A quotation from Ulysses Grant

Let us all labor to add all needful guarantees for the more perfect security of free thought, free speech, and free press, pure morals, unfettered religious sentiments, and of equal rights and privileges to all men, irrespective of nationality, color, or religion. Encourage free schools, and resolve that not one dollar of money shall be appropriated to the support of any sectarian school. Resolve that neither the state nor nation, or both combined, shall support institutions of learning other than those sufficient to afford every child growing up in the land the opportunity of a good common school education, unmixed with sectarian, Pagan, or Atheistical tenets. Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private schools, supported entirely by private contributions. Keep the Church and the State forever Separate.

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) American military leader, US President (1869–77)
Speech (1875-09-25), Address to the Army of the Tennessee, Annual Reunion, Des Moines, Iowa

More about this quote: wist.info/grant-ulysses-s/1598…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #ulyssesgrant #childrearing #childraising #churchandstate #education #freepress #freespeech #freethought #freedomofreligion #freedomofspeech #freedomofthepress #parochialschool #publiceducation #religiousfreedom #seculargovernment #secularism

A quotation from Anne Frank

What’s done can’t be undone, but at least you can keep it from happening again.
 
[Gedane zaken nemen geen keer, maar wel kan men verder voorkomen.]

Anne Frank (1929–1945) German-Dutch Jewish diarist
Diary (1944-05-07) [tr. Massotty (1995)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/frank-anne/86210/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #annefrank #civilrights #Constitution #dissent #firstamendment #freespeech #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #protest #rights

It was never about free speech.

#ElonMusk #oligarch #freespeech #meta

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/elon-musk-documentary-trailer-rejected-tiktok-youtube-1236710259/

A quotation from Abe Fortas

Under our Constitution, free speech is not a right that is given only to be so circumscribed that it exists in principle, but not in fact. Freedom of expression would not truly exist if the right could be exercised only in an area that a benevolent government has provided as a safe haven for crackpots.

Abraham Fortas (1910–1982) American academic, jurist, lawyer; US Supreme Court Justice (1965–69)
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 513 (1969) [majority opinion]

More about this quote: wist.info/fortas-abe/86206/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #abefortas #scotus #civilrights #Constitution #dissent #firstamendment #freespeech #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #protest #rights

#MAGA #FreePalestine #DueProcess #FreeSpeech #1stAmendment #FuckTrump #FuckICE #ThisIsWhatYouVotedFor #TrumpEpsteinFiles #TrumpWars #TrumpEconomy

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A social media post screenshot from writer and journalist Ivie Ani (@ivieani). The text reads: "If you can’t say 'Free Palestine' or speak out on any injustices against humanity across the world or at home without fear of losing a job, an opportunity, a connection, a title, or a platform, then you’re not free either and that’s the point."

Props to Mike Simpson. Republicans are traitorous cowards.

Here’s How Many Republicans Have Publicly Denounced Trump’s Media Ban
https://newrepublic.com/post/215660/two-republicans-publicly-denounce-donald-trump-media-ban

#FreePress #FreeSpeech #TrumpMustGo #KingOfTreason #RepublicansDidThis #NoRepublicansEverAgain #USPol

It’s OK to tell #ICE their actions will haunt them, judge rules in speech fight

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/its-ok-to-tell-ice-their-actions-will-haunt-them-judge-rules-in-speech-fight/

#privacy #politics #FreeSpeech

#Nitter and #XCancel are dead (again) after X’s latest legal actions

https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/15/nitter-and-xcancel-are-dead-again-after-xs-latest-legal-actions/

#Twitter #X #FOSS #privacy #FreeSpeech

Tech Fascism Has Come for American Democracy

https://techwontsave.us/episode/342_tech_fascism_has_come_for_american_democracy_w_gil_duran

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49724194

#HackerNews #TechFascism #AmericanDemocracy #DigitalRights #TechEthics #FreeSpeech

If you're using a music streaming service of any kind, can I ask you to listen to some Macklemore today?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1wg73id/macklemore_speaks_out_after_being_dropped_from_ed/

#FreePalestine #FreeSpeech #genocide #macklemore

Alt...

A post by Macklemore about how he has been dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour for saying Free Palestine, and how it's worth it.

Hot take: Not having an answer for an idea doesn't mean that that idea is right and yours is wrong. They don't necessarily have an answer to your idea either. Or if they do it's an aggressive and irrational dunk of an answer not worthy of debate.
Hotter take: Wanting to censor that idea doesn't mean that either.

https://isought.info/

#freespeech #debate

Americans!

Summary of RESET Act subcommittee markup last week:

-The House E&C subcommittee replaced the RESET Act with the GUARDIAN Act during a markup
-While the GUARDIAN Act doesn't explicitly ban people under 16 from social media, the bill's provisions would effectively result in an under 16 ban.
-Why? The costs and legal risks associated with implementing a parental consent flow would make it far more trouble than it's worth for most platforms. It would be less costly to just raise the minimum age ceiling to 16.
-While the bill doesn't explicitly mandate age verification (as of now), platforms would no doubt crank up the data harvesting dial in order to enforce their new minimum age ceiling and minimize legal risk.

#Privacy #Censorship #DigitalRights #FreeSpeech #ResetAct #GuardianAct #Under16socialmedia #Under16 #US #UnitedStates

@Libby_
What happened to the "fascist"? Anything similar to what happened to A/I recently?
#freespeech
@cavallette

If the firing isn't #censorship and chilling of #freespeech, I don't know what is.

Roque Planas: Judge refuses to block #Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes journalists. Ruling allows defense department to proceed for now in exerting greater editorial control over military news outlet.

#hegseth #media
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/04/judge-pentagon-stars-and-stripes

Israeli censorship seems to have taken control of Mastodon, too.
You are free to hashtag "nazi", "zionist", "fascist" and so on, but the hashtag "zionazi" is forbidden.

#zio*nazi #israel #masssurveillance #palantir #AIPAC #Elnet #ADF #netanyahu #masspsychosis #politics #freespeech #mastodon

A quotation from Abraham Fortas

Any departure from absolute regimentation may cause trouble. Any variation from the majority’s opinion may inspire fear. Any word spoken, in class, in the lunchroom, or on the campus, that deviates from the view of another person may start an argument or cause a disturbance. But our Constitution says we must take this risk, and our history says that it is this sort of hazardous freedom — this kind of openness — that is the basis of our national strength and of the independence and vigor of Americans who grow up and live in this relatively permissive, often disputatious, society.

Abraham Fortas (1910–1982) American academic, jurist, lawyer; US Supreme Court Justice (1965–69)
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 508 (1969) [majority opinion]

More about this quote: wist.info/fortas-abe/13226/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #abefortas #America #argument #belief #Constitution #control #debate #disagreement #dissent #disturbance #firstamendment #freespeech #freedom #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #heterodoxy #majority #openness #opinion #popularopinion #SCOTUS #troublemaking #protest

https://www.fire.org/news/our-ancient-faith-liberty

I don't agree 100% with this. Being against Israel is fine, correct even, but "empathising with Hamas" is beyond the pale.

#USpol #Palestine #freespeech

Treating the #FCC like his own personal enforcer, #Trump said on social media Sunday that #NBC’s #KristenWelker would be “reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment” over a TV segment he didn’t like.

In a separate post, Trump complained in all caps about “fake polls” & said “something must be done about it,” adding, “FCC to the rescue!”

#law #democracy #US #Constitution #FirstAmendment #FreePress #FreeSpeech #authoritarianism #dictatorship #MafiaState
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/30/politics/trump-kristen-welker-fcc-nbc

Charges Dropped Against Person Who #Clapped at a City #DataCenter Meeting
#freespeech #clapping

https://www.404media.co/charges-dropped-against-person-who-clapped-at-a-city-data-center-meeting/

http://127.0.0.1:7509/v1/contract/web/8nXH9SDHE28yPVbudRJDnf3mJi1AFZeV9EYGsqeya1Nv/

#Freenet #freespeech #p2p

Alt...

site Freebird decentralized microblogging on Freenet Freebird is a decentralized microblogging app on Freenet allowing users to post short messages, follow authors, and engage in threaded conversations without a central server. microblogging freenet decentralized peer-to-peer social

Teen Reporter Searches for his community in the #EpsteinFiles, then his Redwood HS printed what he found out in his #HS newspaper.

Adults Freaked Out.

The Marin County, #CA HS had turned into a #FreeSpeech flash point.

#Journalism #StudentJournalism #MillValleyConnection

https://www.wired.com/story/epstein-files-redwood-bark-school-newspaper/

My ideal country to live in, I think, would be like the US w.r.t. #freespeech, except that it's equivalent of 1A would not include incitement to or promotion of violence.

#uspol

So To Speak Episode #233: Rethinking free speech with Peter Ives
https://sotospeak.libsyn.com/rethinking-free-speech-with-peter-ives

"The best ideas will rise to the top" I think that this is naive. People are irrational.

That being said, I still feel uncomfortable with the government censoring speech.

I think the solution is to try and stop people with insane ideas from having any power that can't be exited from, instead of preventing people from listening to them.

#freespeech

@Nonilex
the Supreme Court is usually pretty good with #freespeech afaik

The case would be one of the most significant dealing with #religion in #PublicSchools since an ideologically divided #SCOTUS ruled in 2022 that a former public high school football coach’s on-field prayers were protected under the #FirstAmendment’s right to #FreeSpeech.
In the current case, the [ultra-conservative] US Court of Appeals for the #5thCircuit in New Orleans upheld the #Texas #law on a 9-8 vote, overturning a lower-court ruling that found the measure #unconstitutional.

#Constitution

I agree with Bomber that the left is unwise to concede this ground to cynical hard right grifters. I'd like to see a genuinely nonpartisan kiwi org that defends freedom of political and artistic expression, with *teeth*. But also hosts friendly and constructive public debates about reasonable limits, like defamation and advocating violence, and where to draw the lines.

EDIT: Hmm. Maybe I misjudged the Free Speech Onion?

https://mastodon.nz/@BobLefridge/117034633012622437

#FreeSpeech #FreedomOfExpression

@BobLefridge

The Government is Monitoring Anti- #Flock #TikTok and #Instagram Accounts

https://www.404media.co/the-government-is-monitoring-anti-flock-tiktok-and-instagram-accounts/

#privacy #surveillance #FreeSpeech #ALPR #police

@richarddawkins
Found the source. This is fucked.
https://spectator.com/article/the-problems-with-the-faculty-of-education-go-beyond-jason-arday/
#Islam #liberalvalues #immigration

She has the right to #freespeech obviously, but she shouldn't have any power, especially not over education.

A quotation from Bertrand Russell

All the governments of the world adopt elaborate methods of concealing truths which they consider undesirable, and inflict various forms of penalty upon those who spread knowledge which is thought bad for the population This applies especially to knowledge of the kind which is considered seditious, and the kind which is considered obscene. I shall not give instances, since, if I did, I should myself fall under the ban of the law.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 1 “The Individual versus the Citizen” (1932)

More about this quote: wist.info/russell-bertrand/853…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #bertrandrussell #censorship #control #freepress #freespeech #government #knowledge #obscenity #pornography #publicgood #sedition #suppression #treason #truth

📲 Credit: D. Miller / trackingpower.substack.com

#law #equalityact #uk #zionism #apartheid #freespeech #racism #academia #palestine #activism
#genocide

https://youtu.be/YzQ_KFOyRt0?si=_lKjwHfy_OZgdtYR

How can people see shit like this and not think "fuck this authoritarian shite"?

#freedom #freespeech #TransTyranny

Alt...

I’m trans but – sorry, Germany – no one should go to jail for misgendering As Berlin introduces pro-trans laws that will make deadnaming an offence punishable with prison or a €10,000 fine, barrister Robin Moira White says it will only make life harder for people like her Friday 01 November 2024 15:02 GMT

The outgoing president of PEN America resigned due to the hypocrisy of the US's most prominent 'free-speech' group, likening it to the Writers’ Union in the USSR, an institution empowered by the state to project a kind of national and moral superiority, but unable to stand dissent of any kind.

#PENAmerica #FreeSpeech #Palestine
https://www.equator.org/articles/inside-pen-america-dinaw-mengestu

@radioclash

a) I don't see how being #gendercritical is necessarily "anti-rights". What rights are they against? And are those actual rights or just privileges?

b) It seems that Amnesty caved to legal pressure from the GC orgs. It's a sad day for #freespeech, even if I agree ideologically with the censors to some degree. “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

The #SCREENAct is a Christian Nationalist Nightmare

https://www.404media.co/what-is-the-screen-act-age-verification-porn/

#privacy #AgeVerification #FreeSpeech

A UK appeals court rules that Zionism can correctly be described as racist, colonial & imperialistic...

... as an ideology that supports the migration of members of one group "into the territory with the support of an imperial power to dislodge an indigenous population."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-appeals-court-upholds-anti-zionist-beliefs-protected-under-equality-law

#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #zionism #racism #news #palestine #freespeech .

A UK appeals court win for free speech, namely a ruling that Zionism can correctly be described as racist, colonial & imperialistic...

... as an ideology that supports the migration of members of one group "into the territory with the support of an imperial power to dislodge an indigenous population."

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-appeals-court-upholds-anti-zionist-beliefs-protected-under-equality-law

#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #zionism #racism #news #palestine #freespeech .

The #Senate Should Reject KOSA's #Privacy Risks

The Senate Commerce Committee is once again considering legislation that would dramatically expand age verification, and undermine privacy for everyone. Alongside the #SCREENAct , the #CHATBOT Act, and the Youth #AI Privacy Act, the Kids Online Safety Act (#KOSA ) would push companies to collect more information about their users while creating new incentives to restrict lawful speech.
#freespeech #ageverification

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/08/senate-should-reject-kosas-privacy-risks

The SCREEN Act is a #ChristianNationalist Nightmare

On Wednesday morning, Ted Cruz’s Senate #CommerceCommittee will convene on five bills aimed at age verification and “child safety.” The bills each have their own issues when it comes to #privacy , data collection, parental rights, and free speech. But one bill, the partisan #Republican SCREEN Act, is a Christian nationalist nightmare.
#screenact #tedcruz #ageverification #parentalrights #freespeech

https://www.404media.co/what-is-the-screen-act-age-verification-porn/

#Trump claimed he would 'bring free speech back” [but seriously, let’s be real, it was always his version of #FreeSpeech] - yet Judges have ruled in 75 cases that he has stifled the #FirstAmendment .

#law #gaslighting #propaganda #Trumpaganda #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #MafiaState #tyranny
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-vowed-bring-free-speech-back-judges-75-cases-ruled-that-he-has-stifled-it-2026-08-04/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Why Italian protesters face growing fines and restrictions  | Focus on Europe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZ-B_W9Kas

#Authoritarianism #Italy #FreeSpeech #Protest #ClimateEmergency

Vietnam: 5 Arrested for Ho Chi Minh Book | Human Rights Watch

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/21/vietnam-5-arrested-for-ho-chi-minh-book

> [The retired provincial Communist Party official Phan Trung Can] focused on the book’s use of contemporary language as insufficiently reverential toward Ho Chi Minh and called for the book to be destroyed

It wasn't even actually disrespectful, just "insufficiently reverential". And that's why all this happened? Jeez, Vietnam is an authoritarian country.

#Vietnam #VNpol #freespeech #humanrights

Americans!

Updates on "Internet Safety" bills:

-Hawley and Durbin are trying to sneak the unconstitutional STOP CSAM Act into the FY27 NDAA. Hawley allegedly managed to get it included it in the manager's amendment. This means it has a higher chance than previous attempts at being successful.
-Still, there's procedural roadblocks that the bill has to clear to survive until the final passage. The manager's amendment is reserved for uncontroversial amendments.
-The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup for KOSA and the SCREEN Act for Wednesday, August 5th. There are other bills, but they're far less problematic than KOSA and the SCREEN Act.
-Senate KOSA's fate in the House is still quite uncertain. The same goes for the KIDS Act's fate in the Senate.
-The SCREEN Act's approval among Democrats is unknown at the moment.

Call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #Censorship #DigitalRights #FreeSpeech #AgeVerification #ClientSideScanning #Section230 #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #US #UnitedStates

RE: https://mastox.eu/@mehdirhasan/117009946780738009

While nazis run round the country starting fights and trying to burn people out of their homes are called 'activists' people like this man are called 'terrorists'

How long does Andy Burnham think he can run from this issue? Will he carry on the mistakes of the previous guy?

#PalestineAction #AndyBurnham #Terrorism #Genocide #FreeSpeech #Protest #DefendOurJuries #SirJonathonPorritt

5th Circuit blocks #Texas law requiring websites to filter “harmful” speech

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/5th-circuit-blocks-texas-law-requiring-websites-to-filter-harmful-speech/

#FreeSpeech #privacy #AgeVerification

@internetarchive
So, why do you memoryhole political blogs you disagree with such as https://archive.is/moreright.net? How can we argue against bad ideas if we can't even hear them?

#freespeech #deaddogma

Alt...

Internet Archive Wayback Machine [In search bar:] moreright.net Sorry. This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine.

Inside the dystopian world of #Germany’s #FreeSpeech crackdown

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/20/germany-europe-free-speech-crisis-rainer-zitelmann-afd/

#privacy

A quotation not from Voltaire

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
(Spurious)

More about this misquote: wist.info/voltaire/34462/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #voltaire #defense #freepress #freespeech #freedomofexpression #freedomofspeech #freedomofthepress #integrity #principle #selfsacrifice

#Trump Admin [finally] Drops [illegal] Subpoena Demanding #List of #Jews From #Penn

For more than a year, the Trump admin pressed the #university for records about #antisemitism complaints & a list of campus groups involved with #Judaism.

#law #AcademicFreedom #privacy #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/us/eeoc-subpoena-penn-jewish-list.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

"In September, Henry Holt & Company’s Metropolitan Books imprint will publish Khalil’s memoir, #NoLandToStandOn, giving readers a window into the 104 days he spent in #ICEdetention, and the relationships he formed with his fellow inmates."

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/100890-how-holt-finished-mahmoud-khalil-s-no-land-to-stand-on-in-just-six-months.html
#MahmoudKhalil #USpol #stateRepression #immigrantDetention #FreeSpeech #studentProtests #Palestine #Gaza #PalestineSolidarity #memoirs #books @bookstodon

"Free Speech" to the Tech Bros means "Free Speech for Me, Nazis and Peados...nobody else"

Mullvad isn't fooling anyone who doesn't want to be fooled

Sick of creepy gatekeeping males wallowing in their depraved filth like they're fighting for everyone's freedom....it's such white bullshit.

Argue all you want you fucking incels, nobody is ever going to touch your dick without money changing hands, you're loveless and repellent, not 'heroes'

#FreeSpeech #TechBros #Whiteness #MullvadVPN

The US House passed the KIDS Act, a bill that would introduce internet age-gating measures aimed at protecting minors online. 🏛️
EFF argues the proposal would expand online surveillance instead of privacy protections, with broader implications for anonymity and the open web. 🔒

@eff

🔗 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/dont-let-congress-age-gate-internet-effector-3813

#TechNews #Kids #KIDSAct #Children #Privacy #AgeVerification #Surveillance #DigitalRights #FreeSpeech #Cybersecurity #Technology #OpenWeb #Policy #Security #EFF

ICE’s internal watchdog has opened more than 100 investigations into alleged doxing and threats targeting agency employees, according to court filings. 🛡️
The cases include efforts to identify online critics, raising transparency and free speech concerns over expanding government surveillance powers. ⚖️

🔗 https://www.wired.com/story/ices-internal-watchdog-is-now-investigating-online-critics/

#TechNews #ICE #USA #US #Privacy #Surveillance #FreeSpeech #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #Government #Infosec #DataProtection #Security #CivilLiberties #Police #Trump

"#PENAmerica’s president has resigned after the #freespeech group released a report detailing how #Israeli and #Jewish #writers have faced “rising isolation and exclusion” in the aftermath of 2023’s #Oct7 attacks in #Israel and the subsequent war in #Gaza.

The #Ethiopian #novelist #DinawMengestu had held the organization’s leadership position since December 2025. He told The #NewYorkTimes that Pen America’s report, which examines the impacts of cultural boycotts, unfairly maligns the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, an attempt to economically isolate Israel.

The July 9 report, titled “A Silent Moratorium,” was the work of three #authors. They include PEN America’s editorial director #LisaTolin, a veteran of #NBCNews and the #AssociatedPress, as well as its chief communications officer #GeraldineBaum, a longtime former staff #writer for #TheLosAngelesTimes who earned a #Pulitzer Prize for Public Service early in her career at #Newsday."

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/pen-america-report-jewish-writers-president-resigns-1236646474/

Government-mandated gatekeepers have no place between Americans and lawful speech. CCIA’s Fifth Circuit brief argues Texas’ SB2420 imposes unconstitutional barriers to lawful speech by requiring age verification, parental consent, and compelled age ratings. Americans shouldn’t have to surrender their #privacy or show ID to access lawful information online. Free expression includes both the right to speak and the right to receive information. #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech https://ccianet.org/news/2026/06/ccia-files-brief-arguing-that-texas-app-store-law-likely-violates-first-amendment/

#ICE’s Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics

https://www.wired.com/story/ices-internal-watchdog-is-now-investigating-online-critics/

#privacy #surveillance #FreeSpeech #politics #DHS

Section 230 remains a cornerstone of a safer, more open internet. In a joint amicus brief with @NetChoice and @EFF, CCIA argues that federal law protects online services’ editorial decisions and enables platforms to remove harmful content while preserving free expression. #Section230 #FreeSpeech Read more: https://ccianet.org/news/2026/07/ccia-files-joint-brief-on-internet-content-and-federal-legal-protections/

Online safety should be advanced through parental empowerment, education, and safety-by-design, not by allowing the government to decide which lawful voices young people can hear. #FreeSpeech Read more: https://ccianet.org/articles/floridas-hb3-violates-the-first-amendment-by-singling-out-social-media-sites/
2/2

RE: https://mastodon.online/@mullvadnet/116822244689326681

You cannot claim to be fighting for free speech and privacy while one of your CEOs is funding a fascist political party (i.e. people who actively work to destroy the very things you claim to be fighting for).

If you want any chance of repairing your reputation, you will oust Daniel from your company ASAP. If you continue to downplay/defend Daniel's actions, you will only succeed in making things worse for yourself.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #MullvadVPN #Mullvad #VPN

From pamphlets and town squares to smartphones and online communities, the principle remains the same: free people should be free to speak, share ideas, and access information without government interference. As America celebrates 250 years, the First Amendment's promise lives on in the digital public square. #America250 #FreeSpeech

KIDS Act package in Congress combines KOSA and related bills, pushing platforms toward broad age verification and user age inference rules. 🔒
KOSA and SAFE BOTS provisions may pressure services to verify users' ages, impacting encrypted messaging and platform design choices. 🔐

@eff

🔗 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/kids-act-would-require-age-checks-get-online

#TechNews #KIDSAct #Kids #KOSA #AgeVerification #Surveillance #Encryption #Privacy #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Cybersecurity #Policy #TechPolicy #Internet #Governance

RE: https://ieji.de/@GalacticGoddess/116805746344900569

Update: It also looks like members of the Senate are trying to put together their own packages as well:

-One package would bundle Senate KOSA, the NO FAKES Act, and the App Store Accountability Act together in a compromise with big tech regarding GenAI regulation

-Another is Hawley and Durbin trying to slip the DEFIANCE Act and STOP CSAM Act into a must pass bill (NDAA). They've tried this several times before but failed. Still it has a possibility of succeeding.

Call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Censorship #AgeVerification #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #ClientSideScanning #Encryption #UnitedStates #USA

Privacy and Surveillance boosted

Space Queen Enthusiast » 🌐 2026-06-24
@GalacticGoddess@ieji.de

RED ALERT! The KIDS Act (H.R.7757) is being teed up for a vote in the House next week! This bill is an omnibus style package which includes horrible bills like the Kids Online Safety Act and the SCREEN Act! Call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

Reading the latest version of the bill and it seems like House is sticking with their version of KOSA. This will set up a showdown between the House and the Senate as both chambers have dug in their heels regarding their version of KOSA. I doubt either chamber will fully get their way.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Censorship #AgeVerification #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #Internet #SocialMedia #UnitedStates #USA #US

RED ALERT! The KIDS Act (H.R.7757) is being teed up for a vote in the House next week! This bill is an omnibus style package which includes horrible bills like the Kids Online Safety Act and the SCREEN Act! Call your Senators and Representatives ASAP!

Reading the latest version of the bill and it seems like House is sticking with their version of KOSA. This will set up a showdown between the House and the Senate as both chambers have dug in their heels regarding their version of KOSA. I doubt either chamber will fully get their way.

#Privacy #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Censorship #AgeVerification #KOSA #KidsOnlineSafetyAct #Internet #SocialMedia #UnitedStates #USA #US

#ABC viewers across the country are getting a message from the network—If you like your #local stations, or #TheView, help us get the #government off our backs.

ABC on Monday launched an on-air campaign asking viewers to send comments to the #FCC’s website pushing back on the agency & its chairman, #BrendanCarr.


#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda

Since February, the #FCC has been investigating whether ABC’s #TheView violated the commission’s equal-time rule, which guarantees equal airtime to all candidates running for the same public office. #ABC has maintained that “The View” qualifies as what the commission calls a “bona fide” news program & is exempt from the rule, accusing the FCC of violating the #FirstAmendment in a legal filing.

#law #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #dictatorship #fascism #censorship

In April, the #FCC also ordered an early review of ABC’s 8 #local stations over its diversity, equity & inclusion [ #DEI ] practices. The review was announced just days after #Trump & #Melania Trump intensely criticized ABC late-night host #JimmyKimmel, though the FCC maintained that the timing was *purely coincidental* 😉.

#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda

Nice

A new #ABC campaign urges viewers to push back against #FCC pressure

The #federal regulator is “investigating” the #Disney-owned television company on two fronts, with “#TheView” & ABC’s #local stations targeted [Ostensibly for airing #JimmyKimmel].

#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #FourthEstate #Trump #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #fascism #censorship #propaganda #trumpaganda
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/06/22/new-abc-campaign-urges-viewers-push-back-against-fcc-pressure/

Helping people in crisis is essential. But California’s PAUSE Act risks doing the opposite by mandating rigid AI interventions that could capture non-crisis speech, create new privacy concerns, and prevent providers from adapting to evolving clinical best practices. Read more: https://ccianet.org/news/2026/06/ccia-warns-pause-act-could-create-online-privacy-and-safety-risks/ #FreeSpeech #AIPolicy #Privacy

This is a false dichotomy. You can debate without aggression, snark etc.

#debate #freespeech #theFIRE

Alt...

Words are supposed to hurt. That's considered a legitimate way of fighting things out. And what did it replace in the historical scene? It replaced actual violence. Words are supposed to be free so we CAN actually fight things out, in the battleplace of ideas, so we don't end up fighting them out in civil wars. If we try to legitimately ban anything can hurt someone's feelings, everyone is reduced to silence.

Texas’ App Store law would force users to hand over IDs just to access apps and information online. CCIA’s latest filing to the Fifth Circuit argues that SB2420 violates the First Amendment by restricting access to lawful speech and compelling app stores to speak through government-mandated age ratings. Constitutional rights don’t end at the app store. #FreeSpeech Read more: https://ccianet.org/news/2026/06/ccia-files-brief-arguing-that-texas-app-store-law-likely-violates-first-amendment/

[SCANDAL]
Anthropic Fought the Pentagon to Protect Your Privacy. Now It Wants...

People downloaded Claude because they believed they were choosing the company that would not trade t

Source: https://www.remio.ai/post/anthropic-fought-the-pentagon-to-protect-your-privacy-now-it-wants-your-passport

#Scandal #FreeSpeech #Breaking #Surveillance

Rise Up, Sing Out: A concert for the First Amendment;
Quite the lineup of performers.
https://riseupsingout.com/
#music #concert #resist #resistance #protest #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment

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

The only drawback is this.

There is a troll farm on Usenet. The purpose of the troll farm is to annoy and harass people with fake, lunatic, and disingenuous posts to try to drive them off Usenet. Once you learn to identify such posters, just put them in your killfile spam filter and move on.

Some of the discussion threads are fake, generated by the troll farmers.

Also, if you ever post a good idea on Usenet, the troll farmers will launch a tirade of malicious criticism to try to drive you away.

It's kind of like the Fediverse. Lots of mockingbirds lurk to pounce on any sentiment disapproved by their masters.

Here's the upside. Censorship is almost impossible. If someone wants to see your articles, they will. Unlike the Fediverse, which champions comformity, viewpoint bullying, and mockingbird enforcement hall monitors at the instance level, any Usenet sysop engaging in gratuitous censorship would lose all respect in the eyes of the Usenet crowd.

#censorship #usenet #nntp #freespeech

Inform your friends and family about these tools.

#Briar ... https://briarproject.org

"Censorship-resistant peer-to-peer messaging that bypasses centralized servers. Connect via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or Tor, with privacy built-in."

#Retroshare ... https://retroshare.cc

"Retroshare establish encrypted connections between you and your friends to create a network of computers, and provides various distributed services on top of it: forums, channels, chat, mail... Retroshare is fully decentralized, and designed to provide maximum security and anonymity to its users beyond direct friends. Retroshare is entirely free and open-source software. It is available on #Android, #Linux, #MacOS and #Windows. There are no hidden costs, no ads and no terms of service."

#RicochetRefresh ... https://www.ricochetrefresh.net

"Ricochet Refresh is an open-source project to allow private and anonymous instant messaging."

#OnionShare ... https://onionshare.org

"OnionShare is an open-source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network."

#DeltaChat ... https://delta.chat

"Delta Chat is a decentralized and secure messenger app."

#Bitmessage ... https://bitmessage.org

"Bitmessage is a P2P communications protocol used to send encrypted messages to another person or to many subscribers. It is decentralized and trustless, meaning that you need-not inherently trust any entities like root certificate authorities. It uses strong authentication which means that the sender of a message cannot be spoofed, and it aims to hide "non-content" data, like the sender and receiver of messages, from passive eavesdroppers like those running warrantless wiretapping programs."

#TorBrowser ... https://www.torproject.org/download

"Protect yourself against tracking, surveillance, and censorship."

#I2P ... https://geti2p.net

"The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is a fully encrypted private network layer. It protects your activity and location. Every day people use the network to connect with people without worry of being tracked or their data being collected. In some cases people rely on the network when they need to be discrete or are doing sensitive work."

#Hyphanet ... https://www.hyphanet.org/

"Hyphanet is peer-to-peer network for censorship-resistant and privacy-respecting publishing and communication. The original Freenet."

#BitChan ... https://github.com/813492291816/BitChan

"BitChan is a decentralized anonymous imageboard inspired by BitBoard and built on top of Bitmessage with Tor, I2P, and GnuPG."

#DarkMX ... https://darkmx.app

"DarkMX is a new decentralized communication app that utilizes Tor hidden services to allow you to easily have an anonymous, reliable, and censorship-resistant presence on the internet. You can chat. You can share files. You can search other people's files. You can keep a contact list and send private messages to your friends. You can create your own custom .onion site, available to anyone with a Tor Browser."

#Decentralized #TOR #AntiSurveillance #Anonymity #Anonymous #Privacy #Filesharing #Networking #Communication #P2P #F2F #PeerToPeer #Censorship #AntiCensorship #FreeSpeech

I have been away from the Internet for at least a couple months. I came to quickly check my feeds and I am sad to have found report of the passing away of a very cool hacker, Thom Miller, known by the handle, Retro Guy. According to his wife Kaylen Miller, Thom died about two weeks ago from pancreatic cancer. He had a years-long struggle with cancer and multiple therapies and surgeries. During all the time of his illness he continued to hack away providing network access and software updates absolutely free to his user base. He was a strong believer in the value of open and decentralized communication for all. His software is simple and awesome, and useful for censorship-resistant communication. (https://gitlab.com/rslight-public/rocksolid-light)

Thom, known as Retro Guy, created the Rocksolid Light NNTP forums and server software. He served the hacker community as a free speech advocate and provider of free speech communication networking. He refused to censor opinions that he found offensive or stupid on the principle of the golden rule. He endured a lot of annoyances to provide service for many. Thom maintained the software for years giving web-based NNTP access to countless users. Thom was always helpful and patient with users needing assistance, even when he was feeling ill and suffering. He pushed through his pain to serve others with something he believed was a necessary tool and blessing for the general public.

I am sad to learn of Thom's passing. He will be missed and remembered. I will remember him by continuing to run his software.

More:
https://news.novabbs.org/rocksolid/article-flat.php?id=1024&group=rocksolid.nodes.help#1024

More:
https://news.novabbs.org/rocksolid/article-flat.php?id=560&group=rocksolid.nodes.announce#560

More:
https://news.novabbs.org/rocksolid/article-flat.php?id=561&group=rocksolid.nodes.announce#561

More:
https://www.novabbs.com/interests/article-flat.php?id=25410&group=alt.obituaries

#obituary #rocksolidlight #usenet #nntp #freespeech #cancer #condolences #networknews #retroguy #novabbs #bbs