Operation Chorus
Safeguarding free expression
What is an operation?
An operation is a blueprint for advancing people’s digital and personal freedom. These are “big picture” plans for how people can advance liberty in their own lives. On the website, Operations will also act as a “hub” to organize relevant tools and ideas.
This is simply a plan, there is no membership or strict requirements. It’s simply a starting place for examining how to re-gain much of the important ground that has been lost.
The first Operation: Chorus
Safeguarding free expression
Many problems in our time are caused by a severe power imbalance caused by information hazards. Information hazards are created when people and even entire societies operate under false pretenses. We can not rely on any single body or organization to question the foundations of every aspect of society to find errors, instead individuals should be empowered to use their own knowledge, skill, and intuition to learn from the world around them. As those individuals learn and share insights with others, we can all make a better world together.
Merely creating a hierarchy of those who are “qualified” to suppress so-called ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ simply uplifts a small few to a priestly class for an array of false gods. Instead, truth-seeking will always be an inherently decentralized process. People from all walks of life, and a variety of perspectives are all required for society to truly self-examine. Criminalizing expression only worsens problems, entrenched orthodoxies crystalize into terrible abuses. Censorship is only ever effective at protecting abusive hierarchies, and sowing resentment. Instead, people should be given the leeway to learn from themselves and those around them, and opportunities to correct mistakes.
If you make peaceful revolution impossible, you make violent revolution inevitable
John F. Kennedy
If society continues the trend of increasing censorship to resolve inconsistencies, people will continue to suffer without real representation. All this does is build enmity between those with the means to insulate themselves from abuses and those without.
Principles:
Advocating for maximal free expression rights for all people is one of the best ways to sustain liberal values long term.
Public institutions should uphold freedom of expression.
Organizations should be held accountable for censorship, chilling effects and propaganda.
Goals:
Promote expanding socially and legally acceptable free expression
Enhance labor protections for workers and whistle blowers to speak freely
Empower individuals to have difficult conversations
Encourage the adoption of interoperable and permissionless systems
Lobbying local institutions to provide these systems as services to local residents
Oppose legislation that empowers censorship or surveillance
Remembering and supporting those who are silenced
Relevant Content:
The Libre Solutions Network is now on PeerTube, and the latest video is an introduction to the Fediverse. As I wrote in my past introduction:
Federated social networks have a significant set of advantages. Simply being aware that they exist gives you power. You are not required to have an ccount or maintain a presence to access information on these sites
Thanks for linking to my article my friend. That was very kind of you!
I have cued up your peer tube video and can’t wait to watch it later today.