“Gosh! I’ve been censored!”

So, there I was, going through my much neglected Facebook page. I’m trying to sort out my social media presence, such as it is. I was idly looking back through things I’d posted or shared, and I saw this…

‘Gosh! I’ve been censored’ I thought. Well, censored might be a bit strong, but my re-post of a picture of a CCTV camera outside George Orwell’s old house in Notting Hill had fallen foul of the Facebook gatekeepers and flagged as “false information”. Here’s the original.

I naturally looked up the picture, and the self-appointed guardians of truth weren’t wrong, the picture itself does seem to be a photoshop job. It’s prettty well done but there certainly isn’t a camera like that outside 22 Portobello Road. Looking at it closely now the camera would have to be about a couple of feet from the front wall, swell within the small front garden, hardly likely. Lesson learned, always check before you share.

That said, the picture isn’t evidence being presented in court, it is making a very valid point about surveillance in 21^st century Britain. In checking up on this I have found that the closest CCTV camera to Orwell’s old place is just over the road, about 30 yards away. I have also found another, less dramatic picture of small, private CCTV cameras on the wall of the house. Someone else found that within a couple of hundred yards of another old Orwell dwelling, in Canonbury Square, Islington, there are at least 24 CCTV cameras.

 

Not a fact, but true nonetheless

The picture itself is indeed fake, but the point it makes is all too real. You could see Facebook’s zealous commitment to the exact and literal truth as commendable, I might even be persuaded of this if this zeal was equally applied across the board, however, it is not. To give just two examples, how many times have we seen politicians, “journalists” and pundits repeating that The Donald has failed, or refused, to condemn white supremacists when he has in fact done so repeatedly? How often is the bare faced lie repeated that he told people to inject bleach? Every time these lies are repeated, they go unchallenged, unflagged, and un-fact checked. We can see clearly that the playing field is very far from level.

Oh the irony

Far from striking a blow for accuracy by labelling it as “false information” Mr Zuckerberg’s minions have attempted to control speech, only deepening the irony. They’ve also strengthened my resolve to do what I can to fight this creeping control.

This is just one, tiny example of the tech giants using their power to subdue and smother views they don’t like. Understanding this theoretically is one thing, having it happen to you gives a deeper understanding. Bill has been trenchant on this and he is totally right, if they continue in this way it will be increasingly hard, eventually impossible, to make the case for freedom. They are also utterly destrying the argument that as pure carriers they are not responsible for content. They are clearly editing and curating content on their platforms

What do we do, apart from sign up to Plarler? Whatever we can. If you’ve just joined BW.com, welcome. If you are nervous about posting on the blog, don’t be. Think of this as a place to try out your ideas, hone your skills. We can inform each other, develop ideas, give each other ammo to fire in the culture wars. I know I’ve been encouraged by the support I’ve found here, for which I thank my fellow Whittlers. Everyone can do something.