LifeSite petition encouraging break-up of Big Tech goes viral

Michie

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The petition has surged, with over 47,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.


July 31, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — After less than 48 hours, LifeSite’s petition encouraging the break-up of Big Tech has gone viral, already attracting more than 47,000 signatures.

“Since Big Tech has now started to censor news and opinion, it’s clear that more competition — not monopoly — is needed on the internet,” said Gualberto Garcia Jones, LifeSite’s director of advocacy. “Big Tech needs to be broken up so that competition of ideas can flourish again in America.”

Big Tech’s policy, which entails the censorship of legitimate news and opinion, is seriously undermining free speech and democracy itself.

This petition, therefore, calls for the government to use existing antitrust laws to break up the Big Tech monopolies — including the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Google (owner of YouTube) — which have coalesced over the past two decades.

This petition is necessary because of the increasing severity and frequency of affront to free speech by Big Tech monopolies.

For example:

  • Just this week, Big Tech conspired to “erase from the internet” the White Coat Summit — a meeting of licensed practicing doctors who reported on their experience using hydroxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus.
  • Recently, at Facebook, two whistleblowers came forward to attest that the platform aggressively discriminates against conservatives on a global scale for the purpose of influencing election outcomes.
  • Twitter has been the subject of numerous free speech controversies for years and alarmed critics just this March when it announced that it would be aggressively policing COVID-19 “misinformation,” including “denial of global or local health authority recommendations” with the “intent to influence people into acting against recommended guidance” and “call(s) to action such as ‘coronavirus is a fraud and not real — go out and patronize your local bar.’”
  • In 2018, Google, YouTube, et al. succeeded in manipulating the Irish abortion referendum by blacklisting pro-life videos, manipulating pro-life search terms and results and intentionally withholding pro-life information.
“Of course, we believe that people are capable of sorting through opinion and news themselves. However, we cannot accept Big Tech stepping in to censor what opinion and news is available,” said Garcia Jones. “Regrettably, Big Tech must now be broken up if legitimate free speech is going to survive and continue to thrive on the internet.”

Continued below.
LifeSite petition encouraging break-up of Big Tech goes viral
 

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The petition has surged, with over 47,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.


July 31, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — After less than 48 hours, LifeSite’s petition encouraging the break-up of Big Tech has gone viral, already attracting more than 47,000 signatures.

“Since Big Tech has now started to censor news and opinion, it’s clear that more competition — not monopoly — is needed on the internet,” said Gualberto Garcia Jones, LifeSite’s director of advocacy. “Big Tech needs to be broken up so that competition of ideas can flourish again in America.”

Big Tech’s policy, which entails the censorship of legitimate news and opinion, is seriously undermining free speech and democracy itself.

This petition, therefore, calls for the government to use existing antitrust laws to break up the Big Tech monopolies — including the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Google (owner of YouTube) — which have coalesced over the past two decades.

This petition is necessary because of the increasing severity and frequency of affront to free speech by Big Tech monopolies.

For example:

  • Just this week, Big Tech conspired to “erase from the internet” the White Coat Summit — a meeting of licensed practicing doctors who reported on their experience using hydroxychloroquine to treat the coronavirus.
  • Recently, at Facebook, two whistleblowers came forward to attest that the platform aggressively discriminates against conservatives on a global scale for the purpose of influencing election outcomes.
  • Twitter has been the subject of numerous free speech controversies for years and alarmed critics just this March when it announced that it would be aggressively policing COVID-19 “misinformation,” including “denial of global or local health authority recommendations” with the “intent to influence people into acting against recommended guidance” and “call(s) to action such as ‘coronavirus is a fraud and not real — go out and patronize your local bar.’”
  • In 2018, Google, YouTube, et al. succeeded in manipulating the Irish abortion referendum by blacklisting pro-life videos, manipulating pro-life search terms and results and intentionally withholding pro-life information.
“Of course, we believe that people are capable of sorting through opinion and news themselves. However, we cannot accept Big Tech stepping in to censor what opinion and news is available,” said Garcia Jones. “Regrettably, Big Tech must now be broken up if legitimate free speech is going to survive and continue to thrive on the internet.”

Continued below.
LifeSite petition encouraging break-up of Big Tech goes viral
Read the article and signed the petition. :)
 
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chevyontheriver

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While waiting for the government to act you can dump Facebook, dump Google, and dump Twitter.

Replace Google with DuckDuckGo for searches. Replace Google with LibreOffice for documents. Google is optional. An option you can get free of.

Twitter has alternatives. Just google to find them. Er, um, use DuckDuckGo. And you can read Twitter content without a Twitter account.

Facebook seems like a total waste of time.

Remember that these companies have a product, and that product is YOU. Your likes and dislikes, friends and family, genetics and health, religion and politics, and everything else. Things that you freely give them to use against you, to own you, to maximize their profits on you.

Check out
Crypto-Gram
by Bruce Schneier
Fellow and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
schneier@schneier.com
https://www.schneier.com

A free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise.

For back issues, or to subscribe, visit Crypto-Gram's web page.

Read this issue on the web

These same essays and news items appear in the Schneier on Security blog, along with a lively and intelligent comment section. An RSS feed is available.
 
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eastcoast_bsc

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While waiting for the government to act you can dump Facebook, dump Google, and dump Twitter.

Replace Google with DuckDuckGo for searches. Replace Google with LibreOffice for documents. Google is optional. An option you can get free of.

Twitter has alternatives. Just google to find them. Er, um, use DuckDuckGo. And you can read Twitter content without a Twitter account.

Facebook seems like a total waste of time.

Remember that these companies have a product, and that product is YOU. Your likes and dislikes, friends and family, genetics and health, religion and politics, and everything else. Things that you freely give them to use against you, to own you, to maximize their profits on you.

Check out
Crypto-Gram
by Bruce Schneier
Fellow and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
schneier@schneier.com
https://www.schneier.com

A free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise.

For back issues, or to subscribe, visit Crypto-Gram's web page.

Read this issue on the web

These same essays and news items appear in the Schneier on Security blog, along with a lively and intelligent comment section. An RSS feed is available.



If your using DDG make sure your not using Google DNS servers 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.
 
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Gnarwhal

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While waiting for the government to act you can dump Facebook, dump Google, and dump Twitter.

Replace Google with DuckDuckGo for searches. Replace Google with LibreOffice for documents. Google is optional. An option you can get free of.

Twitter has alternatives. Just google to find them. Er, um, use DuckDuckGo. And you can read Twitter content without a Twitter account.

Facebook seems like a total waste of time.

Remember that these companies have a product, and that product is YOU. Your likes and dislikes, friends and family, genetics and health, religion and politics, and everything else. Things that you freely give them to use against you, to own you, to maximize their profits on you.

Check out
Crypto-Gram
by Bruce Schneier
Fellow and Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
schneier@schneier.com
https://www.schneier.com

A free monthly newsletter providing summaries, analyses, insights, and commentaries on security: computer and otherwise.

For back issues, or to subscribe, visit Crypto-Gram's web page.

Read this issue on the web

These same essays and news items appear in the Schneier on Security blog, along with a lively and intelligent comment section. An RSS feed is available.

The best (if not only) alternative to Twitter that I've seen is Parler. They have a staunch free speech philosophy, Dan Bongino is part-owner of the company.

Boy I'm with you 100%, that's why I'm totally inactive on Facebook, I know they log every single behavioral data point they receive so they can build dossiers on every user and sell that information to marketing firms.

If anyone wants to see how social media and internet searches quantify us as commodities, there was a 60 Minutes piece on the whole thing about eight years ago.


If your using DDG make sure your not using Google DNS servers 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

How do we change that and what should we change it to?
 
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eastcoast_bsc

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The best (if not only) alternative to Twitter that I've seen is Parler. They have a staunch free speech philosophy, Dan Bongino is part-owner of the company.

Boy I'm with you 100%, that's why I'm totally inactive on Facebook, I know they log every single behavioral data point they receive so they can build dossiers on every user and sell that information to marketing firms.

If anyone wants to see how social media and internet searches quantify us as commodities, there was a 60 Minutes piece on the whole thing about eight years ago.




How do we change that and what should we change it to?


Well most service providers like Comcast or FIOS have their own DNS servers. But Google is fast on resolving a name to an IP address.

They are easy to change, just do a search, ex: how to change DNS servers on Comcast. Basically you logon and go to networking.
 
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chevyontheriver

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regarding OpenDNS:
How do we change that and what should we change it to?
Check out OpenDNS.com and they will have tutorials on how to set it up. Not hard. Leave Google DNS in the dust.

They are also one of the easiest inappropriate content filters available, as a side benefit. They send your nasty inappropriate content URL requests to a 'forbidden' site by a bit of misdirection. And it works. Even sends you an email about any requests from your home to keep you or family members honest. Once you set it up and get it running properly you just intentionally lose the password and it keeps you honest. I've helped many people set this part up. Check it out. Oh, and it's free.
 
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chevyontheriver

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Well most service providers like Comcast or FIOS have their own DNS servers. But Google is fast on resolving a name to an IP address.

They are easy to change, just do a search, ex: how to change DNS servers on Comcast. Basically you logon and go to networking.
You can do DNS on a network OR on individual computer. For a laptop it's good to have it set up on that computer so it works regardless of location. On your home network it serves your guests too.
 
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eastcoast_bsc

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regarding OpenDNS:
Check out OpenDNS.com and they will have tutorials on how to set it up. Not hard. Leave Google DNS in the dust.

They are also one of the easiest inappropriate content filters available, as a side benefit. They send your nasty inappropriate content URL requests to a 'forbidden' site by a bit of misdirection. And it works. Even sends you an email about any requests from your home to keep you or family members honest. Once you set it up and get it running properly you just intentionally lose the password and it keeps you honest. I've helped many people set this part up. Check it out. Oh, and it's free.


Yes OpenDNS is a good DNS to use.
 
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