Social media censorship in the last week

[ripx4nutmeg]

Hi all - I just wanted to detail some of the social media censorship of accounts that disagree with trans ideology, which I've witnessed in the last week.

As you may know, I have a Twitter account that's got about 7,000+ followers. A number of people with smaller accounts, or people who don't want to be doxxed, send me information that's almost always in the public domain anyway, to generate more interest.

Last weekend I posted a story from a medical website in which a surgeon who carries out phalloplasties said that '80 to 90%' of them suffer from 'complications' as a result of the surgery. I commented that I wasn't convinced that this surgeon had the best interests of their patients at heart given those numbers, and for that received a 7 day suspension.

I was told by Twitter I'd still be allowed to direct message other accounts during the suspension, but after 36 hours this facility was removed - I could receive DMs but could no longer reply.

I set up a Facebook account so that the stories could still be posted. Within seconds of the page following gender critical accounts like Standing For Women, this page was suspended, with Facebook demanding to see official identification to prove who I am. (Ironically Facebook will ban accounts for not respecting someone's self ID, but only accepts official ID to reinstate them). I sent them my birth certificate, but after nearly a week now, the account has not been reinstated, no information given.

This week we've seen the rapper Azealia Banks have her Twitter account permanently suspended for saying that money for trans surgeries should be diverted to farmers who feed people during a pandemic and Dr Jane Harris' account was removed for doing a rolling eyes gif about gender being 'assigned' at birth. Kellie-Jay also received a Facebook ban this week for acknowledging someone's biological sex.

When you factor in that Twitter and Facebook both censored a negative story about Joe Biden this week (Twitter wouldn't even let you post the URL to the New York Post story), it's clear that the censorship on the two platforms has hit new levels of dystopia against any account that appears to be anti woke in the run up to the US election. So, while my Twitter account has been reinstated, it's clear it won't last for very long, and I don't think I should hasten its demise by posting on there until after the US election (for what it's worth I'm not exactly inspired by either candidate and I'll hopefully be on Mumsnet, Glinner's email and Parler anyway).

While this censorship is terrifying I'm not that pessimistic because of the hundreds of messages of goodwill I've received in the last week - when I first started talking about this in 2017 most of the limited feedback was negative; there's so much awareness now and what's needed most in my opinion is for this momentum to continue.

Thanks to everyone who messaged me, particularly some of the incredible offers such as giving me their social media accounts (all refused). As one person emailed me last night: 'We will prevail'.

Hiya, nutmeg, from someone who's read you on twitter.

Do what you gotta do.

Twitter is rapidly becoming a mirror for San Francisco - a dystopian nightmare full of used needles, strange people talking to themselves, human shit, crime and an aloof elite who pretend not to see any of it’s worst excesses.

All the sane people are hiring U-Hauls and getting the f*ck out of there.

Crazy situation - I’ve been reading your account for a while and recently signed up to twitter to try and amplify the message.

I have loved following your account - you have done great things to spread the truth and it will be utterly outrageous if they take it down. The harder they try to silence us, the more we will resist though!

Thanks nutmeg. I follow you on twitter. You are just great ❤️❤️

I think it's telling that Twitter hates women. You post a real news story and it's taken down. They take down the Biden story because it was fake. By that argument, they would have left your story up because it's based in facts.

Women with facts must be censored.

Thank you for your work on Twitter and elsewhere, Nutmeg. It takes courage to simply speak the truth nowadays, doesn't it, and it's all wrong.

I use Twitter quite a bit, for various subjects, but after I read about recent suspensions while seeing some of the hatred & misogyny that is allowed to stand, and then there is Trump, too, well...I started to maybe feel less of an addiction to it. I try to word the GC things I post carefully, but I reckon a suspension can't be far off.

Thank goodness we have MN.

Both Twitter and Facebook are American owned. They are little better than disinformation platforms, allowing propaganda to spread and harvesting data from their account holders.

The posts they allow to stand are the ones that benefit American interests.

Keep strong 💪

F**ing hell Mumsnet. Why on earth have you now censored RIPx4 Nutmeg . I could not see any issue.

I follow you on twitter too. Thanks for all the attention you bring to this issue.

Twitter really gets me down some days, but I'm really hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel. Lots of fabulous women on there speaking nothing but the truth, and then a bunch of crazy, deluded,
down-right nutters to make you wonder wtf is actually wrong with humans.

Nutmeg, you’re amazing- I’m another massive fan of your twitter feed. Gutted you’re being messed around like this, and censored. I need to go and check my bookmarked tweets of yours and save them another way just in case.

Dystopian indeed

[quote Nancydrawn]Well, seeing as the FBI is investigating whether the Biden emails are part of a Russian disinformation campaign, that credible news outlets are reporting that Giuliani has been under investigation as a target of Russian intelligence, and that the laptop story has more holes than a sieve, I think Twitter has a point. They allow plenty of anti-Biden messages to be posted. But I don't see why they should be forced to collude in Russia's (alleged) attempts to undermine the electoral process.

apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-russia-024b553e9a4ffb2716286dd134876f8a[/quote]
You may be totally right about this story in itself - I have pretty serious doubts.

However, it dovetails into the problems around the other examples. Can we trust the motives or ability of these platforms with what they allow and what they don't? The NYP might not be the most illustrious bit of the media but it is a real fairly mainstream one, you can find it in a public library.

If Twitter and Facebook were normally reliable in their efforts they might have the credibility to take a decision like that, but they don't.

It isn't just the censorship, it is the stuff they allow. The sort of thing that encourages violence, terrorism, radicalisation.

It's been horrifying to watch the suspensions and bans on Twitter. So many prominent RadFems that I followed have disappeared. My concern is that with so many people creating thier own groups on other platform, we will lose the network we have on twitter. Divide and conquer.

Really don't know why Mumsnet deleted that post - all I said was censorship rarely works anyway?

I think it may have been the term "p_k t__s"

Yes - Mumsnet has messaged me to say it was that. I didn't realise that was a forbidden phrase

Another thank you from me ripx4nutmeg I always appreciate the content you share on Twitter. Hope you can find a way to continue. Also hope you will continue here, although your account will be closely monitored by those who want to silence women (I don't mean mumsnet mods, I mean the ' monitors' who hate us talking). It's bound to be because you are far too informative!

@RiotAndAlarum

I think it may have been the term "p_k t__s"

It that not allowed now? I got a post deleted the other with the phrase in.

@Annasgirl

I read about this on the grinner email. I have also read some items from female tech journalists - not explicit to this but highlighting the make up of who runs social media and the frightening reality of algorithms and how they are now running our lives and deciding who gets medical care in the US (again, highlighting that all of these algorithms are written by men, for a world where men are the default).

I worry about how we are going to manage to organise and enact change when we cannot even communicate. I think women the world over need to understand that big tech is 100% under the control and influence of men and I would argue most of them are misogynists. I mean, listen to the accounts of any women who was employed in a tech start up - not very inspiring.

^ This, except instead of algorithms think of AIs..

But now we're getting into Terminator territory.

@doublehalo - yes Karla Lillington of The Irish Times has done amazing work on publicising the Algorithms stuff and also a lot of the stories of women who left tech doe to abuse.

Another nod of appreciation from me Nutmeg - your work on Twitter is really important. I've spotted all sorts of shady shenanigans in the last few weeks, including the permanent silencing of some important voices.
I'm a long time MNer (but haven't really posted much in FWR) - have changed my MN name to match my Twitter handle. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

@ripx4nutmeg Thankyou for all you do. I follow you over there. This is all very sinister but it’s also very galvanising. The tide is, I believe, turning and we cannot afford to back down.