Description
European regulators and NGOs are pushing their domestic speech laws and surveillance onto the American internet. But there's a way to fight back.
reason.com
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The war against anonymity is raging in Europe.
"The witch hunters work like a mob, and if enough of them phone the police, the police are going to come," says Bernie Spofforth, a political activist who was detained by U.K. police for a social media post.
It's coming to the United States, thanks in part to lobbying by "a massive network of NGOs" connected to the U.K. government, says Brian Chau, founder of a new AI-driven investigative journalism outlet called Effort.news. The technique, says Chau, is to smuggle in speech codes and effectively end online anonymity under the guise of "child safety."
Their success could doom free speech on the internet. The good news is there's a way to fight back.
Producer: Zach Weissmueller
Video editor: John Osterhoudt
Graphics: Lex Villena
Photo Credits: Cover Images via ZUMA Press (Newscom), The Peter McCormack Show
Music Credits: Salience Bias by Art Against Agony/ Pursuit by Brianna Tam/Particles by Nobou/Suburban Living by Adam Dib/Above the Clouds by Theatre of Delays/Outer Limits by Theatre of Delays/No Memory by Jimmy Svensson/Day Dreaming by Diamonds And Ice