Tucker Carlson and Mike Benz reveals the main driver of censorship in the United States
Summary
TLDRThe video transcript delves into the erosion of freedom of speech in the United States, driven by censorship efforts stemming from the military-industrial complex and foreign policy establishment. It explores how these institutions, initially championing internet freedom as a tool for regime change, have now shifted to curbing free speech under the guise of combating disinformation. The conversation with cybersecurity expert Mike Benz unravels the intricate web of collusion between government agencies, tech companies, and NGOs in facilitating censorship, with a particular focus on the role of NATO, the intelligence community, and the Aspen Institute. Benz also discusses the threat posed by EU censorship laws and the challenges faced by platforms like Twitter (now X) in maintaining free speech amidst mounting pressures.
Takeaways
- 😶Freedom of speech, a foundational right in the US, is rapidly eroding due to increasing censorship.
- 🕵️Censorship has evolved from traditional forms to target "disinformation" and "misinformation", regardless of factual accuracy.
- 📡The US government, defense contractors, and foreign policy institutions are actively stripping away free speech rights.
- 🌐The internet and social media were initially championed by the US government as tools for regime change and dissent, but that stance has reversed since 2014.
- 👥The military-industrial complex, NGOs, and think tanks have formed a censorship industry to control narratives and elections globally.
- 🇺🇸US national security agencies like the CIA and NSA have been deeply involved in shaping censorship policies and coordinating with tech companies.
- 🇪🇺NATO has formally committed to "hybrid warfare", using censorship to combat "Russian propaganda" and counter domestic political groups.
- 🚫Platforms like Twitter (now X) face immense pressure to comply with censorship laws and regulations, especially from the EU's Digital Services Act.
- ⚖️Legal challenges like Missouri v. Biden and Congressional investigations have exposed the depth of the censorship industry.
- 🔑X (formerly Twitter) remains one of the last major platforms allowing relatively free speech, but faces escalating threats to its continued freedom.
Q & A
What is the defining fact of the United States according to the speaker?
-The defining fact of the United States is freedom of speech, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights. The speaker argues that this freedom makes the US exceptional.
What is the speaker's opinion on hate speech and its regulation?
-The speaker believes that there should be no hate speech exception to the freedom of speech. Even if someone hates what another person thinks, they cannot force that person to be silent, as they are citizens, not slaves.
What is the speaker's view on the current state of censorship in the US?
-The speaker believes that the right to freedom of speech, which is foundational to the US, is disappearing at a high speed due to modern censorship. This censorship is being carried out under the guise of fighting disinformation and misinformation, without regard for the truth.
Who is Mike Benz, and what is his expertise?
-Mike Benz is the executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online. He is considered an expert on how censorship happens, having previously held the cyber portfolio at the US State Department.
What is the role of the military-industrial complex and the defense industry in censorship, according to Mike Benz?
-Mike Benz explains that the military-industrial complex, defense contractors, the Department of Defense, and the foreign policy establishment in Washington are stripping away freedom of speech, especially as the world approaches global war. This censorship is being carried out under the guise of fighting disinformation and misinformation.
How did the US government initially view internet freedom, according to Mike Benz?
-Mike Benz explains that the US government, including the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence agencies, initially championed internet freedom as an instrument of statecraft. They used it to support dissident groups around the world and overthrow authoritarian governments.
What was the turning point that led to the US government's shift from supporting internet freedom to censorship?
-According to Mike Benz, the turning point was the 2014 coup in Ukraine and the subsequent annexation of Crimea by Russia. After Crimea voted to join the Russian Federation, NATO declared that the fundamental nature of war had changed, and control over the media and social media was now crucial for controlling elections.
What is the role of think tanks and NGOs in the censorship industry, according to Mike Benz?
-Mike Benz explains that think tanks and NGOs like the Atlantic Council, the Aspen Institute, and others, funded by the government, play a crucial role in the censorship industry. They coordinate with the military and intelligence agencies to censor "Russian propaganda" and "domestic right-wing populist groups" in Europe.
What is the current threat to freedom of speech on the X platform (formerly Twitter), according to Mike Benz?
-Mike Benz believes that the primary threat to freedom of speech on X (formerly Twitter) comes from the EU's Digital Services Act, which bans "disinformation" and forces X to comply with censorship laws or face significant financial penalties. He also mentions the risk of advertiser boycotts and ongoing investigations into Elon Musk's companies by US government agencies.
What is the Foundation for Freedom Online, and how can people learn more about Mike Benz's work?
-The Foundation for Freedom Online is the organization led by Mike Benz, which publishes reports and research on various aspects of the censorship industry. People can learn more about Benz's work on the foundation's website, foundationforfreedonomline.com, or by following his Twitter handle @MikeBenzCyber.
Outlines
🗽 Censorship: The End of Free Speech in America
The defining fact of the United States is freedom of speech, but this fundamental right is rapidly eroding due to modern censorship practices. Censorship is no longer based on traditional methods but on the pretense of fighting disinformation and misinformation, regardless of the factual accuracy of the information being suppressed. This censorship is not limited to the private sector but is being directed by the US government, stripping citizens of their rights to express their views, both in person and online. The expert Mike Benz, who had the Cyber portfolio at the State Department and is now the Executive Director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, is introduced as someone who has comprehensive knowledge on this topic.
🌐 The Evolution of Internet Freedom and Censorship
Mike Benz explains that free speech on the internet was initially championed by the Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence services as an instrument of statecraft to support dissident groups and facilitate regime change operations around the world. Internet freedom was used to circumvent state control over media and overthrow authoritarian governments. Tech companies like Google were initially funded by DARPA and the CIA to develop technologies like search engines, VPNs, and encrypted chats, which were later used to assist intelligence-backed groups. This strategy worked effectively from 1991 until around 2014 when an unexpected counter-coup in Crimea led to a change in NATO's perspective. NATO declared that the fundamental nature of war had changed, and controlling the media and social media ecosystem was more important than military skirmishes. At this point, NATO began targeting Russian propaganda as well as domestic right-wing populist groups in Europe, using a systematic censorship apparatus created in partnership with the military and social media companies.
🇪🇺 The Expansion of Censorship and the NATO-Tech Company Collaboration
After the Brexit vote in 2016, NATO formally amended its charter to commit to hybrid warfare, explicitly building capacity for censoring online content deemed to be Russian proxies or from rising political groups that wanted to maintain relations with Russia. NATO began publishing white papers stating that the biggest threat it faced was not a military invasion from Russia but losing domestic elections across Europe. This led to NATO collaborating with think tanks, NGOs, and tech companies to censor content deemed to be disinformation or misinformation. The Aspen Institute, funded by the State Department and other government agencies, was involved in a coordinated effort to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 election. The interstitial government-funded organizations, like the Atlantic Council and the Aspen Institute, played a key role in facilitating this censorship in coordination with the National Security State.
🐘 Elon Musk and the Future of Free Speech on X (Twitter)
The conversation shifts to discussing the future of free speech on X (formerly Twitter) under Elon Musk's ownership. While Musk has a unique buffer against the National Security State due to its reliance on his companies like Tesla and SpaceX, he is facing immense pressure and scrutiny. The National Security State is attempting to induce a "corporate regime change" through various investigations and regulatory actions against Musk's companies. Additionally, there is a "transatlantic flank attack 2.0" underway, as the censorship industry has lost some of its federal powers due to legal challenges and political changes. They are now pushing for state-level censorship laws, like the one recently passed in California, and leveraging European regulations like the EU Digital Services Act to force platforms like X to comply with censorship demands or face massive fines. The EU's disinformation laws, influenced by organizations like NewsGuard with ties to the CIA, NSA, and NATO, pose a significant threat to X's operations in Europe. With numerous elections approaching globally, the pressure on X to censor content deemed "disinformation" by these entities is expected to intensify.
🔊 The Importance of Protecting Free Speech
In the closing remarks, Mike Benz emphasizes the profound nature of the information he has shared, highlighting the remarkable story of the censorship industry's origins, evolution, and current efforts to maintain control over online speech. The conversation underscores the critical importance of protecting free speech, which defines what an organization or society will not permit. The current situation represents a total inversion of virtue, where censorship is being wielded to manipulate public discourse and undermine fundamental rights, as defined by the First Amendment and the principles of democracy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡First Amendment
💡Censorship
💡Disinformation
💡Internet Freedom
💡Military-Industrial Complex
💡Hybrid Warfare
💡National Security State
💡Digital MK Ultra
💡EU Digital Services Act
💡Foundation for Freedom Online
Highlights
The defining fact of the United States is freedom of speech, considered exceptional due to the First Amendment.
Modern censorship differs significantly from past regimes, being implemented under the guise of fighting disinformation and malinformation.
Censorship efforts are directed by the US government, impacting the foundational right of freedom of speech.
Mike Benz, expert on censorship mechanics, discusses the shift from internet freedom to internet censorship.
The Pentagon, State Department, and intelligence services originally championed free speech on the internet to support dissident groups globally.
The role of Google and other tech companies in internet censorship, initially funded by DARPA and CIA/NSA programs.
The shift in internet freedom's utility around 2014, especially after the coup in Ukraine and the annexation vote in Crimea.
NATO's declaration of the Joff Doctrine, indicating a change in the nature of war to include media and social media control.
The creation of a political warfare infrastructure by NATO, the Pentagon, and European defense agencies to censor perceived threats.
Brexit as a crisis moment for NATO, leading to the amendment of its charter to commit to hybrid warfare, including social media censorship.
The systematic targeting of domestic right-wing populist groups in Europe by the US and NATO for censorship.
The Aspen Institute's role in coordinated censorship and its funding from the US government.
Elon Musk's unique position against censorship due to his companies' dependencies on and contributions to the National Security State.
The transatlantic effort to enforce censorship laws, such as the EU Digital Services Act, threatening platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
Mike Benz's foundation, Foundation for Freedom Online, as a resource for research on the censorship industry and its implications for democracy.
Transcripts
the defining fact of the United States
is freedom of speech to the extent this
country is actually exceptional it's
because we have the First Amendment to
the Bill of Rights we have freedom of
conscience we can say what we really
think there's no hate speech exception
to that just because you hate what
somebody else thinks you cannot force
that person to be quiet because we're
citizens not slaves but that right that
foundational right that makes this
country what it is that right from which
all other rights flow is going away at
high speed in the face of censorship now
modern censorship there's no resemblance
to previous censorship regimes in
previous countries and previous eras our
censorship is affected on the basis of
fights against disinformation and Mal
information and the key thing to know
about these is they're everywhere and of
course
they have no reference at all to whether
what you're saying is true or not in
other words you can say something that
is factually accurate inconsistent with
your own conscience and in previous
versions of America you had an absolute
right to say those things but because
someone doesn't like them or because
they're inconvenient to whatever plan
the people in power have they can be
denounced as
disinformation and you could be stripped
of your right to express them either in
person or online in fact expressing
these things can become a criminal act
and is and it's important to know by the
way that this is not just the private
sector doing this these efforts are
being directed by the US government
which you pay for and at least
theoretically own it's your government
but they're stripping your rights at
very high speed most people understand
this intuitively but they don't know how
it happens how does censorship happen
what are the mechanics of it Mike Benz
is we can say with some confidence the
expert in the world on how this happens
Mike Ben had the Cyber portfolio at the
state department he's now executive
director of foundation for freedom
online and we're going to going to have
a conversation with him about a very
specific kind of censorship by the way
we can't recommend strongly enough if
you want to know how this happens Mike
Benz
bnz is the man to read but today we just
want to talk about a specific kind of
censorship and that censorship that
emanates from the fabled
military-industrial complex from our
defense industry in the foreign policy
establishment in Washington that's
significant now because we're on the
cusp of a global war and so you can
expect censorship to increase
dramatically and so with that here is
Mike Benz executive director of
foundation for freedom online Mike
thanks so much for joining us and I and
I just can't overstate to our audience
how exhaustive and comprehensive your
knowledge is on this topic it's almost
it's almost unbelievable um and so if
you could just walk us through how the
foreign policy establishment and defense
contractors and and DOD and and just the
whole cluster the constellation of
Defense related publicly funded
institutions stripped from us our
freedom of speech sure you know one of
the easiest ways to actually start the
story is really with the story of
Internet freedom and it switched from
internet freedom to internet censorship
because free speech on the internet was
an instrument of statecraft almost from
the outset of the privatization of the
internet in
1991 uh we quickly discovered through
the uh efforts of the defense department
the state department and our
intelligence services that people were
using the internet to congregate on
blogs and forums and Free Speech was
championed more than anybody by the
Pentagon the state department and our
sort of CIA cutout NGO blob architecture
as a way to support dissident groups
around the world in order to help them
overthrow authoritarian governments as
they were sort of build essentially the
interet internet free speech allowed
kind of insta regime change operations
uh to be be able to facilitate the
foreign policy establishment's State
Department agenda Google is a great
example of this Google began as a DARPA
Grant uh by Larry Page and Sergey brenn
when they were Stanford phds and they
they got their funding as part of a
joint CIA NSA program to chart how quote
birds of a feather flock together online
through search engine aggregation and
then one year later they launched Google
and then became a military contractor
quickly thereafter they got Google Maps
by purchasing a CIA satellite software
essentially uh and the ability to track
to use free speech on the internet as a
way to circumvent State control over
media over in places like Central Asia
or all around the world was seen as a
way to be able to do what used to be
done out of CIA station houses or out of
embassies or consulates in a way that
that was totally turbocharged and all of
the internet free speech technology was
initially created by our National
Security State vpns virtual private
networks to hide your your IP address
tour the dark web to be able to buy and
Trail uh sell Goods anonymously endend
encrypted chats all of these things were
created initially as DARPA projects or
as joint CIA NSA projects to be able to
help intelligence backed groups to
overthrow governments that were causing
a problem uh to the Clinton
Administration or the Bush
Administration or the Obama
Administration and this plan worked
magically from about 1991 until about
2014 uh when there began to be an about
face on internet freedom and its utility
now the high Watermark of the sort of
internet free speech moment was the Arab
Spring in 2011 2012 when you had this
one by one all of the adversary
governments of the Obama Administration
Egypt Tunisia all began to be toppled in
Facebook revolutions and Twitter
revolutions and you had the state
department working very closely with the
social media companies to be able to
keep social media online during those
periods there's a famous phone call from
Google's Jared Coen to Twitter to uh not
do their scheduled maintenance so that
uh dis so that the preferred opposition
group in Iran would be able to use
Twitter uh to uh to to win that election
so it was an in free speech was an
instrument of statecraft from the
National Security State to begin with
all of that architecture all the NOS the
relationships between the tech companies
and the National Security State had been
long established for freedom in
2014 after the coup in Ukraine There Was
An Unexpected counter coup where Crimea
and the donbass broke away and they
broke away with essentially a military
back stop that NATO was highly
unprepared for at the time they had one
last Hail Mary chance which was the
Crimea annexation vote on uh in in
2014 uh and when the hearts and minds of
the people of Crimea voted uh to join
the Russian Federation that was the last
straw for the concept of free speech on
the internet in the eyes of NATO as they
saw it the fundamental nature of War
changed at that moment and NATO at that
point declared something that they first
called the Joff Doctrine which is named
after this Russian military General uh
who they claimed made a speech that the
fundamental nature of War has changed
you don't need to win military
skirmishes to take over Central and
Eastern Europe all you need to do is
control the media and the social media
ecosystem because that's what controls
elections and if you simply get the
right Administration into power they
control the military so it's infinitely
cheaper than conducting a military war
to Simply conduct an organized political
uh influence operation over social media
and Legacy Media an industry had been
created that spanned the Pentagon the
the British Ministry of defense and
Brussels into a organized political
Warfare outfit essentially
infrastructure that was created
initially stationed in Germany and in
Central and Eastern Europe to create
psychological buffer zones basically to
create the ability to to have the
military work with the social media
companies to censor Russian propaganda
or to censor domestic right-wing
populist groups in Europe who are rising
in political power at the time because
of the migrant crisis so you had the
systematic targeting by our state
department by our IC by the Pentagon of
groups like Germany's afd the
alternative for deuts land there and for
groups in Estonia lvia Lithuania now
when brexit happened in
2016 it was that was that was this
crisis moment where suddenly they didn't
have to worry just about Central and
Eastern Europe anymore it was coming
Westward this idea of Russian control
over hearts and minds and and so at that
was brexit was June 2016 the very next
month at the war at the Warsaw
conference NATO formally amended its
Charter to to expressly commit to hybrid
Warfare as their as this new NATO
capacity so they went from you know
basically 70 years of of Tanks to this
explicit capacity building for for
censoring tweets if they were deemed to
be Russian proxies and again it's not
just Russian propaganda this was these
were now brexit groups or groups like
Mato salvini in in Italy uh or in Greece
or in Germany or in in Spain with the
Vox party and now at the time NATO was
publishing white papers saying that the
biggest threat NATO faces is not
actually a military Invasion From Russia
it's losing domestic elections across
Europe of course democracy again has
that magic regime change predicate where
democracy is is our magic watch word to
be able to overthrow governments from
the ground up in a sort of color
Revolution style whole of society effort
to topple a a a democratically elected
government from the inside for example
as we did in Ukraine Victor yanukovich
was democratically elected by the
Ukrainian people like like him or hate
him I'm not even issuing an opinion
there but the fact is is we color
Revolution him out of office we January
6th him out of office actually to be
frank I mean with respect to the you had
you know a state department funded right
sector Thugs and you know $5 billion
worth of Civil Society money pumped into
this to overthrow a democratically
elected government in the name of
democracy and they took that special set
of skills home and now it's
here perhaps potentially to stay and
this is fundamentally changed the the
nature of American governance because of
the threat of you know One Small Voice
becoming popular on social media May me
ask you a question so into that that
group of Institutions that you say say
Now define democracy the
ngo's um foreign policy establish Etc
you you included the mainstream media
now in 2021 the NSA broke into my
private text apps and read them and then
leaked them to the New York Times
against me that just happened again to
me last week um and I'm wondering how
common that is for the Intel agencies to
work with so-called mainstream media
like the New York Times to hurt their
opponents well that is the function of
these interstitial government funded
non-governmental organizations and think
tanks like for example we mentioned the
Atlantic Council which is you know
NATO's think tank but other groups like
The Aspen Institute which draws the line
share of its funding from the state
department and other government agencies
you know the Aspen Institute was busted
doing the same thing with the hunter
Biden laptop censorship you know you had
this strange situation where the FBI had
Advanced knowledge of the pending
publication of the hunter Biden laptop
story and then magically the Aspen
Institute which is run by essentially
former CIA former NSA former FBI and
then a bunch of sort of Civil Society
organizations uh all hold a mass uh
stakeholder simulation censorship
simulation a three-day uh conference you
know this came out and Yol Roth was
there this was a big part of the Twitter
file leaks and it's been mentioned in
multiple Congressional investigations
but somehow the Aspen Institute uh which
is basically an addendum of the National
Security State uh got the exact same
information that the National Security
State spied on journalists and political
figures to obtain and not only leaked it
but then basically did a joint
coordinated censorship simulator in SE
in September two months before the
election in order just just like with
the censorship of mail and ballots to be
in ready position to pre- censor anyone
online amplifying a news story that had
not even broken yet the Aspen Institute
so I mean which is by the way I'm spent
my life in Washington it's kind of a I
mean Walter Isaacson former Le of Time
Magazine ran it for former president of
CNN um I had no idea it was part of the
National Security State I had no idea
it's funding came from the US government
you're this is the first time I've ever
heard that but given assuming what
you're saying is true it's a little
weird that Walter isacson left aspidin
to to write a biography of Elon Musk
strange or no yeah um you know I don't
know I I've I haven't read that book I I
from what I've heard from people it's a
relatively fair treatment I you just
total speculation but I suspect that
Walter isacon has struggled with this
issue and may not even firmly fall in
one particular place uh in the sense
that you know Walter Rison did a series
of interviews of Rick stangle uh
actually with the Atlantic Council and
and in other settings uh where he
interviewed Rick stangle specifically on
the issue of uh of you know the the need
to get rid of the First Amendment and
the threat that free speech on social
media poses to democracy now at the time
I was very concerned this was between
2017 and 2019 when he did these Rick
stangle interviews I was very concerned
because Isaacson expressed what seemed
to me to be a highly sympathetic uh view
about the Rick stangle you know
perspective on killing the First
Amendment now he didn't formerly endorse
that position but it left me very
skittish about Isaacson but what I
should say is at the time I don't think
very many people in fact I know
virtually nobody in the country um uh
had any idea how deep the rabbit hole
went when it came to the construction of
of the censorship industry and the the
the How deep the tentacles had grown
within the military and the National
Security State in order to buoy and
consolidate it much of that frankly did
not even come to public light until uh
until even last year you frankly some of
that was galvanized by Elon musk's
acquisition and the Twitter files and
the Republican turnover in the house
that allowed these multiple
investigations uh the lawsuits like
Missouri V Biden the discovery process
there uh and and you know multiple other
things like the disinformation
governance board who by the way the
interim head of that you the head of
that Nina jankov
got her start uh in the censorship
industry from this exact same um
clandestine intelligence Community
censorship Network created after the
2014 crimeia situation Nina jankovitz
when when her name came up in 2022 as
part of disinform disinformation
governance board I almost fell out of my
chair because I had been tracking Nina's
Network for almost five years at that
point when her when her name came up as
part of the UK inner cluster cell of a
busted clandestine operation to censor
the internet called the Integrity
initiative which was created by the UK
foreign office and was backed by NATO's
political Affairs uh unit in order to
cre to carry out this thing that we
talked about at the beginning of this of
this dialogue the NATO uh sort of
psychological inoculation uh and uh the
the ability to kill so-called Russian
propaganda or Rising political groups
who wanted uh to maintain relations with
Russia at a time when the US was trying
to kill the nordstream and other and
other uh pipeline relations well they
did that Marine Leen
and Nina janovitz was a part of this
this outfit and then who is the who was
the head of it after Nina jankovitz went
down it was Michael cherto and Michael
cherto was running the the Aspen
Institute cyber group and then this and
the Aspen Institute then goes on to be
the censorship Simulator for the Hun
Biden laptop story and then two years
later Jer off is then the head of the
disinformation governance board after
Nina is forced to step down yeah a close
friends of course Michael chto was the
chairman at Bay sorry sorry of course
Michael chof was a the chairman of the
yeah the the largest military contractor
in Europe uh Bae uh military so so
you've blown my mind so many times in
this conversation that I'm going to need
a nap directly after it's done so I've
just got two more two more questions for
you one short one a little longer short
one is for people who've made it this
far an hour in and want to know more
about this topic and by the way I hope
you will come back whenever you have the
time um to explore different threads of
the story but for people who want to do
research on their own how can your
research on this um be found on the
internet sure so our foundation is
foundationfor freedom
online.com uh we we publish all manner
of of reports on every aspect of the
censorship industry from from what we
talked about with the role of the
military-industrial complex in the
National Security State to what the
universities are doing to you know I
sometimes refer to as digital MK Ultra
there's just the field of basically the
science of censorship and how and and
the funding of these psychological
manipulation methods in order to nudge
people into different belief systems as
they did with covid as they did with
energy and and every sensitive policy
issue is what they essentially had an
ambition for but so the my foundation
for for Freedom online.com website is
one way the other way is just on X uh my
handle is at Mike Ben cyber I'm very
active there and uh publish a lot of
long form video and written content on
all this I think it's one of the most
important issues in the world today so
it certainly is and so that leads
directly and seamlessly to my final
question um which is about X and I'm not
just saying this because I post content
there but I think objectively it's the
last big platform that's free or sort of
free or more free you post there too um
but you know we're at the very beginning
of an election election year with a
couple of different Wars unfolding
simultaneously uh in in 2024 so do you
expect that that PL platform can stay
free for the duration of this year it's
under an extraordinary an extraordinary
amount of pressure and that pressure is
going to continue to mount as the
election approaches um Elon Musk is a
very unique individual and he has a
unique buffer perhaps when it comes to
the National Security State because the
National Security State is actually
quite Rel
on um on Elon Musk properties whether
that's for the uh the electrical you
know the sort of the the Green
Revolution when it comes to Tesla and uh
and and the Battery Technology there
when it comes when it comes to SpaceX uh
the state department is hugely dependent
on on SpaceX uh because of its
unbelievable uh sort of pioneering and
saturating presence in the field of low
earth orbit satellites that uh are
basically how our Telecom you know
system runs to things like starlink
there there are dependencies that the
National Security state has on Elon Musk
I'm not sure he'd have as much room to
negotiate if he had become the world's
richest man selling you know at a
lemonade stand uh so there's there's and
if the the National Security State goes
too hard on him by invoking something
like cifas to sort of nationalize some
of these properties I think the shock
wave that it would send to the
international investor Community would
be irrecoverable at a time when we're
engaging power competition so they're
trying to kill you know they're trying
to sort of induce a I think a sort of
corporate regime change through uh a
series of things involving a sort of
death by a thousand paper cuts I think
there are seven or eight different um
justice department or SEC or FTC
investigations into Elon Musk properties
that all started um after his
acquisition of of X but then what
they're trying to do right now is what I
call the transatlantic flank attack 2.0
you know we talked in this in in this
dialogue about how the censorship
industry really got its start when a
bunch of State Department Exiles uh who
were expecting promotions took their
special set of skills in coercing
European countries to pass uh sanctions
on themselves to cut off their own leg
to spite themselves uh in order to pass
sanctions on Russia they ran back that
same Playbook with doing a road show for
censorship instead for sanctions we're
now witnessing you know transatlantic
flank attack 2.0 if you will which is
because they have lost a lot of their
Federal government legit uh powers to do
this same censorship operation they had
been doing from 2018 to 2022 in part
because the house has has totally turned
on them in part because of the media in
part because Missouri V Biden which won
a a slam dunk case actually Banning
government censorship at the trial court
and Appel Court levels is now between
the uh before The Supreme Court they've
now moved into two strategies one of
them is is state level uh censorship
laws California just passed a new law
which the censorship industry totally
drove from start to finish around
require they call it transform plat you
know platform accountability and
transparency which is basically forcing
you know Elon Musk to give over the kind
of narrative mapping data that these CIA
conduits and Pentagon cutouts were using
to create these weapons of mass deletion
these abilities to just censor
everything at scale because they had all
the internal platform data Elon mus took
that away they're using state laws like
this new California law to crack that
open but the the major right now is the
threat from Europe uh with with you know
something called the uh the EU Digital
Services act which was cooked up in
tandem with folks like like newsguard
which is run by you know which has has a
board of Michael Hayden head of the CIA
NSA fourar General Rick stangle is on
that board uh you know from from the
state Department's propaganda office Tom
Ridge is on that board from the from the
Department of Homeland Security oh and
Anders fog rasm is on that board uh he
was the uh General Secretary of NATO
under the Obama administration so you
have NATO the CIA the NSA fourstar
General DHS and the state department
working with the EU to craft the
censorship laws that now are the largest
existential threat to X other than
potentially ex Advertiser boycotts
because there is now disinformation is
now banned as a matter of law in in in
the EU and the EU is a bigger market for
X than the US there's only 300 million
some people in the US there's 450
million in Europe X is now forced to
comply with this brand new law that just
got ratified this year uh where they
either need to Forfeit 6% of their
Global annual revenue to the EU to
maintain operations there or put in
place essentially the kind of you know
CIA bumper cars if you will that I I've
been describing over the course of this
in order to have a internal mechanism to
censor anything that the EU which is
just a proxy for NATO uh deems to be
disinformation and you can bet with 65
elections around the around the globe
this year um you can you can predict
every single time what they're going to
Define disinformation as so that's the
main the main fight right now is is
dealing with the transatlantic flank
attack from Europe I I've said this five
times but that's just one of the most
remarkable stories I've ever heard and
I'm grateful to you for bringing it to
us Mike Ben's executive director of the
foundation for freedom online and I hope
we see you
again thanks
Tucker free speech is bigger than any
one person or any one organization are
defined by what they will not permit
what we're watching is the total
inversion of
virtue
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