Just when we thought the extent of the federal government's censorship had been fully revealed, an entirely new industry has been exposed as a partner in burying dissent and subverting the First Amendment.
This time, we're learning the National Science Foundation (NSF) worked with academic institutions — including the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin, and others — to censor "misinformation" online through Big Tech platforms and search engines. Alarmingly, they're using new artificial intelligence technology to do it.
This means studies and data coming out of universities can no longer be trusted. Grants depend on promoting a government narrative, not pursuing the science. It also means overbearing censorship police on the most pressing issues facing Americans.
"In the name of combatting alleged misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the 2020 election, NSF has been issuing multi-million-dollar grants to university and non-profit research teams. The purpose of these taxpayer-funded projects is to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-powered censorship and propaganda tools that can be used by governments and Big Tech to shape public opinion by restricting certain viewpoints or promoting others," the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released in a stunning report this week.
Given the NSF's efforts to censor science and accurate reporting that cuts down its narratives – and, more importantly, its control – it's no wonder hundreds and hundreds of Townhall's stories about climate change and government lies surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have been flagged by Big Tech. These stories have been demonetized, stripping our work of advertising revenue.
When the federal government has tools to censor conservative outlets "at scale," making the censorship industrial complex more powerful than ever, it means putting us out of business. They want to bankrupt us by pulling our advertising revenue through bogus claims of "disinformation," "harm" or being "unreliable." That's always been the goal. Their latest tactic is to drown us with new technology and artificial intelligence. Documents prove they know exactly what they're doing and that their efforts to quash differing viewpoints or factual stories aren't a mistake or oversight. It's the entire goal.
"Federal bureaucrats, 'disinformation' researchers, and non-profit groups understood that their actions -- 'content moderation' and combatting so-called misinformation -- amounted to 'censorship.' And yet, NSF forged ahead, supporting new technologies that would essentially enable the censorship of online speech 'at scale,'" the report states. "From legal scholars, such as Jonathan Turley, to conservative journalists, NSF tracked public criticisms of its work in funding these projects. NSF went so far as to develop a media strategy that considered blacklisting certain American media outlets because they were scrutinizing NSF's funding of censorship and propaganda tools."
We are one of those conservative media outlets. Big government, Big Tech, and Big Academia are working together – against us. We're refusing to back down, but we need your help.
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-Katie