In this episode of his "Thinking Out Loud" series, Double D discusses the ramping up of censorship as the conflict in Ukraine escalates.
Double D jumps in by discussing the recent shutting down of RT and all associated independent media such as Redacted Tonight and On Contact. He explains to his viewers that now, RT and Redacted Tonight are fully purged, using screen mirror to show that those channels are "not available in your country." He goes on to show that several Twitter users who were disseminating information and footage from the conflict have also been suspended.
Double D goes on to read a tweet from DuckDuckGo CEO, Gabriel Weinberg; which says that the search engine will begin "downranking" any sources or content "related to Russian misinformation." He then jumps in to reading preliminary legislation imported from the EU that lays down broad powers and infrastructure for the purpose of wholesale internet censorship centered around the concept of "fake news" and "disinformation."
Double D warns that granting such powers to tackle such a vague ideation is extremely dangerous, especially during a time where the world teeters on a war that has the capacity to go global.
Double D goes on to read a recent memo from Google sent out to YouTube creators, which outlines new terms of service meant to "counter disinformation" regarding election integrity. Among the stipulations were the announcement that content which questions the fairness of an election, or content that distributes "hacked materials" ie, Wikileaks, will be pulled down from the platform.
Ruminating on the consolidation of internet censorship, Double D eviscerates the "private company terms of service" argument for censorship. Arguing first that while such power seems a convenient tool for purging theocrats and fascists, consenting to such a precedent gives private corporations the power to purge anyone who dissents from public life. He then argues that in a capitalist society where corporations own the government, censorship at the hands of a private enterprise amounts to de facto state censorship.
Double D ends the video by showing an article from MSM which condemns China for purging "pro-Ukraine" content from the internet, while giving priority to pro-Russian perspectives. Double D scoffs at the hypocrisy of Western media pushing such a narrative while the US and EU engage in the wholesale excommunication of anyone who questions the nature of the Ukraine conflict.