Free speech is a precious thing. 

The internet age enabled people to express opinions and thoughts to the whole world, without passing through the old filters of censorship and oppression.  It was a wild free time, a new dawn in freedom.

As the internet evolved it became owned and policed by giant unaccountable organizations.  They gave us free stuff like a brilliant search engine or social media interactions.  In return we willingly and sometimes unknowingly handed over our data and our freedom to communicate.

The Big Tech monopolies now have the power to censor anyone or anything they disapprove of.  When the President of the USA can be silenced on Twitter you know there is no limit to their reach.

Here are a few censorship or free speech designs and the reasons for them. 

Amazing to think how Cancel Culture became a popular phrase.  How eager people and companies are to silence voices that offer alternate opinions.  How universities cave to pressure, preventing students the chance to hear from people who might challenge preconceptions.

In all areas of life Cancel Culture has arrived to deny people a voice.  Victims of this modern witch-hunt mob with electronic pitchforks can lose their jobs, income, homes, bank accounts and many more things because they must be  silenced.

The ​Cancel Culture design shows a cancelled sheep. The words "Cancel Culture" stress the message. Anyone can be cancelled, de-platformed, gagged and banned with no limits to where it ends. It could be any of us that they come for next.

​Resist it.

Some may celebrate their opponents being censored but it is a slippery dangerous slope.  What happens when the media barons decide they don't like YOUR content?

As an occasional victim of censorship when my own fairly innocent designs get banned it is important to make at least a small gesture of defiance.

And here is a more humorous sheep themed censorship design.

CNN is an appalling 'news' outlet that produces a daily feed of censored propaganda that would grace any totalitarian state media corporation.

Even the most die-hard supporter of their favourite causes would surely find it hard to justify the one-sided bias nature of their output.  Remember that in a democracy there should be room for at least two sides to every story, plus a whole range of nuanced opinion.

Not on CNN.  Endless laughable nonsense pumped into mushy brains hoping that the message will stick and resurface in the four yearly purge.  I mean US election.

​How can a 'news' outlet be described as such when it only ever gives one side to the story?

Elon Musk is the world's richest man, a genius and a troll.  He appears to be having fun with the world and making things happen his way.

A while back he stated he was a "free speech absolutist".  He supplied Starlink access to Ukraine during the conflict but refused to give into censorship demands from unidentified players.

Now Elon controls Twitter there seems to be a sense of fairness returning.  That's why Elon has a lot of support.  A blow for the little guy.  Well, the little guy with 300 billion.

Just the matter of blue check marks to be resolved.

The internet originally seemed like a blast of freedom, especially when compared to traditional media and political speech.

We pity those countries that don't allow citizen access to social media so their people can have a voice. 

Western democracies regularly protest it is unfair for rulers to deny free access to networks like Google, Facebook and the rest of the Press.

Sadly, the free internet we knew and loved is under great threat.  Dissenting voices, often described as having hate-filled views, are being demonetised (demonized?) and banned from such moral guardians of freedom as Twitter.

While that represents the mainstream view of the shouty people it may not always be the case.  Introduce even seemingly limited censorship and the game changes for everyone.

​Free speech is precious.

This design was created as a response to the banning of Parler in January 2021 by a conspiracy of Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.  It was a deliberate attempt to silence and destroy a competitor for political and financial gain.

Within the space of 24 hours these companies had taken collective action against this site.  This was after they had banned many users including the US President from other social media outlets for a specious 'incitement to violence' argument.
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It is easy to get bogged down in opinions, bias and reasonings and get nowhere with a debate on this issue.  However, the Free Speech argument is to me unassailable.  In my opinion the right to Free Speech trumps all other considerations because without it there is no freedom. 

This applies equally to all regardless of politics, gender, race, religion.  We should all have a voice.

Nudging is the art of modifying behaviour without mandates.  Gently guiding people to make the right choices for the common good.

It is a dangerously benign sounding form of propaganda.  Push people this way and that without them realising it.  An insidious form of control by the State, media and big business.  

Nudging is not just used to sell toothpaste.

Truth is the first casualty of war.  It is also the first casualty of censorship, celebrity, politicians, corporations and Big Brother.

Without Truth in our lives we are lost, frightened, manipulated.

There are many people out there trying to establish what the Truth is as it becomes harder to match the words of our governments with their actions.  

Here are some names of people spitting truths that are worth a look, listen or follow.  

Neil Oliver - regular ten minute slot on GB News that is crafted, beautiful, poetic and questions the narrative. Always delivers, always listenable.

Russell Brand - irritating ex-comedian who is on a journey of discovery and revelation.  Ten minute daily Youtube videos that stay within the rules.  Not so easy these days.  They got Russell in the end with allegations that were enough to damage his 'brand' and get him demonetized on YouTube.

Salty Cracker - anarchic, foul mouthed, entertaining, 2 - 3 hour live streams exposing hypocrisy and generating a feel good feeling of fighting back.  Gives a voice to those who have none.

Ricky Gervais - comedian who exposes some hypocrisy without falling into the trap of being a boring ranting nutjob.

Elon Musk - Twitter feed often contains awkward nuggets for the mainstream to cope with.


​There are many more.  People build their own lists of favorites.  They provide a version of the truth that is often absent elsewhere. ​