“Preserving freedom of speech is important to us. Nevertheless, the creation and dissemination of disinformation has to be deterred and the perpetrators’ sense of wrongdoing heightened,” the group wrote.

The following report is by Robert Kogon via The Daily Sceptic:

A German “Citizens Council” has submitted recommendations to the German Ministry of the Interior calling, among other things, for the potential criminalisation of “disinformation”. The council was assembled by the Bertelsmann Foundation, Germany’s most influential public policy think-tank, in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior itself, and it was tasked with formulating recommendations on how best to combat “disinformation”.

The project as a whole, known as “Forum Against Fakes”, included both a “council” of 120 German citizens, ostensibly selected to represent the diversity of German society, and an online survey. The “Citizens Report”, which was handed over to Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser on September 12th, includes a recommendation titled “Consideration of criminal prosecution and/or penalising of the dissemination of disinformation”. The text (p.37) reads:

The German Government should consider whether criminal prosecution or other types of penalties are possible based on the definition of disinformation.

The “justification” of the proposed measure continues:

Preserving freedom of speech is important to us. Nevertheless, the creation and dissemination of disinformation has to be deterred and the perpetrators’ sense of wrongdoing heightened.

The “Citizens Council” also recommends supplementing the EU’s Digital Services Act, the centrepiece of the EU’s efforts to suppress ‘disinformation’, with a new law, which would require “Very Large Online Platforms” (VLOPs) to reserve 1% of their global turnover for the purpose of “combating disinformation”. Among others, Facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Amazon and Wikipedia have been designated as VLOPs by the European Commission.

SEE: Warning: The EU To Fastrack Digital Services Act To ‘Tackle Illegal Content’ In Wake Of Israel-Hamas War, Which Spells The End Of Free Speech Online

The relevant text (p.32) says:

They [the online platforms] must use 50% of this budget to ensure that, once a month, every user is shown a post explaining disinformation, which works like a timed ad. (The post must be viewed for a certain amount of time and only then can be closed.)

The remaining 50% of the budget is to be contributed to an “independent agency for financing campaigns against disinformation”, which is discussed elsewhere in the document.

Furthermore, the relevant section proposes the formulation of “minimum legal requirements” which “oblige the platforms to programme their algorithms in such a way that possible disinformation is not disseminated and not recommended to users”.

The Bertelsmann Foundation is affiliated with the privately-owned German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Indeed, under the ownership structure created by the late Reinhard Mohn, the foundation itself became the majority owner of the corporation, with the Mohn family retaining a minority stake. Penguin-Random House, the largest book publisher in the English-speaking world, is a fully-owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann.

(Translations from German by the author.)


AUTHOR COMMENTARY

Germany is in a heaping mess, socially, economically, and spiritually. The Germans, like so many others in the West, but they especially love to be oppressed. It’s quite remarkable; and I’m sure that these proposals or some variation of them down the road will be adopted in some facet.

Isaiah 3:5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.


[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

The WinePress needs your support! If God has laid it on your heart to want to contribute, please prayerfully consider donating to this ministry. If you cannot gift a monetary donation, then please donate your fervent prayers to keep this ministry going! Thank you and may God bless you.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

6 Comments

  • Nuggets:

    “Misinformation occurs when someone inadvertently spreads false information. Unlike disinformation, people who share misinformation do not intend to lie or deceive. Misinformation is simply false or inaccurate information — nothing more, nothing less.

    Disinformation, however, is false or misleading information peddled deliberately to deceive, often in pursuit of an objective.”

    (Perfect example is our governments.)

    • It is your “opinion” that it is false. Everybody has their own opinion of every subject.
      Who is to say what is true and false?
      Misinformation or disinformation matters not.
      WHO is making the decision what is the truth?
      Govt says vaccines are safe, MY opinion says they are not. So if I tell people they are not safe, am I wrong? misinformation? Disinformation?
      It is a simple argument, but there is always at least 2 sides to a story

      • Jesus Christ and his word, the King James Bible is mankind’s highest standard for what is true or false, right or wrong. If one would take a deeper look into it and use it as a lens to view all things, and as a final standard and authority to which everything is measured, including all events that occur in this world, morality and everything else, one will see that it aligns with all that is going on; past, present and future, accurately.

        This is what we as saved brethren have that unbelievers don’t. This makes everything for us clear and enables us to stand on firm ground when it comes to facts or truth.

        Therefore, we strive to use the scriptures and align them rightfully and carefully with every statement we make. Scriptures are absolute truth from God, not opinions.

        • Brother Neil,
          Perfect explanation. To be honest….I’M SO TIRED of navigating this world with so many of the blind and walking dead people around. In the area where I live, besides my husband and I, we’re the only ones that can “see” and understand the world in which we are living in. It’s always a breath of fresh air to be blessed with the opportunity to be in somewhat of a fellowship with brethren here on the Winepress..ALL PRAISES TO GOD FOR THE WORK BROTHER JACOB IS DOING HERE as well as Brother Bryan (Born Again Barbarian) channel on YouTube. Daily I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, the one True God for directing us to the brethren. I’m encouraged daily by everyone that shares and their faithful witness to the TRUTH.

          • I hear you. Same in my area, the people I deal with and almost all of my family can’t be bothered by secular facts, much less the scriptures.

            I know, the only Christian, online places I visit that specifically uphold the King James Bible are the WinePress, Bryan’s ministry, StrangerThanFiction and AV1611 dot org for KJB-defending articles, occasionally in the past, Grafted Branch ministry and the KJB forum; also, Fellowship Tract League for free tracts, before I started editing and printing my own.

  • So the bottom line with all of these people is that there is only one side to a story

    If you just happen to be on the wrong side of any story then you pay the consequences

    What a weird world we are going to be living in

    I do not see this stopping, seems the majority of the population are stuck to tiktac, farcebook, instacrap etc

Leave a Comment

×