International manifesto against censorship

 

"Open Expression is the Central Pillar of a Free Society"

Westminster Declaration

We write as journalists, artists, writers, activists, technology professionals, and academics to raise the alarm about the rise of international censorship, which threatens to erode centuries-old democratic norms.

Coming from the left, right, and center, we are united in our commitment to universal human rights and freedom of expression, and we are deeply concerned by the attempts to label protected expression as ‘disinformation’ and other poorly defined terms.

This abuse of terms has resulted in the censorship of ordinary people, journalists, and dissidents in countries around the world.

Such interference with the right to freedom of expression suppresses legitimate discussions on matters of urgent public interest and undermines the fundamental principles of representative democracy.

Globally, government agents, social media companies, universities, and NGOs are increasingly working to monitor citizens and rob them of their voices. These large-scale coordinated efforts are sometimes referred to as the 'Censorship Industrial Complex.'

This complex often operates through direct government policies. Authorities in India[1] and Turkey[2] have seized the power to remove political content from social media. The legislature in Germany[3] and the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil[4] are criminalizing political speech. In other countries, measures such as Ireland’s ‘Hate Speech’ Bill,[5] Scotland’s Hate Crime Act,[6] the UK’s Online Safety Bill,[7] and Australia’s ‘Disinformation’ Bill[8] threaten to severely restrict expression and create a chilling effect.

However, the Censorship Industrial Complex also operates through subtler methods. These include visibility filtering, labeling, and manipulating search engine results. Through suspensions, bans, and deplatforming, social media censors have already silenced legally permissible opinions on matters of national and geopolitical importance. They have done so with the full backing of ‘disinformation experts’ and ‘fact-checkers’ in mainstream media, who have abandoned the journalistic values of debate and intellectual inquiry.

As the Twitter Files revealed, tech companies often conduct censorial ‘content moderation’ in coordination with government agencies and civil society. Soon, the European Union’s Digital Services Act will formalize this relationship, providing platform data to ‘accredited researchers’ from NGOs and academia, relegating our rights to expression to the discretion of these unelected, unaccountable entities.

Some politicians and NGOs[9] are even targeting end-to-end encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram.[10] If end-to-end encryption is broken, we will have no remaining channels for authentic private conversations in the digital realm.

While foreign state disinformation is a real problem, agencies designed to combat these threats, such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the United States, are increasingly being turned inward against the public. Under the guise of preventing harm and protecting the truth, expression is being treated as a permitted activity rather than an inalienable right.

We recognize that words can sometimes cause offense, but we reject the notion that hurt feelings and discomfort, even if acute, are grounds for censorship. Open expression is the central pillar of a free society and is essential to holding governments accountable, empowering vulnerable groups, and reducing the risk of tyranny.

Protections for expression are not just for views we agree with; we must vigorously protect expression for the views we most strongly oppose. Only in the public square can these views be heard and properly challenged.

Moreover, time and again, unpopular opinions and ideas have eventually become conventional wisdom. By labeling certain political or scientific positions as ‘disinformation,’ our societies risk becoming trapped in false paradigms that will rob humanity of hard-earned knowledge and eliminate the possibility of acquiring new insights. Freedom of expression is our best defense against disinformation.

The assault on expression is not just about distorted rules and regulations — it is a crisis of humanity itself. Every campaign for equality and justice in history has depended on an open forum for expressing dissent. In countless examples, including the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement, social progress has depended on free speech.

We do not want our children to grow up in a world where they live in fear of expressing their opinions. We want them to grow up in a world where their ideas can be expressed, explored, and debated openly — a world that the founders of our democracies envisioned when they enshrined free speech in our laws and Constitutions.

The U.S. First Amendment is a strong example of how the right to freedom of expression, press, and conscience can be firmly protected by law. One need not agree with the U.S. on all matters to recognize that this is a vital ‘first freedom’ from which all other liberties follow. It is only through free expression that we can denounce violations of our rights and fight for new freedoms.

There is also clear and robust international protection for free speech. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)[11] was drafted in 1948 in response to the atrocities committed during World War II. Article 19 of the UDHR states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." While there may be a need for governments to regulate certain aspects of social media, such as age limits, these regulations must never infringe upon the human right to freedom of expression.

As made clear by Article 19, the corollary to the right to free expression is the right to information. In a democracy, no one holds a monopoly on what is considered true. Instead, truth must be discovered through dialogue and debate — and we cannot discover truth without allowing for the possibility of error.

Censorship in the name of ‘preserving democracy’ inverts what should be a bottom-up system of representation into a top-down system of ideological control. This censorship is ultimately counterproductive: it sows distrust, encourages radicalization, and delegitimizes the democratic process.

Throughout human history, attacks on free speech have been a precursor to attacks on all other freedoms. Regimes that have eroded free expression have always, inevitably, also weakened and harmed other core democratic structures. Similarly, the elites who champion censorship today are also undermining democracy. What has changed, however, is the vast scale and the technological tools through which censorship can be enacted.

We believe that free expression is essential to securing our safety from abuses of state power — abuses that have historically posed a far greater threat than the words of solitary individuals or even organized groups. For the sake of human flourishing and well-being, we make the following three demands.

We call on governments and international organizations to fulfill their responsibilities to the people and uphold Article 19 of the UDHR.

We call on technology corporations to commit to protecting the digital public square as defined in Article 19 of the UDHR and refrain from politically motivated censorship, censorship of dissident voices, and censorship of political opinion.

And finally, we call on the general public to join us in the fight to preserve the democratic rights of the people. Legislative changes are not enough. We must also build an atmosphere of free expression from the ground up, rejecting the climate of intolerance that encourages self-censorship and creates unnecessary personal conflicts for many. Instead of fear and dogma, we must embrace inquiry and debate.

We stand for your right to ask questions. Heated discussions, even those that may cause distress, are far better than no discussions at all.

Censorship robs us of the richness of life itself. Freedom of expression is the foundation for creating a life of meaning and a thriving humanity — through art, poetry, drama, history, philosophy, music, and more.

This declaration resulted from an initial gathering of free speech advocates from around the world who convened in Westminster, London, in late June 2023. As signatories of this declaration, we have fundamental political and ideological disagreements. However, only through unity will we defeat the growing forces of censorship so that we can maintain our ability to debate and challenge one another openly. It is in the spirit of difference and debate that we sign the Westminster Declaration.

Signatories

Antônio Carlos dos Santos, playwright, writer, Brazil

Matt Taibbi, Journalist, US

Michael Shellenberger, Public, US

Jonathan Haidt, Social Psychologist, NYU, US

John McWhorter, Linguist, Columbia, Author, US

Steven Pinker, Psychologist, Harvard, US

Julian Assange, Editor, Founder of Wikileaks, Australia

Tim Robbins, Actor, Filmmaker, US

Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law, NYLS, US

Glenn Loury, Economist, USA

Richard Dawkins, Biologist, UK

John Cleese, Comedian, Acrobat, UK

Slavoj Žižek, Philosopher, Author, Slovenia

Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University, US

Oliver Stone, Filmmaker, US

Edward Snowden, Whistleblower, US

Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, USA

Stella Assange, Campaigner, UK

Glenn Greenwald, Journalist, US

Claire Fox, Founder of the Academy of Ideas, UK

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Psychologist, Author, Canada

Bari Weiss, Journalist, USA

Peter Hitchens, Author, Journalist, UK

Niall Ferguson, Historian, Stanford, UK

Matt Ridley, Journalist, Author, UK

Melissa Chen, Journalist, Spectator, Singapore/US

Yanis Varoufakis, Economist, Greece

Peter Boghossian, Philosopher, Founding Faculty Fellow, University of Austin, US

Michael Shermer, Science Writer, US

Alan Sokal, Professor of Mathematics, UCL, UK

Sunetra Gupta, Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology, Oxford, UK

Jay Bhattacharya, Professor, Stanford, US

Martin Kulldorf, Professor of Medicine (on leave), Harvard, US

Aaron Kheiriaty, Psychiatrist, Author, USA

Chris Hedges, Journalist, Author, USA

Lee Fang, Independent Journalist, US

Alex Gutentag, Journalist, US

Iain McGilchrist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, UK

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Human Rights Activist, Author, Netherlands

Konstantin Kisin, Author, UK

Leighton Woodhouse, Public, US

Andrew Lowenthal, liber-net, Australia

Aaron Mate, Journalist, USA

Izabella Kaminska, Journalist, The Blind Spot, UK

Nina Power, Writer, UK

Kmele Foster, Journalist, Media Entrepreneur, USA

Toby Young, Journalist, Free Speech Union, UK

Winston Marshall, Journalist, The Spectator, UK

Jacob Siegel, Tablet, US/Israel

Ulrike Guerot, Founder of European Democracy Lab, Germany

Heather E. Heying, Evolutionary Biologist, USA

Bret Weinstein, Evolutionary Biologist, USA

Martina Pastorelli, Independent Journalist, Italy 

Leandro Narloch, Independent Journalist, Brazil 

Ana Henkel, Independent Journalist, Brazil

Mia Ashton, Journalist, Canada

Micha Narberhaus, The Protopia Lab, Spain/Germany

Alex Sheridan, Free Speech Ireland

Ben Scallan, Gript Media, Ireland      

Thomas Fazi, Independent Journalist, Italy

Jean F. Queralt, Technologist, Founder @ The IO Foundation, Malaysia/Spain

Phil Shaw, Campaigner, Operation People, New Zealand

Jeremy Hildreth, Independent, UK

Craig Snider, Independent, US

Eve Kay, TV Producer, UK

Helen Joyce, Journalist, UK

Dietrich Brüggemann, Filmmaker, Germany

Adam B. Coleman, Founder of Wrong Speak Publishing, US

Helen Pluckrose, Author, US

Michael Nayna, Filmmaker, Australia

Paul Rossi, Educator, Vertex Partnership Academics, US

Juan Carlos Girauta, Politician, Spain

Andrew Neish, KC, UK

Steven Berkoff, Actor, Playright, UK

Patrick Hughes, Artist, UK

Adam Creighton, Journalist, Australia

Julia Hartley-Brewer, Journalist, UK

Robert Cibis, Filmmaker, Germany

Piers Robinson, Organization for Propaganda Studies, UK

Dirk Pohlmann, Journalist, Germany

Mathias Bröckers, Author, Journalist, Germany

Kira Phillips, Documentary Filmmaker, UK

Diane Atkinson, Historian, Biographer, UK

Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck, University of Buckingham, Canada

Laura Dodsworth, Journalist and Author, UK

Nellie Bowles, Journalist, USA

Andrew Tettenborn, Professor of Law, Swansea University,  UK

Julius Grower, Fellow, St. Hugh’s College, UK

Nick Dixon, Comedian, UK

Dominic Frisby, Comedian, UK

James Orr, Associate Professor, University of Cambridge, UK

Brendan O’Neill, Journalist, UK

Jan Jekielek, Journalist, Canada

Andrew Roberts, Historian, UK

Robert Tombs, Historian, UK

Ben Schwarz, Journalist, USA

Xavier Azalbert, Investigative Scientific Journalist, France

Doug Stokes, International Relations Professor, University of Exeter, UK

James Allan, Professor of Law, University of Queensland, UK

David McGrogan, Professor of Law, Northumbria University, UK

Jacob Mchangama, Author, Denmark

Nigel Biggar, Chairman, Free Speech Union, UK

David Goodhart, Journalist, Author, UK

Catherine Austin Fitts, The Solari Report, Netherlands

Matt Goodwin, Politics Professor, University of Kent, UK

Alan Miller, Together Association, UK

Catherine Liu, Cultural Theorist, Author, USA

Stefan Millius, Journalist, Switzerland

Philip Hamburger, Professor of Law, Columbia, USA

Rueben Kirkham, Co-Director, Free Speech Union of Australia, Australia

Jeffrey Tucker, Author, USA

Sarah Gon, Director, Free Speech Union, South Africa

Dara Macdonald, Co-Director, Free Speech Union, Australia

Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive, Free Speech Union, New Zealand

David Zweig, Journalist, Author, USA

Juan Soto Ivars, Author, Spain

Colin Wright, Evolutionary Biologist, USA

Gad Saad, Professor, Evolutionary Behavioral Scientist, Author, Canada

Robert W. Malone, MD, MS, USA

Jill Glasspool-Malone, PhD., USA

Jordi Pigem, Philosopher, Author, Spain

Holly Lawford-Smith, Associate Professor in Political Philosophy, University of Melbourne, Australia

Michele Santoro, Journalist, TV Host, Presenter, Italy

Dr. James Smith, Podcaster, Literature Scholar, RHUL, UK

Francis Foster, Comedian, UK

Coleman Hughes, Writer, Podcaster, USA

Marco Bassani, Political Theorist, Historian, Milan University, Italy

Isabella Loiodice, Professor of Comparative Public Law, University of Bari, Italy

Luca Ricolfi, Professor, Sociologist, Turin University, Italy

Marcello Foa, Journalist, Former President of Rai, Italy

Andrea Zhok, Philosopher, University of Milan, Italy

Paolo Cesaretti, Professor of Byzantine Civilization, University of Bergamo, Italy

Alberto Contri, Mass Media Expert, Italy

Carlo Lottieri, Philosopher, University of Verona, Italy

Alessandro Di Battista, Political Activist, Writer, Italy

Paola Mastrocola, Writer, Italy

Carlo Freccero, Television Author, Media Expert, Italy

Giorgio Bianchi, Independent Journalist, Italy

Nello Preterossi, Professor, University of Salerno, Scientific Director of the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies, Italy

Efrat Fenigson, Journalist, Podcaster, Israel

Eli Vieira, Journalist, Genetic Biologist, Brazil

Stephen Moore, Author and Analyst, Canada

Footnotes

Pahwa, Nitish. 'Twitter Blocked a Country.' Slate Magazine, 1 Apr. 2023, slate.com/technology/2023/04/twitter-blocked-pakistan-india-modi-musk-khalistan-gandhi.html.

Stein, Perry. 'Twitter Says It Will Restrict Access to Some Tweets before Turkey's Election.' The Washington Post, 15 May 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/13/turkey-twitter-musk-erdogan/.

Hänel, Lisa. 'Germany criminalizes denying war crimes, genocide.' Deutsche Welle, 25 Nov. 2022, https://www.dw.com/en/germany-criminalizes-denying-war-crimes-genocide/a-63834791

Savarese, Mauricio, and Joshua Goodman. 'Crusading Judge Tests Boundaries of Free Speech in Brazil.' AP News, 26 Jan. 2023, apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-government-af5987e833a681e6f056fe63789ca375.

Nanu, Maighna. 'Irish People Could Be Jailed for “Hate Speech”, Critics of Proposed Law Warn.' The Telegraph, 17 June 2023, www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/1  7/irish-people-jailed-hate-speech-new-law/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_psc_ppc_us_news_dsa_generalnews.

The Economist Newspaper. (n.d.). Scotland’s new hate crime act will have a chilling effect on free speech. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2021/11/08/scotlands-new-hate-crime-act-will-have-a-chilling-effect-on-free-speech

Lomas, Natasha. 'Security Researchers Latest to Blast UK's Online Safety Bill as Encryption Risk.' TechCrunch, 5 July 2023, techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/uk-online-safety-bill-risks-e2ee/.

Al-Nashar, Nabil. 'Millions of Dollars in Fines to Punish Online Misinformation under New Draft Bill.' ABC News, 25 June 2023, www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-25/fines-to-punish-online-misinformation-under-new-draft-bill/102521500.

'Cryptochat.' Meedan, meedan.com/project/cryptochat. Accessed 8 July 2023.

Lomas, Natasha.'Security Researchers Latest to Blast UK's Online Safety Bill as Encryption Risk.' TechCrunch, 5 July 2023, techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/uk-online-safety-bill-risks-e2ee/.

United Nations General Assembly. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). New York: United Nations General Assembly, 1948.

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