Here’s a useful test for anyone who wants to criminalise disinformation:
Make a list of all the examples of disinformation that would, under a future law, be criminalised. Wait a year. Now review that ‘disinformation’ in light of the latest narrative / set of facts. Is it still disinformation?
For covid, it seems about 90% of the ‘disinformation’ turned out to be true or largely true in the space of about a year.
Michael K
2 years ago
You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Sean Penley
2 years ago
Interesting and disturbing article. Seems that this should have been one of the least likely countries to have forgotten the harsh lessons of the early 20th century, but here we are. A certain chancellor had his own views basically treated as objective truth in his country. Who would think it is a good idea to create the kind of conditions for that to happen again?
On a slightly different note: So if, say, the inventor of a certain kind of vaccine were to suggest it shouldn’t be given to kids while government bureaucrats were insisting it should be, would the guy who created the thing be penalized for ‘misinformation?’ And what’s the basis for declaring that government bureaucrats would be reliable arbiters of truth on that issue? Or any issue, at all, whatsoever?
It’s very concerning. There was an article on this on Swedish TV last night. The Swedish media is already exercising “mainstream” censorship and suppression, both in domestic issues and foreign matters, eg. one-sided reporting on Poland’s politics. The thing is, Poland is doing exactly the same but different, as are all other countries. So I guess we’ll just have to get used to being exposed to a tsunami of debatable information where we don’t know what to believe, and if we start digging to find the probable truth we’ll maybe be no wiser.
Galeti Tavas
2 years ago
Several Islamic countries have specialized police forces with the wonderful name of:
” Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,
( is a Saudi government religious authority charged with implementing the Islamic doctrine of hisbah” هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر)
At least they call it what it is……
Richard Hopkins
2 years ago
I first heard an American academic use the neat phrase “Covid-1984” on the BBC World Service, back in 2020. It encapsulated the previously unthinkable authoritarian restrictions that had been introduced then – justified as merely health measures. As time passes, it seems disturbingly ever more applicable.
Linda Hutchinson
2 years ago
The problem is differentiating fake news from dissenting opinion. Fake news is a danger to democracy whilst dissenting opinion is essential to democracy. Unlike some, I don’t think that it’s an easy problem to solve; just because someone is disseminating anti-establishment information or views doesn’t necessarily mean he is not malign or that he is right. The issue is that fake news can be a deliberate political act or can merely be people posting something after misunderstanding what they have read or heard; the latter can be shown how thay might have made a mistake, whilst the former will never change because they have an agenda. It would be nice to be able to get out those with the agenda for spreading false information whilst still letting the dissenting views through, but I think it is too problematic. We will just have to rely on people of good will challenging these few rogue elements, there is no place for governments in this because they have “skin in the game”.
Do SAGE’s massive over-estimates of death and disease count?
Martin Smith
2 years ago
Keep hard copies of everything.
Lena Bloch
2 years ago
The idea is to criminalize speech, not save information. The idea is to create an authority which can then arbitrarily remove physical people whom it does not like. Speech, or “information” is only a facade. If a nutjob on the street attacks me because he imagines me to be “harmful”, it has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with this nutjob’s psychopathy. These “ministries of Truth” is global psychopathy, seizing power over sane people and forcing them to submit to maniacs.
Nicky Samengo-Turner
2 years ago
I have more faith and trust in Israel’s sense of freedom, than in that of UK, US and EU, let alone the Islamic world…
Ethniciodo Rodenydo
2 years ago
I thought they already had one
Arnold Grutt
2 years ago
There is no such thing as ‘political science’, if what is meant is ‘the discovery of the true nature of politics’. All it really amounts to is boring statistics, which lack a central rationale for interpretation.
Here’s a useful test for anyone who wants to criminalise disinformation:
Make a list of all the examples of disinformation that would, under a future law, be criminalised. Wait a year. Now review that ‘disinformation’ in light of the latest narrative / set of facts. Is it still disinformation?
For covid, it seems about 90% of the ‘disinformation’ turned out to be true or largely true in the space of about a year.
You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too.
-John Kenneth Galbraith
Interesting and disturbing article. Seems that this should have been one of the least likely countries to have forgotten the harsh lessons of the early 20th century, but here we are. A certain chancellor had his own views basically treated as objective truth in his country. Who would think it is a good idea to create the kind of conditions for that to happen again?
On a slightly different note: So if, say, the inventor of a certain kind of vaccine were to suggest it shouldn’t be given to kids while government bureaucrats were insisting it should be, would the guy who created the thing be penalized for ‘misinformation?’ And what’s the basis for declaring that government bureaucrats would be reliable arbiters of truth on that issue? Or any issue, at all, whatsoever?
https://gript.ie/swedens-newest-government-agency-the-ministry-of-truth/
Swedes are way ahead of the pack on this one.
Another great article from a website I didn’t know. Thanks for the link!
Your linked magazine ‘Gript’ is interesting, but it does not have comments – I suppose they cannot take the truth either…..
You can comment freely on their Facebook page, where all the articles are posted. Comments on the site itself are moderated
It’s very concerning. There was an article on this on Swedish TV last night. The Swedish media is already exercising “mainstream” censorship and suppression, both in domestic issues and foreign matters, eg. one-sided reporting on Poland’s politics. The thing is, Poland is doing exactly the same but different, as are all other countries. So I guess we’ll just have to get used to being exposed to a tsunami of debatable information where we don’t know what to believe, and if we start digging to find the probable truth we’ll maybe be no wiser.
Several Islamic countries have specialized police forces with the wonderful name of:
” Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice,
( is a Saudi government religious authority charged with implementing the Islamic doctrine of hisbah” هيئة الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر)
At least they call it what it is……
I first heard an American academic use the neat phrase “Covid-1984” on the BBC World Service, back in 2020. It encapsulated the previously unthinkable authoritarian restrictions that had been introduced then – justified as merely health measures. As time passes, it seems disturbingly ever more applicable.
The problem is differentiating fake news from dissenting opinion. Fake news is a danger to democracy whilst dissenting opinion is essential to democracy. Unlike some, I don’t think that it’s an easy problem to solve; just because someone is disseminating anti-establishment information or views doesn’t necessarily mean he is not malign or that he is right. The issue is that fake news can be a deliberate political act or can merely be people posting something after misunderstanding what they have read or heard; the latter can be shown how thay might have made a mistake, whilst the former will never change because they have an agenda. It would be nice to be able to get out those with the agenda for spreading false information whilst still letting the dissenting views through, but I think it is too problematic. We will just have to rely on people of good will challenging these few rogue elements, there is no place for governments in this because they have “skin in the game”.
Do SAGE’s massive over-estimates of death and disease count?
Keep hard copies of everything.
The idea is to criminalize speech, not save information. The idea is to create an authority which can then arbitrarily remove physical people whom it does not like. Speech, or “information” is only a facade. If a nutjob on the street attacks me because he imagines me to be “harmful”, it has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with this nutjob’s psychopathy. These “ministries of Truth” is global psychopathy, seizing power over sane people and forcing them to submit to maniacs.
I have more faith and trust in Israel’s sense of freedom, than in that of UK, US and EU, let alone the Islamic world…
I thought they already had one
There is no such thing as ‘political science’, if what is meant is ‘the discovery of the true nature of politics’. All it really amounts to is boring statistics, which lack a central rationale for interpretation.