The G20 Summit in Bali buried an endorsement of censoring “disinformation” in its Leaders’ Declaration. The declaration, posted on the White House website, came as the Missouri and Louisiana attorneys general have sued the Biden administration for allegedly colluding with Big Tech to censor certain content.
The G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration focused largely on woke climate agendas and “sustainable development goals [SDG],” which have historically centered around woke environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. But G20 leaders are now correlating “sustainable development goals” with online censorship.
Section 24 of the G20 Declaration mentions the supposed need to target “disinformation” online.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transformation of the digital ecosystem and digital economy,” the section began. “We recognize the importance of digital transformation in reaching the SDGs.”
The Declaration added that “trust in the digital economy” is important, and called for policies “to create an enabling, inclusive, open, fair and non-discriminatory digital economy that fosters the application of new technologies, allows businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive, and protects and empowers consumers.”
But the G20 Summit, just like United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, does not want the internet to be too free. “We acknowledge the importance to counter disinformation campaigns, cyber threats, online abuse, and ensuring security in connectivity infrastructure,” the declaration states.
The U.S. government’s endorsement of censorship is hardly surprising since it’s currently the subject of a federal lawsuit for allegedly colluding with Big Tech to censor. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry in May filed a lawsuit, which apparently uncovered what Schmitt has called a “vast censorship enterprise” between Big Tech and the federal government. Fox News reported that Schmitt and Landry can move ahead with depositions of Biden officials, including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, and the FBI.
China, one of the major players at G20, is notorious for its flagrant censorship regime and tyrannical policies. The authoritarian Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can demand data or even potentially specific censorship actions from companies.
The European Union also passed legislation this year pressuring tech companies to increase censorship. As NewsBusters previously reported, the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) aims to target supposed “illegal” content and alleged “fake news” online.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment and provide transparency and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable
