Is disinformation protected by the 1st Amendment?

[FlyingClayDisk]

palestinians under the flag of hamas want to kill all jews.

germans, under the nazi flag wanted the same.

QED

Well, good.  I hope all the jews can KILL ALL the Palestinians, Hamas, Iranians and the whole rest of the Arab world!  Why???  Because they're going to need to do it on their fucking OWN!!

So, I hope they're that BAD-ASS, because they're gonna' need to be!!

You miss my point, but I'm not going to make it again, because it's lost on you.  You only see Israeli's.  I actually see a larger political picture.  So, while you see, only see, zionism as the last soution...unlike you, I see a larger picture where your ass gets blown up (and my ass gets blown up too). 

Don't let your ideology over-step your piss-ant ass!  Trust me!

You have fallen under the Israeli propaganda machine!!

edit - Don't give me "QED", bud... that's insulting to me, like you think you're smarter than me somehow.  Take a fucking hike with your "QED" shit!!  I learned that shit in HS. 
Fuck that!!  Do you think that makes you look smart??  Do ya?  LOL!!!

[DBCowboy]

Well, good.  I hope all the jews can KILL ALL the Palestinians, Hamas, Iranians and the whole rest of the Arab world!  Why???  Because they're going to need to do it on their fucking OWN!!

So, I hope they're that BAD-ASS, because they're gonna' need to be!!

You miss my point, but I'm not going to make it again, because it's lost on you.  You only see Israeli's.  I actually see a larger political picture.  So, while you see, only see, zionism as the last soution...unlike you, I see a larger picture where your ass gets blown up (and my ass gets blown up too). 

Don't let your ideology over-step your piss-ant ass!  Trust me!

You have fallen under the Israeli propaganda machine!!

edit - Don't give me "QED", bud... that's insulting to me, like you think you're smarter than me somehow.  Take a fucking hike with your "QED" shit!!  I learned that shit in HS. 
Fuck that!!

At the end, I'd rather be on the side of the Jews than the palestinians.

And I will gladly own it and accept it.

[FlyingClayDisk]

At the end, I'd rather be on the side of the Jews than the palestinians.

And I will gladly own it and accept it.

Fine, but you missed my whole point.

That's okay, I didn't expect anything more.

You are unable to separate yourself from your partisan and ideological beliefs.  You are nothing more than a puppet of the propagandists.  You have been influenced to the point of action based on NO personal experience. 

Why should I not be surprised?

[xpert11]

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.

[FlyingClayDisk]

You see, here's the hard part for you to understand...I am a conservative (the polar opposite of a liberal).  At the outset, you would expect me to support the Israeli's, when the liberals are all burning down college campuses supporting the terrorists.  Wait!...it doesn't make sense...now does it?  Why?

Why?  Because you are blinded by your ideology, and you cannot see reality.  Israel is just as guilty as the terrorists, why?  Because they operate the same exact GOD DAMNED way the TERRORISTS do!

It might surprise you, but I actually like the Israeli people, and I know many (do you???).  What I DON'T like is Netanyahu.  He's out of control and he needs to GO!!

Sadly, you cannot see the difference between these things I say, and you just enjoin all of them into this fight against "Terror" from the Israeli propaganda machine.

It would be really nice if we could just have a discussion one time about the wrong things the Israeli government has done WITHOUT having to have the topic turn into "BUT..HAMAS...BUT...Hezbollah...but...but...but).  And, the reason we can never do that is because of YOU, and others like you, who blind the conversation with ... "But what about...but what about...and, but what about"!)

[UltraBudgie]

edit: aw heck never mind i just read the rest of the thread and i'll keep my beak out

[DBCowboy]

You see, here's the hard part for you to understand...I am a conservative (the polar opposite of a liberal).  At the outset, you would expect me to support the Israeli's, when the liberals are all burning down college campuses supporting the terrorists.  Wait!...it doesn't make sense...now does it?  Why?

Why?  Because you are blinded by your ideology, and you cannot see reality.  Israel is just as guilty as the terrorists, why?  Because they operate the same exact GOD DAMNED way the TERRORISTS do!

It might surprise you, but I actually like the Israeli people, and I know many (do you???).  What I DON'T like is Netanyahu.  He's out of control and he needs to GO!!

Sadly, you cannot see the difference between these things I say, and you just enjoin all of them into this fight against "Terror" from the Israeli propaganda machine.

It would be really nice if we could just have a discussion one time about the wrong things the Israeli government has done WITHOUT having to have the topic turn into "BUT..HAMAS...BUT...Hezbollah...but...but...but).  And, the reason we can never do that is because of YOU, and others like you, who blind the conversation with ... "But what about...but what about...and, but what about"!)

I served with the IDF in many areas.  I have the greatest respect for Israel and their peoples.

[Ray1990]

Would misinformation be the lie of the Steele Dossier, Hunter's laptop?

 

I don't know and I don't much care, sounds like a political US thing.

Free speech is a global thing but it's nations that are supposed to facilitate it. The way we use it is more about human nature than the likes of politics.

Tongues are rarely removed forcibly anymore yet the demand for shutting people up has always existed. To outlaw disinformation we'd have to live in a drastically different world where courts are ran by kangaroos and whatever the big guy says is true. Like a theocracy or a dictatorship.

The people of nations like that tend to have room a temperature IQ (in Celsius) so like I say, misinformation would be the least of our problems since we'll have lost pretty much all progress since the age of reason.

[Lynyrd Skynyrd]

Does everyone realize the western internet search engines are already censored? There are algorithms set up to not return information considered harmful to the status quo. Do a parallel search with Google and Yandex, if you want to see this for yourself.

[guyfriday]

Lots of talk from pols about stopping disinformation, misinformation.

I see a trend developing where such claims will enable government(s) to censor.

The only truth will be government sanctioned and approved of, truth!

 " If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."
George Orwell


So. . . is misinformation protected or not?

Yes, and so is hate speech. The point of the 1A is stated,
First Amendment | U.S. Constitution | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)

The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.

The issue of Mal/Mis/dis Information is the same as the ones for hate speech. The First Amendment outlines the rights to express oneself, but it also inversely silently presents the public the right to not listen to others. There is also a responsibility of the executor of these freedoms to take ownership of their actions. If a person goes around spouting off falsehood after falsehood, then there should be no surprise nor malice toward others when that same executor is ignored by others. 

In today's world another complex notion comes up, and that is crying fire in a crowded hall while also being the one creating the fire. If abuse via mal/mis/dis information is being conducted by a few people, and at the same time conspirators of that person is yelling about the dangers of mal/mis/dis information, then the warner should be viewed and listen to with the same caution of listening and viewing the spouter of the mal/mis/dis information. 

So does the First Amendment protect the right to spout off mal/mis/dis information? Well, yes, but at the same time it also protects the rights of the listener and viewer of this mal/mis/dis information to ignore the purveyor of these falsehoods. With this in mind the requirements of any listener or viewer to research any information heard or seen is also protected by the First Amendment. 


We might not like it when people in general tell lies to the openness of the public form, we should also remind ourselves that these individuals have the right to do so. 


If on the other hand you are asking if the Government has that same right, well then, no it doesn't. Any functional Governmental body has the sole duty of protecting and serving the people that allow that government to function. If a governmental body starts to use mal/mis/dis information on those same people that allow it to function, then the trust between the two if null and void. It is then that both sides need to understand that the government only survives due to compliance of the public. If the public decides that it will no longer is willing to allow the falsehood claims of that governmental body, then removal of that governmental body should be conducted in order to restore both trust and faith in the working governmental body.