#Rutgers yanked alum Rami Elghandour’s engineering school graduation invite over pro-Palestine social posts he wasn’t even planning to mention in his speech. We’re watching a livestreamed genocide, and unis are worried about hurting the feelings of people backing it.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/06/rutgers-cancel-graduation-speech-pro-palestine-post

#FreeSpeech #AcademicFreedom #Palestine #gazagenocide

@Tutanota Unfortunately, I think this letter will fall upon deaf ears. As we've learned from their response to the OSA repeal petition, their response to any criticism of these laws is to 1: Glaze said laws 2: Imply critics of the laws are sex pests/pedophiles/etc. and 3: Enact even more fascist legislation.

The UK Government (and I'm sure plenty of other governments) is willing to die on the hill of these thinly veiled mass surveillance/censorship laws. They won't stop unless the courts/a future parliament/a general strike forces them to. Because enacting a fascist police state is just too good to pass up.

I would be glad to be wrong and they actually listen but I don't think that will be the case.

#Privacy #Censorship #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #AgeVerification #Surveillance #Internet #SocialMedia #UK #UnitedKingdom

I've generally been suspicious of free speech for a while, so I wrote an essay articulating why. We’ve all likely heard that the freedom to swing one’s fist ends at the tip of another’s nose. I can accept this without argument for this assertion. Your freedom TO violates my freedom FROM. These freedoms should cancel out.

https://philosophics.blog/2026/05/05/free-speech-pseudo-invariance-and-the-grammar-of-liberal-rights-part-1/?utm_source=masto&utm_medium=social

#philosophy #freespeech #freedom #violence #language #silence #commons #grammar #essay #video #rights #liberalism #blog #YouTube #spotify #podcast

You were born without an account.

Nobody tracked your conversations. No one drew a map of where you'd been. Privacy was never a feature — it was the way of life...https://simplex.chat/why

_____
#privacy #cybersecurity #freespeech #opensource #technology

You shouldn't need to hand over your identity just to send a message.

No government ID. No phone number. No "real name policy."

QRYPTY Mail exists because privacy isn't a feature — it's a right.

Create your anonymous mailbox in 10 seconds:
https://qrypty.com

#privacy #humanrights #anonymous #email #encryption #freespeech #journalism #whistleblower #QRYPTY

@Tutanota I suggest adding"❌ Suppression of Tor users (in my opinion by Tuta)"to the right side.

I tried to create an anonymous Tuta account when I was living in a dictatorship and I remember it didn't work.

I was using Tor because I didn't want to be abducted into a concentration camp (euphemistically called "jail") by the dictatorial regime in retaliation for legitimate and legal exercising of my human and constitutional right to free speech I was planning using that account.

I strongly suspect the reason it didn't work was because IMO Tuta was suppressing Tor users.

Due to this,my work in publishing public domain legal norms the regime was trying to hide,was greatly slowed down and made difficult.

When Tuta is writing like this,in my opinion it is hypocrisy.

The following hashtags may be unrelated or only remotely related to the topic of this post:

#hypocrisy #tuta #tutanota #tor #freespeech #freedomofspeech #dictatorship #anonymity #rejection #privacy #encryption #censorship

#SXSW Used #AI-Powered Trademark Tool To Censor Dissent on #Instagram

https://www.404media.co/sxsw-used-ai-powered-trademark-tool-to-censor-dissent-on-instagram/

#censorship #privacy #FreeSpeech #BrandShield

Last May, #Comey posted a photo on social media of shells on a beach writing out the numbers “86 47,” which critics said referred to taking out or killing #Trump.

[can you imagine if this same principle were applied to trump?? & the horrid things he has posted???]

#law #DOJ #independence #RevengePolitics #Constitution #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech

Alt...

Last May, Comey posted a photo on social media of shells on a beach writing out the numbers “86 47,” which critics said referred to taking out or killing Trump.

RE: https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@nateb/116482814748540996

We can not have democracy without privacy.

#Democracy #Privacy #Dissent #HumanRights #FreeSpeech #Resistance #Law

RE: https://ieji.de/@GalacticGoddess/115652094528258948

Canadians!

Another reminder that these bills are rapidly progressing through the chambers. Bill C-12 passed while Bills C-8, C-9, and S-209 passed their first chambers and are rapidly progressing through their second chambers.

If these bills weren't bad enough, the Canadian government is trying to rush a bill that's essentially the United States' FISA and CLOUD Act rolled into one: C-22, the Lawful Access Act.

C-22's guardrails protecting encryption are extremely flimsy and easily bypassed (i.e. the definition of a "systematic vulnerability" won't be legally defined until after the bill is passed).

Please call your Senators and House of Commons Reps ASAP!

If you live in Canada, sign the petition against C-22: https://www.internetsociety.org/our-work/internet-policy/keep-canada-protected/

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Encryption #Internet #Canada

america's two top law enforcement officials will be speaking at the #bitcoin conference.

said another way, american law enforcement is now wholly on the side of russian and iranian money launderers.

(the third speaker #PaulGrewal is the Chief Legal Officer at #Coinbase, the company that purchased the US government at a discount in 2024)

https://x.com/TheBitcoinConf/status/2047020804508996082

#Iran #irgc #uspol #corruption #trump #toddblanche #DOJ #kashPatel #btc #crypto #russia #putin #ukrainewar #ukraine #eupol #crime #blockchain #freespeech #1stamendment #lawfedi #FBI

Alt...

The Bitcoin Conference @TheBitcoinConf BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel & Acting AG Todd Blanche will speak at Bitcoin 2026 next week 🇺🇸 Their panel will be called "Code is Free Speech: Ending the War on Bitcoin" ⚔️💬

#EFF Sues #DHS and #ICE For Records on Subpoenas Seeking to Unmask Online Critics

https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-sues-dhs-and-ice-records-subpoenas-seeking-unmask-online-critics-0

#privacy #politics #FreeSpeech

On comparatively better state level AV bill news:

The Governor of Wisconsin vetoed an Age Verification bill that passed both of the state's chambers. This bill would have required hard identifiers (ex: Government ID) for Age Verification.

The governor seems to be in favor of a device based age verification solution similar to what California, Colorado, and Illinois are doing.

So, it's not good, but it's better than requiring hard identifiers.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Wisconsin #US #UnitedStates #AgeVerification

Apparently, Massachusetts, a blue state, is trying to fast track a "Social Media Safety" bill that's about as restrictive as the one currently in effect in Florida (mandates AV, bans anyone under 14 from social media, requires giving a birth certificate to verify parental consent, requires enormous amounts of data collection, and the bill's definition of a social media site is so broad that it would include sites like Wikipedia and The Trevor Project). Massachusetts state lawmakers are even aware of the comparisons to the Florida bill and the legal challenges to that bill.

It's like, if you're aware that your bill is likely to be met with a mountain of legal challenges, amend it or better yet: don't pass it! I guess they're so arrogant they're like, "Nah, we'd win!" If you live in Massachusetts, please contact your state senators and representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #Censorship #DigitalRights #Massachusetts #US #UnitedStates #AgeVerification #SocialMediaBan

https://www.stoponlineidchecks.org/ma/?link_id=4&can_id=65a53a374cd7fa8d57320558480d989d&source=email-im-taking-this-personally&email_referrer=email_3198534___body_3673243___subject_3673241&email_subject=7-million-new-id-checks&&

War as a Pretext: Gulf States Are Tightening the Screws on Speech—Again

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/war-pretext-gulf-states-are-tightening-screws-speech-again

#FreeSpeech #privacy #politics

Liberals Turn Their Backs on Human Rights, Approves Age Verification Resolutions

The Liberal convention has passed both age verification resolutions, representing the biggest tech flip-flop since warrantless wiretapping.

https://www.freezenet.ca/liberals-turn-their-backs-on-human-rights-approves-age-verification-resolutions/

#Censorship #News #AgeVerification #AI #Canada #convention #FreeSpeech #LiberalParty #Liberals #LPC #SocialMedia

US demands #Reddit unmask #ICE critic, summons firm to grand jury

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/04/trump-admin-hounds-reddit-to-reveal-identity-of-user-who-criticized-ice/

#privacy #FreeSpeech #politics

What happens after #AgeVerification laws take effect: The chilling effect of online age and ID checks

https://proton.me/blog/age-verification-laws-chilling-effect

#privacy #FreeSpeech #politics

Weakening Speech Protections Will Punish All of Us—Not Just #Meta

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/dont-weaken-speech-protections-just-punish-meta

#privacy #Section230 #FreeSpeech #Google #YouTube #Instagram #Facebook

Usenet is an ever-living, Casper the friendly ghost of discussion networks.

Just a friendly reminder that Usenet still exists and access to text newsgroups is still FREE. Access is provided by volunteer sysops around the world. See links below.

Back in its glory days it seems that just about every academic institution had its own Usenet hierarchy of newsgroups.

Linux was revealed to the world via Usenet.

Open source philosophy gained its steam via Usenet.

Usenet is the original free speech network.

Usenet is the original 'social network'.

Simple and free access to text-only Usenet Newsgroups
https://eternal-september.org/

#Usenet #BBS #NetworkNews #EternalSeptember #usenet #nntp #decentralized #censorship #retro #freespeech

+++ Ausics (Australia)

https://newsgroups.ausics.net

https://usenet.blueworldhosting.com

http://news.chmurka.net

http://csiph.com

https://dotsrc.org/usenet

https://www.eternal-september.org

https://news.gegeweb.org

https://news.hispagatos.org

https://news.nntp4.net

https://usenet.ovh

https://www.open-news-network.org

nntp://paganini.bofh.team

https://pasdenom.info/news.html

https://solani.org

I find #X / #Twitter interesting and I am very pro-#FreeSpeech, but... there's something terribly wrong when a site’s moderators turn down a report on a post referring to “the JQ" approvingly, saying it doesn't qualify as hateful content. A term referring to killing millions of people is... not hateful? Do better X.

#Antisemitism #Jews #Holocaust

👓 Who's Really Watching What #Smartglasses See? | EFFector 38.6

After years of tech industry experiments, smartglasses with embedded #cameras & #microphones have finally gone mainstream. And, disturbingly, sometimes it's not just their owners who are watching what these devices record. In this EFFector, we're taking a closer look at the #privacy implications of #Meta #RayBans , & sharing all the latest in the fight for privacy & #freespeech online
#rayban #surveillance

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/03/whos-really-watching-what-smartglasses-see-effector-385

Rep. Finke Was Right: Age-Gating Isn’t About Kids, It’s About Control

they prevent all young people from finding community online, and that they violate young people and adults' First Amendment rights.

#ageverification #surveillance #privacy #censorship #freespeech #technology #tech

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/03/rep-finke-was-right-age-gating-isnt-about-kids-its-about-control

Here we go again

#Trump Administration Sues #Harvard Over Accusations of “Antisemitism” [Protests for #Palestinian #HumanRights]

The admin spent months investigating the #school. The two sides had been in talks to negotiate a settlement.

#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #AcademicFreedom #RevengePolitics
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/us/trump-harvard-antisemitism-suit.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

The state of the internet is a bunch of people who are on record for being child molesters (or are at least actively covering for said child molesters) telling you that artistic expression is immoral.

"We need mass censorship and surveillance to protect the children, the same children that there are millions of pages of criminal report documents saying we brutally abused." -Lawmakers, Corporate Executives, Celebrities, Conservative Think Tanks, etc. unironically

#FreeSpeech #Privacy #Censorship #DigitalRights #SocialMedia #Internet #AgeVerification #ClientSideScanning

My latest column is more about #FreeSpeech than the particulars of why #AI is interesting (or disturbing) for military applications. Because even if we solve the dangers of AI (ha!), we're in trouble if we compromise principle along the way... https://reviews.ofb.biz/sa1399 https://mastodon.faithtree.social/@trbutler/116172894066868331

Remember when everyone on the Right was rightly upset at the government censoring opinions it found distasteful? Somehow that seems forgotten in the other war of this weekend. #AnthropicAI and #DeptofWar's #PeteHegseth. #AI #FreeSpeech https://reviews.ofb.biz/sa1399

About the Age Verification bills in California and Colorado:

It seems few people are actually bothering to read the bills and instead just want to scream while running around in circles. Neither of the bills are mandating you give your ID/Face-Scan/Transactional Documents/etc. to be able to setup your computer.

The only thing you give is your birth-date/age, you are assigned an age-category, and apps and websites respond accordingly!

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #AgeVerification #California

Inside #Chicago’s #surveillance #panopticon
Law enforcement and security advocates say this vast monitoring system protects public safety and works well. But activists and many residents say it’s a surveillance panopticon that creates a chilling effect on behavior and violates guarantees of #privacy and #freespeech.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/23/1132740/inside-chicago-surveillance-panopticon/
https://archive.ph/kJD2R

Homeland Security Wants #SocialMedia Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/technology/dhs-anti-ice-social-media.html

#DHS #politics #ICE #privacy #FreeSpeech #surveillance