10-09-2024, 07:21 PM
One issue is that the First Amendment doesn't constitutionally apply outside the U.S. However, to remain on topic, I will use free speech principles to this topic.
Since the "disinformation" tag is weaponised in political circles to shut down opposing political views, my response is skewed. Moving onto genuine cases of propaganda or disinformation opens up a massive can of worms.
Establishing that someone is deliberately manufacturing or spreading misinformation is where things get bogged down. For instance, someone from the America First 2.0 crowd disagrees with my stance on the war in Ukraine. But I would take that as a vast but genuine political disagreement. (I am skipping over specific points of difference to remain on topic). I will always defend that person's right to disagree with me.
However, the Trump Russia Gate Hoax and Hunter Biden Russia planted files on Hunter Biden's laptop are propaganda. The people behind those claims are present-day Goebbels, and they are well-suited to their Russian counterparts.
To answer the original question. Do people have a right to spread disinformation knowingly? No. Nor does anybody have the right to incite civil unrest or commit slander. However, measures to combat propaganda and disinformation are usually thinly disguised methods to suppress non-left political views.
Yet, if one assumes a genuine intent to combat disinformation, one is better off countering such views rather than outlawing them. So, the proposed banning/cure is the disease/propaganda and misinformation.
Since the "disinformation" tag is weaponised in political circles to shut down opposing political views, my response is skewed. Moving onto genuine cases of propaganda or disinformation opens up a massive can of worms.
Establishing that someone is deliberately manufacturing or spreading misinformation is where things get bogged down. For instance, someone from the America First 2.0 crowd disagrees with my stance on the war in Ukraine. But I would take that as a vast but genuine political disagreement. (I am skipping over specific points of difference to remain on topic). I will always defend that person's right to disagree with me.
However, the Trump Russia Gate Hoax and Hunter Biden Russia planted files on Hunter Biden's laptop are propaganda. The people behind those claims are present-day Goebbels, and they are well-suited to their Russian counterparts.
To answer the original question. Do people have a right to spread disinformation knowingly? No. Nor does anybody have the right to incite civil unrest or commit slander. However, measures to combat propaganda and disinformation are usually thinly disguised methods to suppress non-left political views.
Yet, if one assumes a genuine intent to combat disinformation, one is better off countering such views rather than outlawing them. So, the proposed banning/cure is the disease/propaganda and misinformation.
