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Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

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Re: Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

#11

If countries and companies are not going to have anti disinformation protocols, they might as well outright implement dictatorship. Deterrence is a good thing.

The problem is that if you already have a dictatorship, or something approaching it, "disinformation" means, in the eyes of the law as it is applied, information counter to the ruling party's interest.

I agree that disinformation, real disinformation, is being used as a tool to spread authoritarianism and we need better means to combat it. This law, I am afraid, is double speak. It purports to oppose disinformation but in fact strengthens it, and this is by design.

Re: Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

#12
post #9

Hold on.. not false statements, not defamation, not calls for violence… but “disinformation.” Except that we find out that many things were disinformation every day. My family is increasingly paranoid after the Pfizer executive said they never tested whether their vaccine prevented transmission to the EU a few days ago. Apparently that is not new information technically speaking, but it is so counter-narrative it bog…

the idea of the vaccine was always to prevent bad effects of infection, not infection as such. However, it usually helps with the latter as well but whatever. However, what the big social media sites really need (instead of laws against disinformation) is downvotes. If the metric is only engagement then enragement is good, but actually it shouldnt (necessarily) be.

I don’t disagree… but like, when the news media (I can quote many politicians and executives when speaking about mandates) says it was necessary for the sake of stopping the spread, why couldn’t Pfizer have sent out a notification saying, “hey, it reduces the effects, stopping transmission is hoped for but not tested, thanks!” It seems very much like they didn’t care that misinformation about how awesome their product is was being spread but I don’t know for certain.

It’s especially ugly when so many media stories have “brought to you by Pfizer” on them. I’m not into conspiracy theories but I increasingly get the paranoia. I have no doubt that I would have been prosecuted in Turkey, or possibly even Australia, a year ago.

Re: Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

#15

Hold on.. not false statements, not defamation, not calls for violence… but “disinformation.” Except that we find out that many things were disinformation every day. My family is increasingly paranoid after the Pfizer executive said they never tested whether their vaccine prevented transmission to the EU a few days ago. Apparently that is not new information technically speaking, but it is so counter-narrative it bog…

>what the hell was “protect Grandma” then? A hopeful wish?

It was an accurate assessment of the benefits of the vaccine, which prevents the worst effects and dramatically reduces the risk of death from infection. The vaccine was never intended to prevent initial infection, so they had no reason to delay it's introduction testing for that.

My wife's parents are in their late 70s with many health problems and got Pfizer here in the UK in the first wave of vaccinations. They both later got the virus and had barely noticeable symptoms. Sure it's possible that might have happened anyway, but I am confident the chances they would have died or been severely ill were dramatically higher if they hadn't been vaccinated.

Still of course even if you had spread disinformation about the virus, misrepresented the facts, claimed that it was supposed to do things it wasn't, falsely implied that it had no value even if you actually knew perfectly well what it was intended to do and that it did it. Even if you knew that spreading such misinformation would be likely to cost lives. Even then, no matter of how low my personal opinion would be of you, no you shouldn't go to jail for that. People listening to such claims have an obligation to educate themselves and come to their own conclusions as adults.

Re: Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

#16
post #15

Hold on.. not false statements, not defamation, not calls for violence… but “disinformation.” Except that we find out that many things were disinformation every day. My family is increasingly paranoid after the Pfizer executive said they never tested whether their vaccine prevented transmission to the EU a few days ago. Apparently that is not new information technically speaking, but it is so counter-narrative it bog…

>what the hell was “protect Grandma” then? A hopeful wish? It was an accurate assessment of the benefits of the vaccine, which prevents the worst effects and dramatically reduces the risk of death from infection. The vaccine was never intended to prevent initial infection, so they had no reason to delay it's introduction testing for that. My wife's parents are in their late 70s with many health problems and got Pfize…

I agree with you but that’s not what I was referring to.

I was referring to pressure on young people to get the vaccine to avoid harming the elderly. If we never tested transmission… what was that about? Why not just let the elderly get it and the young risk it if they wanted? What was behind “by getting the vaccine you are protecting others” when all we actually know is that it protects yourself?

There’s probably a good answer - but I’m increasingly understanding why some folks are “paranoid.”

Re: Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

#17

Hold on.. not false statements, not defamation, not calls for violence… but “disinformation.” Except that we find out that many things were disinformation every day. My family is increasingly paranoid after the Pfizer executive said they never tested whether their vaccine prevented transmission to the EU a few days ago. Apparently that is not new information technically speaking, but it is so counter-narrative it bog…

I hope we will jail and permanently ban anyone who spread these lies about vaccines from social media and any public office. It is least we can do to fight against their crimes and the evil they did. As society we can't let these monsters go without consequences.

Re: Turkey adopts media law jailing for spreading ‘disinformation’

#18
post #14

Isn't this what people want through the world? Control and ban fake news. Defined as what those currently in power think. Also, only three years? Isn't that very soft thinking how destructive fake news can be?

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