Free Republic

A comprehensive communication-scanning regime would allow national authorities to identify political opponents far more quickly -- a tool capable of making life hell for anyone inconvenient to those in power. It is Ursula von der Leyen’s personal flagship project: the surveillance of private chats. All signs suggest that as early as Wednesday, the EU will make a renewed attempt to establish a dedicated spying authority. Wednesday could mark a turning point in the history of the European Union. As MCC Brussels and MEP Martin Sonneborn warned on Monday, a decisive vote on the EU’s proposed “chat control” is scheduled for...

The EU is working at full speed to complete its online surveillance-and-informant network. By the end of the year, all EU member states are required to present so-called “Trusted Flaggers” -- institutions tasked with identifying “problematic” content -- to Brussels for accreditation. Politicians from Germany’s Christian Democratic Union appear especially eager. Hendrik Wüst, CDU politician and Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, is a child of the current zeitgeist. As the leader of Germany’s most populous state, he views it as his mission not merely to preach the dominant ideology of the CO2-neutral society, but to enforce it rigorously. Together with...

Ireland’s media regulator began an investigation into social media platform X on Wednesday over concerns it is not giving users a chance to appeal content moderation decisions and that its internal complaint-handling systems are not easy to access. The probe, the first opened by the regulator in its role supervising the compliance of platforms established in Ireland with the European Union’s Digital Services Act, will assess Elon Musk-owned X’s compliance with parts of the law. […] The investigation arose from concerns held by the Irish regulator’s supervision team, as well as information provided by a non-governmental organization, HateAid, and a...

UK Parliament/PA Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the BBC must fight to restore trust after criticism that a Panorama documentary misled viewers by editing a speech by Donald Trump. She said a review of the broadcaster's charter would ensure a "genuinely accountable" BBC, defending it as a "national institution". BBC director general Tim Davie earlier told staff "we've got to fight for our journalism" after the US president's threat to sue the corporation for $1bn (£760m). A leaked internal BBC memo said the Panorama film misled viewers by splicing together parts of Trump's speech on 6 January 2021 and...

Joey Barton has been found guilty of posting grossly offensive messages on social media. Barton was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety. During his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the ex-Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder, 43, said he believed he was the victim of a "political prosecution" and denied his aim was "to get clicks and promote himself". But the jury decided Barton, who also played for England in 2007, had "crossed the line between free speech and a crime"...

The First AmendmentCongress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.What are the limits on free speech in America? What aren’t you allowed to say? And who is allowed to restrict speech? Myth: You can’t yell “fire” in a crowded theater.Fact: This famous phrase is derived from the 1919 Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States, but the full phrase is that “The most...

"Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable."

There have been countless examples of liberalism being a mental disorder.Here is another one:Two researchers from Western Michigan University have written a paper titled “Beneficial Bloodsucking,” which was published by the journal Bioethics this past July. (No, it isn’t about vampires.)The paper argues that intentionally spreading alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat, could be not only morally defensible, but perhaps even necessary, in order to reduce animal suffering and combat climate change.Here are the authors, Parker Crutchfield and Blake Hereth, in their own words:Because promoting tickborne AGS prevents something bad from happening, doesn’t violate anyone’s rights,...

The Philadelphia Police Department is solving so many homicides and arresting suspects at nearly the same rate as the force was about four decades ago, according to a new report from The Philadelphia Inquirer. Homicide clearance rates have hovered between 86 and 91 percent this year, which is the highest it has since the department reached 95 percent in 1984. Technological advancements, including license plate readers and high-definition surveillance cameras have assisted the department greatly. The tools, along with social media and cell phone location analysis, not only provide more evidence for cases, but also make the crimes get solved...

Soon, the EU may have access to every photo, message and video on your phone or computer. After Germany dropped its long-standing opposition to EU chat control, leading encrypted messenger Signal issued a dire warning about privacy in Europe, with the post going viral. However, now European parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) have joined in the criticism, with the party warning just before the EU Council vote that so-called “chat control” could end privacy entirely in Europe. The protest from the AfD comes after Signal threatened to pull out entirely from Europe if the EU implements its...

Cubs come close to blowing it in 9th inning but hang on to win 3-1. Next hurdle is Milwaukee.

A year ago, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party won the largest majority in Parliament this century and consigned the Conservatives, Labour’s historic rival, to its worst defeat. Now, after 15 months in power, Starmer has become the most unpopular British prime minister on record. Although previous leaders have joined despised foreign wars, bungled responses to a pandemic and nearly sent the economy into meltdown, none have been as unpopular as Starmer, according to Ipsos, a leading pollster. Just 13% of voters say they are satisfied with Starmer, while 79% are unsatisfied. Labour has “suffered the worst-ever fall in support for a...

Conversation RadioGenoa @RadioGenoa British man sentenced to two years in prison for Facebook comment.

British police have been accused of a 'dystopian' attack on free speech after an American woman was threatened with investigation - over her posts online. Footage of the encounter has been seen more 1.3million times since it was posted last night and has sparked a furious response from campaigners. It shows a woman, named as American cancer patient and Donald Trump supporter Deborah Anderson, being confronted in her home by Thames Valley Police.

Twenty-six officers have been injured while policing a protest organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, which saw up to 150,000 people march through central London. Tensions flared at the Unite the Kingdom rally, with some protesters throwing bottles and other projectiles at police, the Metropolitan Police said – leaving four seriously hurt. Tech billionaire Elon Musk spoke to protesters on Whitehall via videolink; while 5,000 people joined a nearby counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism. The Met said 25 people had been arrested for a range of offences in what it described as "wholly unacceptable" violence. A huge policing...

How the UK’s Online Safety Act Impacts AmericansSUMMARYThe United Kingdom’s Online Safety act went into effect on July 25th.X has warned that the OSA, which allows the UK to fine American companies at 10 percent of their annual global revenue, threatens free speech worldwide.The OSA’s provisions allow the UK government to force a company’s business partners, including advertisers and payment processors, to boycott them.American employees of non-compliant tech companies to face criminal charge and up to two years in jail in the UK.The Online Safety Act went into force in late July. Framed in the media as a child safety...

There’s a reason why the J6 Committee deleted the records of their activity, an angle missed by most. When you understand what they hid and why they did it, you then understand why current Speaker of The House Mike Johnson will not go near the subject. The J6 Committee used interfaces with the NSA database and pre-existing portals with aligned DHS Social Media databases (including Twitter, see prior “Twitter Files”), as research and evidence gathering mechanisms for their investigations. The J6 targets were identified through a collaboration between the legislative research group and the FBI. [That’s unlawful by the way...

Megyn Kelly is joined by Graham Linehan, comedy writer and co-creator of Father Ted, to discuss the backsliding in the culture of free speech, the details surrounding his arrest, his decision to sue the police over the arrest, and more.

End Wokeness @EndWokeness BREAKING: Shabana Mahmood named as UK Home Secretary, in charge of borders, police, immigration

‘The IT Crowd’ creator Graham Linehan arrested by UK cops over ‘anti-trans’ posts on X: ‘like a terrorist’ “The IT Crowd” creator Graham Linehan has said he was arrested by cops in the UK over three “anti-trans” social media posts shortly after arriving at London Heathrow Airport. The Irish comedy writer, who was flying to Britain on an American Airlines flight from Arizona, accused police of treating him like a “terrorist” when they detained him moments after he stepped off the plane on Monday. Linehan, 57, who has become a strident critic of the transgender rights movement, said he was...