Tech’s Censorship Gameplan

There is a very visible display of censorship being implemented by Big Tech firms. As the disinformation from the Mainstream Media becomes more and more clear, the average person is moving to other sources for news. Now, an attempt to restrict peoples’ online sources to Twitter and Facebook is failing. People are seeking further alternatives to these dystopian social media platforms. Hence, there are now attacks on the very heart of the Tech Industry’s “Free-Space”, that defined by open source software. (The term “open source” refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible.)

 

Linux and Microsoft

Two years ago, Microsoft became a Platinum member of the Linux Foundation. At the time, the media portrayed Microsoft as a Champion of Open Source Software even though open source software is in direct competition to Windows. They also placed an Azure Architect onto the board of directors for the Linux Foundation. One year later, Linux adds a “code of conduct”, which basically says that the Linux Foundation should be more inclusive. Attacks on the Founder, Linus Torvalds, for his sometimes hostile comments about developers, as well as a “Contributor Covenant”, formed the basis for the new “code of conduct”. Let there be no doubt about it, this is the beginning of an attack on this Open Source software in order to “contain” its’ implementation.

The Linux Foundation contributors are threatening to pull their code from the open license to the Foundation due to this controversy. As developers grant a license to Linux for them to use their code, that license can be terminated at any time by the developer.

If carried out, ramifications could include large parts of the internet being left vulnerable to exploits, and companies around the world might even inherit bundles of unwanted legal liabilities.

The Code of Conduct is derived from a “Contributor Covenant” written by Coraline…

 

Red Hat and IBM

Not to be left in the dust on the Open Source subject, IBM has taken the bold move to purchase Red Hat for $33B. Noting how IBM is proud that they have been partnering with Red Hat for 20 years, and that Red Hat is supposedly open source, it is unclear why this purchase was necessary. Is it possible that Big Tech is working to corral important players in the Linux community to thwart anyone escaping censorship?

 

Gab.ai

One of the most successful alternatives to Twitter and Facebook, is Gab.ai. Gab.ai happens to be Open Source. As such, developers can look at the actual code that Gab uses to insure that no censorship is being implemented that is not consistent with Gab’s code of conduct.

Gab has been a target of Big Tech since its inception. Not until the opportunity of the Pennsylvania Synagogue shooting was it taken down. The shooter posted “I’m going in.”, with no explanation of where he was going, or what he was going to do. That was good enough for PayPal to terminate Gab’s financial transactions on that platform, and for the (Microsoft) Azure Web Hosting service to discontinue hosting Gab.ai on their site

“As we transition to a new hosting provider Gab will be inaccessible for a period of time. We are working around the clock to get Gab.com back online. Thank you and remember to speak freely.
Andrew Torba, CEO Gab.com.”

 

Web Domain Name Removal

As impossible as it may seem, the actual removal of Web Domain Names themselves is the next target. In 2016, The Obama administration transitioned the Internet Domain System to China (ICANN). It’s not impossible to imagine ICANN making statements about a certain website that is promoting “hate speech”, with no clear explanation, with the end result being that that Domain Name no longer exists.

 

Think For Yourself

 

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