The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because I have to think something else and say something else, I have to always control myself. - Milos Forman

Recently I got into a discussion with one of the front pagers over at TOP about the subject of censorship. He vigorously contended that Markos' March 15th edict was not censorship while I posited that it was, indeed, a form of censorship. What I was contending in my discussion with said front pager was that something that I previously could post prior to March 15th was now being censored under the threat of being put into a time out or even banned.

self-cen·sor·ship

noun: self-censorship

the exercising of control over what one says and does, especially to avoid castigation.
"a climate of self-censorship, fear, and hypocrisy"

Further, what was even more insidious was that the edict was causing me and many others to operate under self- censorship in order to maintain self preservation. It becomes a compromise of values that eventually eats away at your soul.

I saw that publishing all over the world was deeply constrained by self-censorship, economics and political censorship, while the military-industrial complex was growing at a tremendous rate, and the amount of information that it was collecting about all of us vastly exceeded the public imagination. - Julian Assange

Since the Edward Snowden revelations about the NSA spying on every one of us, many people have become very concerned about what they say on the phone or write on line. This has translated into more than the normal self-censorship. And it is not just content, but it comes down to certain key words. The NSA has an extensive list of key words that they use to flag someone as a potential terrorist. Many of the words are obvious, but many are mundane words that nearly everyone uses at sometime or another.

And now an artist has created a typeface that recognizes certain key words that the spooks at the NSA are watching for and automatically blacks them out as you write. It is called a self-censoring font.

That list, included in the 2011 Analysts Desktop Binder, includes obvious red flags like Al-Qaeda, North Korea, and suicide bomber. But seemingly banal words like help, pork, and snow are on there, too.

Seen, a downloadable font from designer Emil Kozole, brilliantly illustrates these linguistic triggers by redacting these so-called spook words. Type something as innocent as “facility” or “San Diego” and before your cursor even jumps a space ahead, the word is hidden behind a black strike-through. It’s disturbing, frustrating, and alarming, and that’s the point.

Self-censorship is something we all practice regularly even though we may not always realize it at the time. We all censor ourselves to a certain degree in order to get along with others. It can be called manners or consideration. In our efforts to get along and to not offend, humans often will keep their thoughts and opinions to themselves rather than rock the boat.

In regard to discussion of the Edward Snowden revelations, a Pew Research study was conducted in 2014 showing that even in on line social media most people still censor themselves if they believe that their own opinion is unpopular with their friends and contacts.

It was widely believed that websites such as Facebook and Twitter would spawn a new age of political discourse by giving people the courage to freely express their opinions on issues even when their views were not shared by the majority.

Well, guess what? A new study, just published today by Pew Research Center, says it didn’t happen.

It turns out people are actually less likely to share their opinions on social media than they are in face-to-face settings such as family dinners and water-cooler conversations with colleagues.

And if people think their social media friends and followers disagree with their view, they are less likely to discuss the issue at all — not in cyberspace or in the physical presence of other humans.

Further, as an article in Guardian about the Pew Research report quoted one of its authors who used the term "spiral of silence" to describe the results of the study.

“It has been well documented since before the internet that a “spiral of silence” descends when people think their opinions are in the minority when compared to those around them – they don’t want to speak out if they think they hold unpopular views,” said Prof Keith Hampton, one of the report’s co-authors.

“This kind of self-censoring can mean that important information is never shared. Some had hoped that social media might provide new outlets that encourage more discussion and the exchange of a wider range of opinions. But we see the opposite – a spiral of silence exists online, too.”

Even more disconcerting is that recent study by PEN America has shown that writers, journalists, and even fiction writers have succumbed to self-censorship due to fears of being targeted by the NSA's dragnet. According to the report, Chilling Effects: NSA Surveillance Drives US Writers to Self-Censor, one out of six writers has avoided writing or speaking on a topic that they believed would subject them to surveillance and another one out of six writers has seriously considered doing so.

Recent disclosures of the NSA's widespread dragnet program coupled with its frequent targeting of journalists are having a 'chilling effect' on American writers, stifling their freedom of expression at great detriment to society, says a new report Chilling Effects: NSA Surveillance Drives U.S. Writers to Self Censor.

Published Tuesday by the group PEN America—an organization of writers dedicated to advancing literature and promoting free speech for writers around the world—surveyed 520 American writers and found they are "not only overwhelmingly worried about government surveillance, but are engaging in self-censorship as a result."

The question becomes how much, if any, self-censorship is tolerable and what consequences are we willing to bear as a result. Your thoughts on this subject or anything else you may want to comment on are welcome in this Open Thread.