User:AndryDavies/The Westminster Declaration

The Westminster Declaration was a publicly stated warning about an increasing censorship in many countries around the world, that is facilitated by the ongoing digital transformation. The declaration was published on October 18th 2023, after some of the signatories had convened in Westminster, London at the end of June 2023. The declaration was signed by 138 renowned intellectuals and academics from various backgrounds, such as whistleblower Edward Snowden, activist Julian Assange, psychologist Jordan Peterson, biologist Richard Dawkins and journalist Bari Weiss.

The declaration begins with a statement of concern about current threats to the freedom of speech:

It continues by naming “government actors, social media companies, universities, and NGOs” as participants in a so-called “Censorship-Industrial Complex” that cooperate to restrict the freedom of expression by means of online filtering, deplatforming, and direct laws. Legitimate opinions would be censored by labeling them as fake news. Specifically named examples of such processes are the Twitter Files, the European Union's Digital Services Act and recent government attempts to abolish private encrypted communication.

The declaration concludes with three calls to action: For governments, to uphold Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which grants freedom of opinion and expression. For tech corporations to refrain from digital censorship. And for the general public to build an atmosphere of free speech and reject a climate of intolerance.

Considering the high profile of the signatories, media coverage on the declaration was noticeably low.

Searching
*


 * search.brave.com "the Westminster Declaration"
 * westminsterdeclaration.org Italiano Deutsch Espanol Francais
 * Stop censorship, the Westminster Declaration
 * Introducing the Westminster Declaration
 * One hundred and thirty-eight artists, public intellectuals, and journalists demand governments dismantle the Censorship Industrial Complex]


 * bnn.network/politics/westminster-declaration-a-global-call-to-preserve-free-speech-amid-growing-censorship


 * Dismantle The Censorship-Industrial Complex: The Westminster Declaration
 * At the outset of another crisis in which leaders will ask for emergency power, a collective letter calling for a 21st century free of information control


 * ‘Free Speech Champions’ Blast Weaponized Global Censorship in ‘Westminster Declaration’
 * 
 * reclaimthenet.org
 *