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Introducing the Westminster Declaration

Introducing the Westminster Declaration

One hundred and thirty-eight artists, public intellectuals, and journalists demand governments dismantle the Censorship Industrial Complex

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Michael Shellenberger
,
Matt Taibbi
,
Andrew Lowenthal
, and 2 others
Oct 18, 2023
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Introducing the Westminster Declaration
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In March of this year, two of us, Matt and Michael, testified to Congress about the existence of a Censorship Industrial Complex comprised of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and Big Tech companies working together to suppress disfavored views and disfavored people.

At that hearing and ever since, elected members of Congress, the mainstream news media, and the NGOs have argued that there is no Censorship Complex, just people doing research into and trying to correct misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.

But now, a group of 138 scholars, public intellectuals, and journalists from across the political spectrum have issued a strong call warning the public of the Censorship Industrial Complex and urging governments to dismantle it in the name of the “first liberty,” freedom of speech. It’s called The Westminster Declaration.

How did it come about?

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A guest post by
Matt Taibbi
www.Racket.news
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A guest post by
Andrew Lowenthal
I focus on digital authoritarianism and censorship in particular. I direct the digital civil liberties initiative liber-net, https://liber-net.org
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