Disinfo: CIA-influenced Facebook introduces the mechanism of preventive censorship of Sputnik

Summary

Today, the Internet market of Poland and the entire world is dominated by two corporations: Google and Facebook. The cooperation of these corporations with the CIA and other American state agencies responsible for Internet control is dangerous for freedom of speech in the Western World. Information about the introduction of clear censorship against Sputnik or Press TV [by Facebook] puts the situation to a new level. Before, social media used to carry out repressive censorship. In other words, they intervened only after the information was presented to the public. Today, however, we face the mechanism of preventive censorship. The history shows that preventive censorship is introduced because of fear – it is a sign of the quick collapse of a dictatorship.

Disproof

Pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory about social media (primarily, Facebook), advancing pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about “secret elites” and the West's alleged media censorship and societal control This disinformation message is a reaction to recent policy changes by Facebook. On June 4, Facebook announced that it would label media outlets that are wholly or partially under the editorial control of their government. The labels are not censoring in any way but merely inform users about the publishers' origins to help them understand the source of the information they are consuming. This is designed to bring greater transparency about these publishers since they combine the influence of a media organisation with the strategic backing of a foreign state. The labels have been applied to Russia's Sputnik, as well as other state-controlled media outlets, like Iran’s Press TV and China’s Xinhua News. See similar disinformation cases connected to Facebook - Google and Facebook manipulate information to destroy Russia; Facebook is a project of the Soros Foundation, financed by National Security Agency; Facebook is in the service of the US State Department.

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  • Reported in: Issue 201
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 09/06/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Polish
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: US, Russia
  • Keywords: Google, social media, Facebook, Censorship, Freedom of speech, Sputnik, Secret services
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Disinfo: NATO is an American puppet 

NATO is an American puppet.

Jun 08, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO as a geopolitical project of the US.

NATO was founded in 1949 by twelve sovereign nations including the United States. It has since grown to 30 Allies who each took an individual and sovereign decision to join this Alliance. All decisions in NATO are taken by consensus, after discussion and consultation among member countries, which means that a decision can only be taken if every single member accepts it.

Disinfo: US tests ethnic weapons against Slavs in its biolabs in Ukraine

The US built 8 biological laboratories in Ukraine where they develop and test malicious viruses on Slav populations.

Jun 08, 2020
Disproof

This is a recurring conspiracy theory alleging, without evidence, that the United States develops biological weapons and has secret biological laboratories around the world. The disinformation claim also capitalises on the oft-recurring conspiracy theory about the Lugar Lab in Georgia, as well as laboratories in Ukraine, all of them encircling Russia. According to this and similar claims, the main task of these labs is to create "combat" viruses against Russians. Actually, virology laboratories in Ukraine are involved in preventing the risks of complex diseases by pathogens and, together with other similar projects, counteracting bioterrorism. In April, the US Embassy in Ukraine reaffirmed that the country offers its support to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats. In June the Ukrainian health ministry answered to a Member of Ukrainian Parliament supporting the idea of secret US labs, that there were no such laboratories. The more the story is proved not based on fact, the more its pro-Russian supporters find it "interesting". See other cases on this narrative.

Disinfo: British secret services recruited Syrian terrorists, former ISIS member confesses

British secret services forced Syrian extremists to work for them, and ordered them to compile information on the Russian facilities in the Arab country, former Islamic State member Mohammed Hussein Saud told Russian journalists. The former extremist admitted that he met with British intelligence officials in the Al Tanf area, on the border with Jordan, where the US military base is located. Saud said that the UK experts needed information on “important sites in Russia and Syria”, namely security sites, to be able to launch a terrorist attack.

Jun 08, 2020
Disproof

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about alleged Western support to the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations in the Middle East. The mention of a US base in the Al Tanf region in southern Syria seems an attempt to suggest some US involvement in these alleged terrorist plots against Russian forces. The UK and the US are part of the global coalition to defeat the Islamic State, and both countries are part of the Operation Inherent Resolve that has been ongoing to attack and degrade the capabilities of the group since 2014. The EUvsDisinfo database has a long set of disinformation cases on this subject, such as claims that Donald Trump cancelled Daesh funding because he opposes the destruction of the Middle East, that jihadists are US and European proxies in the region, that the US created ISIS when Al Qaeda went outside the script, that US special forces were deployed with Al Qaeda in Idlib, that US and UK will use terrorist organisations against China, that the US is moving ISIS to Afghanistan or that the US may have evacuated ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi instead of killing him.