Crackdown

All that we see and hear is not necessarily true, and we have to be discerning about what we take in to our consciousness. Proverbs 4 states:
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.

Right now, the United Kingdom is in a state of upheaval - and authorities are trying to stem the flow of information by threatening not only to arrest its own citizens, but citizens of the U.S., as well.  The New York Post stated:

Riots have broken out across the United Kingdom in recent days over false rumors spread online that an asylum seeker was responsible for a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event that left three girls dead and others wounded.

The murders, allegedly committed by a now 18-year-old British citizen born to Rwandan parents, sparked a series of violent protests that tapped into broader concerns about the scale of immigration in the U.K.

The London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is quoted by Sky News: “We will throw the full force of the law at people. And whether you’re in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online, we will come after you..."

The article reports:

Footage of the violent clashes involving anti-immigration protesters and the groups of counter-protesters, some of whom have been seen waving Palestinian flags, has gone viral on social media, and the government is warning that sharing such content may have serious consequences.

One key aspect that makes this apparent crackdown on social media particularly shocking to critics is that the British government is threatening to extradite American citizens from the U.S. to be jailed in the U.K. for violating their rules about political speech online.

A Fox News article stated that Prime Minister Keir Starmer "blamed the violence on misinformation spread on social media."  Gary Bauer, at his American Values website, described Starmer as "a Marxist who is accelerating the crackdown on free speech and arresting people who post online criticism of mass migration. This, from the nation that gave the world the Magna Carta. Police in England are now being called by average citizens, 'Starmer Troopers.'"

A recent National Review piece quoted from The Daily Telegraph, which said:

Tech companies will be forced to ban fake news from their platforms under plans being considered by the Government in the wake of the riots.

Sir Keir Starmer suggested on Friday that the Government would review social media laws as part of efforts to prevent further disorder.

And, as so often the case of laws such as these, a lot would hang on how “fake” is to be defined and determined.

The article goes on to say:

The Daily Telegraph also reported that Starmer might be considering another change to the policing of online content:

The Telegraph understands that ministers are looking at introducing a duty on social media companies to restrict “legal but harmful” content.

Certainly it is troubling that social media is apparently being used to fan the flames of tension between groups in the U.K. or anywhere.  But, in the interest of gaining control, it seems as if officials are attempting to silence information - information that could reflect poorly on certain groups of people. 

It's a reminder that immigration is a hot-button issue, and as David Brody of CBN analyzed in a conversation at this year's National Religious Broadcasters Convention, there is a tension between the rule of law and compassion for people.  

Each of us should regulate our intake and output as far as social media is concerned. We should not be engaged in online behavior that stirs up dissension.  But, when authorities attempt to censor content that is not intended to inflame, but to inform, then you have a sticky issue which could lead to an intrusion upon freedom of speech.  

We have seen excessive social media governance end up silencing Christians, who are falsely accused of spreading what some would consider "misinformation."  As a court case revealed, there was evidence that government actors were collaborating with social media companies to perpetrate certain policitized narratives, but the U.S. Supreme Court did not find that the behavior was unconstitutional. 

Social media, and the Internet in general, has become a potential minefield; and with the spread of artificial intelligence, we are reminded that we can't believe everything we see.  There will be manipulation of images that leads to manipulation of minds, of public opinion.  We have to keep the conclusions we draw evidence-based and not be blown back and forth by the winds of the day.