the populist democratic model we here prefer, because most people will not be able to afford to travel, but anything one puts on the wires is going to be available to the censors and their supporters, and therefore, any specific plan we make here will already be known.

We've always known it would likely come to this; it's just that I thought we had more time. A lot more time; I didn't think they'd be going after people's tiny wordpress sites for quite a while. Looks like they're going for absolute control, and pretty quickly.

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"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

mimi's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal @Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
As many here have analyzed facebook's platform has definitely huge flaws with regards to privacy of your data and privatization of surveillance etc. It makes what you say irrelevant. Imo it is an opinion writers killer. What you say on facebook becomes irrelevant. But those, who post get a little kick out of being liked, a feed-back mechanism for achieving social recognition and emotional support. A weak point in the human psyche that is consciously and skillfully abused by those who coded the platform.

So, if one is critical about the facebook platform here, why is C99p on it and not boycotting it?

I feel actually dumb to have boycotted facebook from its beginning. Nowaday I do not care anymore, because I am anti-everything and want to leave online living behind me. It was just a logical question because I see it as a bit shizophrenic attitude if you are on facebook, use it and at the same time argue strongly against it.

I hope I do not offend anyone with this.
To say it differently I would not care to be 'censored' by facebook. It's time that we censor them.

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@mimi Well, I'm with you, mimi. I've always felt that way.

The truth is that Facebook achieved a near-monopoly on social interaction, so if we want our site to be known, we kind of have to go to them, or Twitter, or YouTube, unless we work by word of mouth/private email alone.

I'm no friend to Google, and I was really sorry when they bought YouTube, but I've gotta say, of all of the various "social media," I like YouTube best, and Facebook pretty much the worst. It might be better to rely on YouTube, but then, of course, we'd have to make videos, like StevenD, and I've been a bit squirrely about putting my face online. I don't know why.

The only reason I have a FB page is that I was once a campaign manager, and it literally was not possible for me to do my job and not have a FB page--or at least, that was the perception. Not putting the campaign on FB would have shot it in the foot, and I couldn't afford to do that, professionally, so I got an FB page. I have never gone back.

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"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

earthling1's picture

inspired me to seek it out and add it to my home page. I'm going to paste Infowars (Alex Jones) on here too, just to spite them. Also, it's good to know what the crazies are up to.
Jones got a big spike from the ban.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

snoopydawg's picture

@earthling1

IMG_2464.PNG

Infowars Website Traffic Explodes After Silicon Valley Blacklists Alex Jones

Silicon Valley’s coordinated purge of all things Infowars from social media has had an unexpected result; website traffic to Infowars.com has soared in the past week, according to Amazon’s website ranking service Alexa.

That said, Google and Apple are still allowing people to access Infowars content via apps, which have seen their downloads spike as well.

Consumers still can access InfoWars through the same tech companies that just banned it. Google still offers the Infowars app for Android users, and Apple customers can download it through the App Store.

As of Friday, the show’s phone app remained near the top of the charts in both the Apple App and Google Play stores. Infowars Official, an app that lets viewers stream Jones’ shows and read news of the day, was ranked fourth among trending apps in the Google Play store Friday. In the news category on Apple’s App Store, Infowars earned the fourth slot under the top free apps, behind Twitter and News Break, a local and breaking news service, revealing a sudden boost of user downloads. –American Statesman

I like your idea. I'm going to hit both sites daily just to spite them.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg Yes, because while many people don't support Alex Jones or Infowars, they hate fascist censorship even more. And yeah, I'm using the term "fascist," and not lightly. I don't generally throw around the terms "Nazi" or "fascist" carelessly, despite that being in vogue these days.

Who is not an adversary?

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"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

wendy davis's picture

and iirc, infowars had been banned just after he'd announced that christine assange (julian's mum) would be on his show.

and Twitter nixed VIPS associate peter van buren's account, although i can't say i was all that familiar with him.

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

an error message, essentially a "site not found."

Are other people encountering this problem?

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"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

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

I don't exactly know how to describe it, but a couple weeks ago, something happened in the way Google dealt with C99.

When I bring up Google, it usually puts an array of sites I visit often in thumbnail on the page. I can simply click on them and get where I'm going, rather than using the search bar. C99 was always among them, for obvious reasons.

A couple weeks ago, the C99 thumbnail disappeared, and has not returned, though I come here almost every day.

I'd like people with greater technological knowledge than mine to comment on this.

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"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