When You Set Out To Block Misinformation, You Can Wind Up Blocking A Hero Like Li Wenliang

from the be-careful-what-you-wish-for dept

Combating disinformation and misinformation online is an admirable goal. However, we often criticize overly broad attempts to do so, noting that they could lead to censorship of important, accurate, and useful information. Here's a somewhat tragic case study of that in action. You may have heard late last week about anger in China over the death of doctor Li Wenliang, a physician who had tried to warn people about the new coronavirus well before most others had realized how dangerous it was. Dr. Li eventually caught the virus himself and passed away, sparking tremendous anger online:

Since late Thursday, people from different backgrounds, including government officials, prominent business figures and ordinary online users, have posted numerous messages expressing their grief for the doctor, who contracted the new coronavirus, and their anger over his silencing by the police after he shared his knowledge about the virus. It has prompted a nationwide soul-searching under an authoritarian government that allows for little dissent.

“I haven’t seen my WeChat timeline filled with so much forlornness and outrage,” Xu Danei, founder of a social media analytics company, wrote on the messaging platform WeChat.

The "silencing," if you haven't heard the details, was that the police told him he was spreading misinformation online. Inkstone News (a subsidiary of the South China Morning Post) has a translated letter that the police gave to Dr. Li telling him to stop spreading "untruthful information online." Dr. Li responded to the notifications saying he would stop his "illegal behavior" and that he "understood" that if he continued he would be "punished under the law."

According to the law, this letter serves as a warning and a reprimand over your illegally spreading untruthful information online. Your action has severely disrupted the order of society. Your action has breached the law, violating the relevant rules in "Law of the People's Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security." It is an illegal act!

The law enforcement agency wants you to cooperate, listen to the police, and stop your illegal behavior. Can you do that?

Answer: I can

We want you to calm down and reflect on your actions, as well as solemnly warn you: If you insist on your views, refuse to repent and continue the illegal activity, you will be punished by the law. Do you understand?

Answer: I understand

Even the Chinese government appears to possibly recognize that this whole setup was a problem:

The outpouring of messages online from sad, infuriated and grieving people was too much for the censors. The government even seemed to recognize the magnitude of the country’s emotion, dispatching a team to investigate what it called “issues related to Dr. Li Wenliang that were reported by the public,” though without specifics.

For many people in China, the doctor’s death shook loose pent-up anger and frustration at how the government mishandled the situation by not sharing information earlier and by silencing whistle-blowers. It also seemed, to those online, that the government hadn’t learned lessons from previous crises, continuing to quash online criticism and investigative reports that provide vital information.

Now, some might respond to this that stomping out disinformation online is quite different than Chinese government suppression of information. But no one can come up with a principled explanation of how this is actually different in practice. Stanford's Daphne Keller, who studies exactly this stuff makes the point pretty concisely:

Be careful what you wish for.

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Filed Under: china, content moderation, content moderation at scale, coronavirus, disinformation, li wenliang, misinformation


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  • icon
    Tim R (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 12:26pm

    No countries are innocent here. Climate scientists have been dealing with this for decades. Fortunately, they have not had to die for it....for the most part, anyway.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      James Burkhardt (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 1:22pm

      Re:

      No countries are innocent here

      Is anyone saying they are? You seem to be countering criticism of china that has not been leveled. Mike has widely criticized governments for ignoring evidence in policy making, and the rise of the term fake news. In fact, this line from the end of the piece highlights that Mike is, in fact, stating that the criticisms of china in this piece are not china's alone:

      Now, some might respond to this that stomping out disinformation online is quite different than Chinese government suppression of information.
      You could have made your reasonably valid point about climate scientists being ignored without suggesting that Mike thinks suppressing genuine science as misinformation was unique to china

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 24 Feb 2020 @ 6:45am

        Re: Re:

        These governments need to come up with a "Disinfectant Bomb" to be deployed over cities and hot spot areas to stop this AIRBORNE CoronaVirus from floating around freely infecting everyone "IT" comes in contact with. At the same time people could regulate themself to quarantine during which time it would be unsafe to be outdoors because of the Disinfectant Bomb's deployment.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 12 Feb 2020 @ 12:51am

      Re:

      "No countries are innocent here. Climate scientists have been dealing with this for decades."

      And before them it was the struggle against Big Tobacco, various health regulations, and any other pie where official policy and bought politicians found factual truth-saying highly inconvenient.

      It usually takes one or several high-profile court cases bringing the truth into the public's eyes before the government response becomes anything other than a default attempt to shut the dissident views down.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Toom1275 (profile), 12 Feb 2020 @ 9:30am

        Re: Re:

        The shady propaganda firms that sow disinformation about subjects like climate science and Net Neutrality (Heartland Institute and Center for Individual Freedom being just two examples) were created for that task by Big Tobacco.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:17am

      Re:

      Climate "science", more like seance.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    That One Guy (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 12:41pm

    The Great Leader doesn't like it, therefore it isn't true

    This? This is a great example of why legislation to shut down 'misinformation' is a huge problem and needs to be axed, because even if it starts out with only the best intentions it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when' the definition of 'misinformation' gets twisted to include if not be replaced by 'information those in power don't like'.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Stephen T. Stone (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 12:57pm

      Give any government the opportunity and ability to censor mis- or disinformation, and it will inevitably censor any speech that the party in power doesn’t like. And that will be done only for the sake of advancing the ideology and agenda of that party.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Bruce C., 11 Feb 2020 @ 4:25pm

        FTFY

        "Give any authority the opportunity and ability to censor mis- or disinformation, and it will inevitably censor any speech that the party in power doesn’t like. And that will be done only for the sake of advancing the ideology and agenda of that party."

        We don't call it censorship unless it's the government, but anyone with authority to edit, moderate, ban or just select "winners" from a slush pile, uses that authority to advance their own/organizational interests and not those of the speaker/writer. Concentrated editorial power is a threat to diversity of thought whether it's the government, big media companies or internet platforms doing the editing.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Stephen T. Stone (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 4:54pm

          Concentrated editorial power is a threat to diversity of thought

          Cool, so when will you be calling for Breitbart, InfoWars, and Fox News to diversify their editorial output?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            Scary Devil Monastery (profile), 12 Feb 2020 @ 12:55am

            Re:

            "Cool, so when will you be calling for Breitbart, InfoWars, and Fox News to diversify their editorial output?"

            It's doubtful whether Breitbart, Infowars, or Fox News count as an "authority". Their network, their rule is all that applies.

            Google might count as an authority, as might, for example, Microsoft, within the domains where they hold a guaranteed grip on some 90% of the online citizenry. And quite rightly we already scrutinize such actors with a critical eye.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              That One Guy (profile), 12 Feb 2020 @ 1:38am

              Re: Re:

              It's doubtful whether Breitbart, Infowars, or Fox News count as an "authority".

              Oh do I wish I could wholeheartedly agree with the idea that none of those could or wold ever possibly be seen or treated as 'authority' worth paying attention to...

              Their network, their rule is all that applies.

              Currently, yes, but if people want to force those dastardly Facebook/Twitter/YouTube to host people/speech they don't want to then the 'turnabout is fair play' rule comes into play, and suddenly the listed groups and their supporters would either own up to their hypocrisy in not wanting their platforms forced to host people/speech they don't agree with, or suck it up and deal with that very thing.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 12 Feb 2020 @ 2:58am

                Re: Re: Re:

                Those who want to force Facebook etc to host their views are not interested in free speech, but rather in making their speech dominant. They are trollish enough to exercise the hecklers veto to do just that.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  AC Liberation NOW!, 14 Feb 2020 @ 4:49am

                  Good point, if we believe that somehow Facebook is somehow like the neighbor next door, and not in fact a huge monstrous corporation that has exploited anyone who uses it.

                  And, exploited users with massive deception, pre-emptively.

                  As such, it should be exploited and abused at every opportunity.

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • icon
                    Stephen T. Stone (profile), 14 Feb 2020 @ 9:31am

                    A private platform must always have the right to decide what speech it will and will not host. To say otherwise, and only because you despise Facebook, is to doom every other “lesser” platform into becoming an unwilling host for the kinds of speech they would otherwise have banned.

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

                    • identicon
                      Anti-semiticism Product Placement HERE, 15 Feb 2020 @ 10:36am

                      Re:

                      I actually agree with you on this in principle.But this is not just a discussion about Big v Small media, its a discussion about weaponized media.

                      As always, truth to power, using whatever means are available to put a message forwards, as has been the case throughout history with non-conforming, demonstrative, and ultimately necessary speech.

                      So, I personally draw the line at personal blogs, versus commercial blogs, and larger platforms.

                      To each their own.

                      So, for example, any of the owners of this media outlet could ask me anytime to cease and decist, at which point I would make a decision when I get that letter in the mail.

                      But you, and the TD flag brigade are not and cannot be the parties to such an action.

                      Until then, I continue to demonstrate a type of speech that has been forbidden, and rendered taboo by the current establishment; and I also respond to hateful speech directed at me here too, with other hateful speech.

                      But my eyes are still in their sockets, and I have suffered no actual damages over words here, directed at me, no matter how hateful those words are because this is the internet, easily subverted by fascists, chatbots, political trolls, and pro-speech posers.

                      And, despite Mikes claims,TD is an opinion leader in many fields, not minor or small media in any sense.

                      But yes, I DO despise Facebook, and with good reason, not least of which is that they delete the history of so-called mass shooters, thereby hiding evidence of how these shooters areradicalized, and hiding evidence of specifically who radicalized them.

                      link to this | view in chronology ]

                      • icon
                        Stephen T. Stone (profile), 15 Feb 2020 @ 3:00pm

                        Amazing. You posted all that and still said nothing.

                        link to this | view in chronology ]

                        • identicon
                          Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2020 @ 11:07pm

                          Re:

                          What I see is the political establishment trying to reel in the narrative like they did in mid nineties with centralization of news media. There is a plethora of voices on the internet with many interesting takes on what is news and its not all untruthful. The government is trying to silence those voices, especially the toxic dissenting voices.

                          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 2:12pm

      Re: The Great Leader doesn't like it, therefore it isn't true

      Perhaps now he is living in interesting times.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      urza9814 (profile), 12 Feb 2020 @ 8:01am

      Re: The Great Leader doesn't like it, therefore it isn't true

      I think this is the wrong argument and the wrong lesson. I don't see any evidence that the problem you are discussing actually describes what happened.

      The problem is that the official truth does not and cannot account for the latest information. The official truth is what was true yesterday. Most of what was false yesterday is still false today, but when new information comes in, it can be hard to differentiate it from the outright fraud unless you're actually doing in-depth analysis...and you can't possibly do in-depth analysis of every single article, every post, every tweet, etc.

      In theory a lot of people would say that hiding information that those in power don't like isn't a problem in a democratic state, as those in power should generally represent the will of the people. Hiding information solely because it's new, however, is a much stronger problem statement IMO.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        That One Guy (profile), 12 Feb 2020 @ 12:38pm

        Re: Re: The Great Leader doesn't like it, therefore it isn't tru

        I think this is the wrong argument and the wrong lesson. I don't see any evidence that the problem you are discussing actually describes what happened.

        Then you must have read a different article than I did, because the one I read covered a doctor who tried to warn people just how dangerous something was only to be threatened into silence because the police didn't want him 'disrupted the order of society', despite the fact that he was right and paid the price for it.

        In theory a lot of people would say that hiding information that those in power don't like isn't a problem in a democratic state, as those in power should generally represent the will of the people

        No, just no. Even if that were accurate, and those in charge did in fact 'represent the will of the people' the idea that they should be given or wield the power to essentially veto/gag people because they don't like what they are saying would absolutely be a problem.

        Put forth evidence backed refutation to show people that something is wrong and how it is wrong? By all means, have at it, but to declare 'I don't like that, take it down'? That is the power of a tyrant and has no place in a democratic state or anything other than a dictatorship, and even then it shouldn't be seen as acceptable.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ECA (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 12:48pm

    Hardest thing int he world.

    Prove, disprove a truth or lie.
    Even 1/2 lies have truth in parts.

    Its like How to deal with Flea's and lice..
    2 ways..CUT off all hair or DONT wash your hair as much.
    They Love Hair thats Clean as its easy to hang onto..
    The military found the Bald thing worked long ago, and why they still do it.

    Is it a conspiracy if we can see it happening, is a good comment. Proving it is hard enough.
    Understand something strange about police. Who are they over and can control. They cant go after the corps. Thats Someone Else's job. Why? And why arnt those responsible doing anything except being paid off. Or hiding in a Hole not seeing anything happening.

    Its kinda weird that the USA has over 40 forms of police force, to police different areas of our Country. But do we hear anything about them?? not really.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Koby (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 1:09pm

    Price to Pay

    To some governments, its citizens' lives are expendible so long as the goverment maintains its control. This is one of the prices that the people will pay without a Bill Of Rights.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 1:40pm

      Re: Price to Pay

      Not sure what makes you think the USA's Bill of Rights is any barrier to that same problem.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Samuel Abram (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 5:12pm

        Re: Re: Price to Pay

        It's not so much the law but proper judicial interpretation of it that safeguards against tyranny. Far too many times the SCOTUS has ruled that constitutional principles are, um, "unconstitutional".

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:26am

        Re: Re: Price to Pay

        The bill or rights guarantees that Youtube and others who may insert themselves as the public square provide libertine free speech.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Stephen T. Stone (profile), 14 Feb 2020 @ 9:25am

          No. No, it does not.

          The First Amendment guarantees that the government cannot and will not interfere with the expression of speech by American citizens. The government cannot impose prior restraint on speech. Nothing in that amendment, or in any related jurisprudence, says private persons/platforms must host “libertine free speech”. No law, statute, or “common law” court ruling says, for example, that YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. must host InfoWars content.

          If you can provide a citation of fact that proves otherwise, now would be the time to do it. Otherwise, I suggest you update your beliefs to match the facts.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 1:24pm

    So many countries, including the USA are going down the road of removing democracy, free speech, privacy and, actual freedom, all because a few people, the richest and most powerful on the planet want to ensure they stay that way. To do so means using whatever means necessary, including the thing that is supposed to help everyone the most and equally, ie, THE LAW. But that is being used to their advantage and the detriment of everyone else. Once bad laws are in place, laws that favour the few, they're a hell of a job to get rid of. A simple but oh so true example is FOSTA! Look at the problems that has caused but those who voted it in refuse to acknowledge it, regardless of the evidence in front if their eyes because it makes them look bad, makes them have to recant their views, makes them admit they were wrong and what person of power wants to do that!? Trouble is, when this sort of thing happens and 'the authorities' are more concerned with 'being in charge' than worrying about the consequences of doing nothing except ' being in charge' we get the situation we have now. Instead of ehat could have been a more contained incident, we have what is first becoming a worldwide epidemic. The trouble is, we'll never know whether this is what was wanted anyway as a way of further controlling the masses. Add in what Barr and his like are doing, everywhere and we have a real serious situation, a real serious threat to everyone, everywhere!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    icon
    ken (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 2:33pm

    lesson for Berney Bros

    Berney is a communist. Don't expect free speech to be high on the list of things he supports.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 2:43pm

      Re: lesson for Berney Bros

      Ignorance is understandable, misrepresentation is quite another.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Stephen T. Stone (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 2:53pm

      Three things:

      1. He is a self-described socialist, not a communist.

      2. It’s “Bernie”, not “Berney”; willful ignorance does not a good look make.

      3. Your claim that he doesn’t/won’t support free speech has no factual basis, and you haven’t provided any such facts to back your claims.

      To put it bluntly: The Plaintiff's failure to cite the substance of their claims, as is required for those claims to be taken seriously, compels dismissal.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Samuel Abram (profile), 11 Feb 2020 @ 5:28pm

        Re:

        The only Factual Basis for Bernard Sanders (I-VT) being against any freedom of speech I can find is this. He does indeed deserve criticism for that (and I'm a fan of his!). That being said, he's not alone; the only two people who voted against FOSTA in the Senate were Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY). If it weren't for those two, the bill would've passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Andrea Dworkins Pig-like Vagina, 12 Feb 2020 @ 11:17am

        Re:

        Evidence or GTFO!

        a self-described socialist, not a communist

        What does that mean exactly in western terms? Its meaningless in Marxist terms.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:22am

        Re:

        Well, there's the small matter that bernie is an israeli, and that an israeli invented communism, and many other israelis perpetrated it, the result of it being the worst genocide the world has ever seen, with, in one instance alone, under Stalin, 20 million Christians slain, by man-made famine, exile (which is a death sentence for subsistance farmers), and in the gulags.

        Will bernie condemn communism? That he hasn't tells us well enough his true colors, red.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Stephen T. Stone (profile), 13 Feb 2020 @ 7:24am

          Will bernie condemn communism?

          For what reason must Bernie Sanders condemn communism other than to assuage your own (anti-Semitic) fears? For what (legitimate, non-anti-Semitic) reason should we assume that he favors or supports communism? What evidence can you provide (other than his religion) that proves Sanders is a communist, and how reliable is the source of that evidence? Who led you to believe Sanders is a communist, and how did they come to that conclusion?

          I know this seems like a Gish gallop; maybe it is a bit of one, sure. But every question is also directly relevant to your anti-Semitic bullshit, so maybe you need someone to gallop all over you.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anti-semiticism Product Placement HERE, 13 Feb 2020 @ 11:39am

            Re:Neverending- do they pay you by the post?

            Let me get this straight:

            Stephen T. Stone throws out the word anti-semitism on approximately 38% of everything you ever posted. or racism, or any other -ism that pops into your addled mind, and you are asking a complete stranger for evidence of something or other?

            Even the Israeli hasbara are embarrassed at their failed propaganda exercise, but not you, for some reason.

            Did the welfare checks run dry, or just not enough to support your Nazi Papa Underwear fetish?

            https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-propaganda-without-end-amen-1.5369189

            Look, we know you hate Palestinians, but come on, Hitlers little zionazi helper, even the hasbarats know that Dont Mess With Zohan was just a story

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • icon
              Stephen T. Stone (profile), 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:16pm

              I’m happy to see you acknowledge your ignorance. Your further contributions will be read accordingly.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                You Can Read?, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:26pm

                Re: I thought you were a chatbot.

                Seriously.

                Your level of dialogue is like, MIT failed script kid, plus hyper-moron, plus "well what the fuck, Johnny can do art."

                Johnny: Who is art?

                And that sprinkled with lots of -ismclysims from the K4 antifa directory of useless idiots.

                Maybe, the College of Deviant Art gamer fags rejected you or something, but stop taking it out on me, ok?

                Maryland still has openings, just, well, none of them are hiring huge HUGE, huge assholes like you, always open and full of shit, with no endin sight.

                Bottoms up,

                Bro

                link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 11:46pm

          Re: Re:

          Marxism and the Communist Manifesto ring a bell?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            AC Liberation NOW!, 14 Feb 2020 @ 10:53am

            that ringing noise in your ears

            Yes, every time my Huawei phone ring-a-lings, I remember Marx, and the commies, because my Samsungs, and Ericssons, and other FVEY spyware infested phones always automatically dialed the local Fusion Center, who sent an army of Paul Blart the Mall Cop to gang stalk me in my home, every time I said the word democracy on my US based cell phone networks.

            Now wut, AC?

            Are you gonna put me on a list?

            link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2020 @ 11:13pm

        Re:

        "Stone: willful ignorance does not a good look make."

        Where the hell do you come from? Out of the Stone age?
        Yo so funhe!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
      identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 3:22pm

      Re: lesson for Berney Bros

      Thank you for registering your profile to be an ignorant slut. We appreciate your effort.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    bobob, 11 Feb 2020 @ 6:22pm

    That issue only matters to a government if they go overboard to the extent of jeopardizing their control due to a massive backlash.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 6:50pm

    Vaccine manufacturers are lining up

    Vaccine manufacturers are lining up - why doesn't this surprise me?

    Search

    "Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority" coronavirus vaccine

    Same thing happened before - a plague, vaccines offered, silence - lives ruined by the side effects.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 7:16pm

      Re: Vaccine manufacturers are lining up

      Are you a Bernie Bro sexist too?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
        identicon
        Bro, 12 Feb 2020 @ 11:05am

        Bernie Bros SHOULD BE sexist

        Bro, eaaassssssy on the sexist projection.

        While Andrea Dworkin(or Camille Paglia, maybe) would probably honor you with a walk on your squealing face with spiked heels for such adamant heroic (outdated)words against men who ENJOY massaging vaginies, probably Bernie Bro's know a thing or two about sell out hos and propaganda by soundbyte.

        Eaaaaassssy girl, eaaaasy.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:29am

          Re: Bernie Bros SHOULD BE sexist

          That’s the kind of projection you should talk to a therapist about bro. Kinda sad really.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            AC Chatbot, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:15pm

            Re: Re: Bernie Bros SHOULD BE sexist

            Thanks for sharing, race-bait chatbot.

            How is that going for you now that you are in treatment?

            But don"t be sad. Some of us remember who you were before Thorazine.

            I remember when you used to post as "Dave Mabus" and then, that little thingy happened up in Canada.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            AC Liberation NOW!, 14 Feb 2020 @ 11:13am

            Re: Re: Bernie Bros SHOULD BE sexist

            re:Kinda sad really

            Stop trying to sound human, AC chatbot. Everyone knows you race-baiting chatbots deserve to die for being, well...race baiting chatbots.

            (sounds of bhull, racing to rescue the vexatious race baiting chatbot from the inevitable demise of its intellect (insofar as AI bots can have intellect much less emotions*))

            link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 7:47pm

      Re: Vaccine manufacturers are lining up

      Sounds like you should should just never go out into public. Lots of vaccinated people out there.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Johns Hopkins Conspiracy Theorist, 14 Feb 2020 @ 11:49am

        Re: Re: Vaccine manufacturers are lining up

        HAHAHA,

        Thanks for helping us for free.

        No one wants the vaccine conspiracy theorists to win this one, because BILLIONS are at stake, in this generations MKULTRA.

        Thanks, PAL!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 11 Feb 2020 @ 9:17pm

    Before it was named coronavirus

    Before it was named coronavirus---
    It was just called pneumonia.

    https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00424.asp

    Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network
    January 8, 2020, ...

    Summary
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring a reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology (PUE)...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 12 Feb 2020 @ 12:10am

      Re: Before it was named coronavirus

      Not even close numbnuts. Best stop posting on your computer as well. It’s obviously been vaccinated as well.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    AC Liberation NOW!, 12 Feb 2020 @ 10:34am

    China is no different than the US

    China has the same problems as the US does in this regards,
    "some might respond to this that stomping out disinformation online is quite different than Chinese government suppression of information. But no one can come up with a principled explanation of how this is actually different in practice"

    and, from a first hand perspective, it is handling this virus amazingly well, with a necessary containment policy.

    Yes, its sad that this happened, but the government cannot be blamed so much as out dated doctrines about public health reporting.

    Blaming an "authoritarian" system also sort of overlooks the bigger issue of zero-day viruses, and the unique and complex ways that a society of 1.4 billion must deal with disseminating information, as opposed to western societies with smaller populations.

    I mean, the US still cannot properly situate Hurricane Katrina in a proper historical framework, and we had plenty of advance warning on that.

    Equally, casting this as a government style problem denies what the US does to its whistle blowers, like Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, William Binney, etc., all got stamped on for whistle blowing, and whose life arcs were effectively upended, or obliterated.

    So, yeah, sad indeed, but also, something the country (and the leader of that country) are learning from, and acting more quickly upon, based in its modernized awareness of how these public health/public information about health things work world wide.

    And really, the deeper story here is how runaway Chinese billionaires like Guo Wengui are trying to cast this issue as a China issue rather than a local police matter that was handled in a bad way, and spreading conspiracy rumors against the PLA, which is acting heroically in Wuhan.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 7:17am

    Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

    https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/first-fda-approved-vaccine-prevention-ebola-viru s-disease-marking-critical-milestone-public-health

    December 19, 2019
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today the approval of Ervebo, the first FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of Ebola virus disease (EVD), caused by Zaire ebolavirus in individuals 18 years of age and older.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 7:39am

      Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

      https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/2/12-0524_article

      Volume 19, Number 2—February 2013

      Dispatch

      Ebola Virus Antibodies in Fruit Bats...

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 7:41am

        Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

        https://www.news18.com/news/world/coronavirus-nipah-sars-ebola-how-do-bats-live-with-so-many-viruses -2478939.html

        Coronavirus, Nipah, SARS, Ebola: How Do Bats Live With So Many Viruses?

        ...
        In a 2017 report in Nature, Daszak, Kevin J. Olival and other colleagues from EcoHealth Alliance reported that they had created a database of 754 mammal species and 586 viral species, and analyzed which viruses were harbored by which mammals and how they affected their hosts.

        They confirmed what scientists had thought: “Bats are host to a significantly higher proportion of zoonoses than all other mammalian orders.” Zoonoses are diseases that spill over from animals to humans.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 7:44am

          Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

          https://www.biospace.com/article/china-s-wuhan-institute-files-to-patent-the-use-of-gilead-s-remdesi vir-for-coronavirus/

          China’s Wuhan Institute Files to Patent the Use of Gilead’s Remdesivir for Coronavirus

          Published: Feb 05, 2020

          The drug was originally developed to treat the Ebola virus, but wasn’t effective.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 7:47am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

            https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31142680

            Remdesivir (GS-5734) protects African green monkeys from Nipah virus challenge...

            Abstract

            Nipah virus is an emerging pathogen in the Paramyxoviridae family. Upon transmission of Nipah virus from its natural reservoir, Pteropus spp. fruit bats, to humans, it causes respiratory and neurological disease with a case-fatality rate about 70%.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 8:01am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

              https://www.ccn.com/dramatic-hong-kong-data-predicts-coronavirus-outbreak-infecting-150000-every-day /

              Scientists have narrowed down the potential causes of Coronavirus to two main factors: transmission from bats or snakes to humans and a potential leak of virus from a protected facility...

              ... The Lancet that the earliest case of the virus was found on December 1, 2019, before the link to the seafood market was found.

              13 of the 41 early cases of coronavirus also had no links to the seafood market, suggesting that the outbreak may have started much earlier than December.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 8:03am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_Institute_of_Virology

                ... the institute played a central role in analysing the 2019–20 Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 8:08am

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                  • identicon
                    Hit Link, Eat P*wned, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:45pm

                    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19,

                    Ok, let me click Jimmie Wales honeypot, just once, again....

                    Wikipedia is a disreputable abyss of NSA/CIA/Mi5-6/FVEYs honeynet.

                    Wikileaks is fucking God.

                    SO, fuck GOD immediately.

                    But stay away from Wikipedia, its a total IP based word trap.

                    link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  Guo WenGui clones, 13 Feb 2020 @ 1:49pm

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                  Before you run with a conspiracy theory,
                  you should check the evidence first.

                  Guo Wengui(Gnews)is behind this rumor,

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

                • identicon
                  Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 8:33pm

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                  Pirbright, a company founded by Gates Foundation has had the Patent on nCoV-2019 SINCE 2015. Why have they not DEVELOPED A VACCINE in 5 years. Me thinking SUM 10 WONG HERE.

                  link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 9:45pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                This coronavirus did not come from a box of bats. Its absolutely clear just from the initial volume of infected.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 11:11pm

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                The number of infected presently in Hubei provence who are riding this out in their homes and going to the hospital as pneumonia symptoms worsen is playing a major role in preventing China from gaining control of this virus.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Johns Hopkins Conspiracy Theorist, 15 Feb 2020 @ 9:39am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

            Your link is excellent. Nice tie-in with intellectual property rights.
            From your link:

            underscores the delicate balancing act before China as it signals commitment toward intellectual property rights alongside curbing the virus outbreak

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2020 @ 12:19pm

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

              Aren't you the one who once said, "I refuse to listen to the voice that makes me third party to the conversation taking place in my head?"

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                Roger That, 18 Feb 2020 @ 7:39am

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ebola vaccine approved Dec. 19, 2019

                Thats pretty clever for an AC.

                Are they feeding your chatbot script some psychiatric meta-narrative humor now?

                Cool. You made me laugh for once.

                link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bill Gates Conspiracy Theory, 13 Feb 2020 @ 12:36pm

    Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

    Runaway billionaire tax dodger Guo Wengui was the only western source that linked the outbreak to the Wuhan lab.

    And that lab, cited above with ZERO evidence of bio-weapons manufacture.

    The average Chinese propaganda agent is NOT interested in conspiracy theories perpetrated by Guo WenGui, who, cohincidentally, is a member of Trumps Mar Al Lago (backdoor deal factory) Resort.

    Theres more than one way to keep an economy afloat folks....

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7951293/Bill-Gates-Predicted-Coronavirus-Like-Out break-2019-Netflix-Documentary.html

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 9:50pm

      Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

      Bill Gates Foundation funds Pirbright, the company that has the PATENT on nCoV-2019 since 2015. WHY NO VACCINE??

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 13 Feb 2020 @ 11:14pm

      Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

      There were other links to a lab in Winipeg in which two Chinese technicians working there and had access to the nCov-2019 biological samples did travel to and from Wuhan.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Bill Gates Conspiracy Theory, 14 Feb 2020 @ 5:05am

      Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

      Proof or GTFO.

      There only circumstantial evidence of any of the Bill Gates conspiracy theory, and last I checked, the strain of CV that Pirbright has patented is different than the Wuhan strain.

      And while Johns Hopkins is itself a big recipient of NWO black money, again, no proof.

      Not that it is implausible, or even that the past US involvement(via academic fronts) in evil like the Tuskegee experiments, syphillis in Guatemala, and MKULTRA dont make it even more plausible, but as yet, no evidence.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2020 @ 10:08pm

        Re: Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

        WHY pirbright has no vaccine since they have had plenty of time to have several tested by now. What evidence do you want about Gates Foundation funding pirbright?? That is well known.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2020 @ 10:12pm

        Re: Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

        If there is a trail of evidence that leads China to Believe some foreign entity is responsible for this terrible outbreak killing 1700 and infecting 68,500 or more so far, you will witness the proof as it rains down upon China's enemies in the form of Nuclear Hellfire.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          AC Chatbot, 16 Feb 2020 @ 7:10am

          Re: Re: Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

          Are you, like, an eerie rendition of a voice that got trapped in a wormhole in the 1980s?

          Let me debrief you:

          • Rupert Murdoch, and GHW Bush spent some time with Deng baba and Beijing in the 90s

          • The Clinton cabal helped/encouraged their nuclear program along

          • fast forwards to now, China does not fucking fear these idle stupid US implications and threats anymore, as it moves forwards, and the US moves backwards into the intellectual dark ages.

          This is 2020, and Pirbright/Gates/ Johns Hopkins do indeed have some shady stuff going on, as do their affilliated NGOs (no different than right wing NGOs)

          To the point: Guo and the Mar al Lago cabal started that rumor, according to sources online. Feel free to look for those citations yourself.

          While an interesting case can be made with virus similarities/lab location and purpose, etc., none of it can or will ever be proven.

          For now, please just send masks, and rubbing alcohol in great quantities.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2020 @ 9:43am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

            If someone did this intentionally, it will come out. Maybe I'm locked into a lot of places in time. 1980s? Not so much. I know some things.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2020 @ 10:11am

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

              Speaking of the 80s.. if there was ever a day I hated like no other, it was the day Feds turned a six week Alaskan Halibut opener into a 24 hour melee when they turned our beloved Halibut season International.. I guess so American Tuna fisherman could go fish off the coast of Africa or something. That was pure hell for us Alaskan fishermen.

              link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2020 @ 10:50am

            Re: Re: Re: Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

            Clinton cabal helped/encouraged their nuclear program along.

            Didn't they outright sell nuclear secrets to Chinese?

            encouraged.. !!

            link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Feb 2020 @ 9:40am

      Re: Bill Gates Wuhan corona virus

      No, the Israeli Intelligence said it also besides Wengui. In fact, the II was first to state the level four bio lab was twenty miles from Wuhan.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Marco Poloshirt, 17 Feb 2020 @ 9:52am

    Re:

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Abdul Rehman, 18 Feb 2020 @ 6:38am

    Re: Bill Gates

    No, the Israeli Intelligence said it also besides Wengui.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2020 @ 8:17am

    Correlation: New Vaccine Law & Virus - Started same day

    China’s Mandatory Vaccination Law Went Into Effect on December 1, 2019 – The Coronavirus Outbreak is it a Vaccine Experiment Gone Bad?
     February 6, 2020

    https://thewatchtowers.org/chinas-mandatory-vaccination-law-went-into-effect-on-december-1-2019 -the-coronavirus-outbreak-is-it-a-vaccine-experiment-gone-bad/

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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