YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki won the Freedom Forum Institute’s “Free Expression Award” on Friday in a ceremony sponsored by her own company. So basically, YouTube awarded themselves a “free expression” award then their CEO bragged about how much they censor people on the platform.
You couldn’t make this up if you tried. We live in crazy times.
In the digital awards ceremony, YouTube video creator Molly Burke praised Wojcicki as a “free speech leader” before the YouTube CEO detailed in her acceptance speech how much the platform censors its users, according to a report by RT.
“The freedoms we have, we really can’t take for granted,” Wojcicki declared, adding that “we also need to make sure there are limits.” Literally, right after giving herself an award for being a free speech activist, she admits that she’s not a free speech activist and censors people, putting a limit on free speech.
If there are limits, it isn’t free speech. But Wojcicki doesn’t care because she gave herself this award, so it can be as hypocritical as she wants. She added that YouTube removed nine million videos in the last quarter, 90% of which were taken down by machines. She also said there is “a lot of content that technically meets the spirit of what we’re trying to do, but it is borderline, and so for that content, we will just reduce – meaning we’re not going to recommend it to our users.”
Thankfully, the irony was not lost on the public. YouTube and Wojcicki were thrashed for this:
YouTube CEO won a Free Speech award…sponsored by YouTube. Hahahahhhaahhhahhahahahaaaaaaa pic.twitter.com/QX56hNUnFL
— Matt Orfalea (@0rf) April 19, 2021
since no one else has, it looks like i'm going to have to be the one who posts this pic. pic.twitter.com/1P50ipw9Qg
— Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) April 19, 2021
“This is the worst form of gaslighting I’ve ever seen,” commented one user, while another questioned, “What’s next, Facebook getting an award for respecting privacy?”
Lol, youtube receiving an award for free expression/pro first amendment is Orwellian sh!t. What's next, Facebook getting an award for respecting privacy? https://t.co/PEiT3ZUgMB
— Solidarity ☭ (@Karlmarxhd) April 18, 2021
https://twitter.com/Gee2TheAitch/status/1383896458709987334
We live in the strangest of times. YouTube gave itself an award for protecting free speech when they literally admitted they censor those who go against the official narrative and hide videos of those with whom they disagree. Welcome to 2021: the dystopian reality is being constructed for you.
Luckily, most have already seen through this particular facade.
Amazing how people are manipulated into Doublethinking and ignoring the obvious when propaganda has consumed their minds and eaten their brains. They can then go forth and eat other people’s brains. The Zombie Apocalypse is not a fantasy.
As it turns out, one possible outlet for free education would be impossible, where the public was bereft of objective morality. Indian fakirs would publish frauds for a nickel per view.
I am reminded of A Dog of Flanders, in which painted media was put on restriction, and of expensive, scholarly texts, behind paywalls, today.
These things would be common as public restroom stalls and subjected to the same abuses, had they been democratized, like tacky buffets, which ultimately fail.
If I was some ancient dictator, I might conceivably treat so many false prophets like the Egyptian Joseph, knowing that adamant disinfo is destabilizing as mislabeled food or counterfeit money.