Banned for Speaking: The Italian Uncut’s War Against the Censors
Western mainstream media is corrupt. Perhaps you already knew this. Unfortunately, social media like X, Facebook, or Instagram are also corrupt. Their algorithms silently censor any inconvenient voice. What you may not have known is that there are so-called "alternative" social media that aren't run by large US corporations, where censorship also operates with impunity. These are decentralized social media. Some names: Lemmy, Mastodon, Pielfed... there are countless. They aren't run by corporations but by small groups of volunteers. Ordinary people, in short. How do these "alternative" social media behave? Simply by banning inconvenient profiles.
Are you talking about what's happening in Gaza? Banned from the server. Are you talking about the coups organized by the UK and MI6? Banned. Are you talking about the coups organized by the US and CIA? Banned. What's the excuse? Well, "alternative" social media can't ban profiles because they're telling inconvenient truths. So how do they operate? Under the pretext of spam. Tip: Never post anything on these "alternative" social media that contains a link to your website/blog/account. Otherwise, you'd be providing an excuse to be banned for spam. On these "alternative" social media, you can only link to mainstream sources like The Guardian, for example. But not to your own text, no matter how important the information you're trying to convey. You may have discovered a secret plot for the next attack on the White House, but if you post a single link to your article, well, spam, banned. With no chance of reply. That's how censorship works, folks.
Here's our brief history. We started promoting our content on traditional social media. We even spent money advertising our content. The real joke was that they stole our money without giving us the visibility we'd agreed upon, censoring us with a shadowban. We summarized it all in a post on Mastodon (infosec.exchange). This:
"Shadowbanned on X and Instagram. Banned on Beehaw, Lemmy.world, Lemmy.social. Why? Because we talk about Gaza. Or coups organized by the UK/MI6. Or coups organized by the US/CIA. Who are we? Sorry, we can't say. We can't post links about ourselves. Otherwise, we'd be considered spam and banned. And we don't want to give the censors any excuses.”
Here is the content we published on sopuli.xyz (another so-called "alternative" decentralized server):
"Is what's happening in Gaza solely Israel's fault? Or is it also the fault of billions of people who do nothing? Not because they support it. But because silence and inaction make us complicit. The world sees. But it doesn't act. The excuse “what can we mere mortals do?” doesn't work today. Today, social media exposes what mainstream media hides. In the EU, at least 12 countries are blocking protests or arresting pro-Gaza protesters. Why do they do it? Because they only have to arrest 1,000-10,000 people. Would they be able to do it if there were 10-100 MILLION protesters? In which prisons could they put all these people? This is why 4 boats aren't scary. This is why 10,000 protesters aren't scary. So there's a solution to stop everything: we just have to act. But it takes millions of people; four activists, a rant on Instagram, or a like aren't enough. A like is useless. In Genoa, there was a torchlight procession for Gaza involving 40,000 people. As an Italian, I ask: where are the remaining 58,950,000 Italians? Likes on Instagram? Anyone who doesn't act now is complicit. Everyone, no one excluded. Patti Smith said in a song: People Have the Power. It's true. The power is there, you just have to use it. Otherwise, you're complicit.
Note: Post removed before it was even published. The server predicted the future. Or maybe it was afraid of the truth.
The Italian Uncut proudly claims to have been shadowbanned from X and Instagram and banned—yes, banned—from three “decentralized” Lemmy servers (Social, World, and Beehaw) that pretend to fight the mainstream system but imitate its procedures. Reason? Spam. Or maybe fear of making people think.
Who are we? We can't say. Otherwise, we'd be advertising ourselves and providing an excuse to be banned for spam. Administrator: You should ban us because you don't want to hear our voice, because you're a censor, not because you're hiding behind the excuse of spam.”
Well, the post above received 6 downvotes in just 45 minutes. The first two arrived immediately after publication. Those who voted down didn't even have time to read it.
Well, guys, this is called censorship.
Now, whose fault is the genocide happening in Gaza? Israel? Of course, but with the complicity of those who do nothing. Those who don't like an article, those who don't share an article, those who vote down. Why? Because this way they're helping the Censorship. That's why there are wars. Because people, yes, even mere mortals, are complicit. Complicit through inertia or—worse—petty censorship disguised as anti-spam moderation.
Patti Smith: people have the power