Anti-5G-vaxx pressure group sues Zuckerberg, Facebook, fact checkers for daring to suggest it might be wrong
- Reference: 1597779363
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/08/18/zuckerberg_sued_factcheck/
- Source link:
In a [1]115-page lawsuit [PDF] filed in a federal district court in San Francisco this week, the Facebook CEO, his web giant, and three fact-checking organizations Facebook uses to identify misinformation on its platform, are accused of a wide-ranging conspiracy to help the US government bypass the Constitution and censor the pressure group's idea of the truth on medicine and mobile technology.
Belief in 5G conspiracy theories goes hand-in-hand with small explosions of rage, paranoia and violence, researchers claim [2]READ MORE
“This is a case about how an officer and an agency within the US Government ‘privatized’ the First Amendment by teaming up with Facebook to censor speech which, under the Bill of Rights, the government cannot censor,” the group, which calls itself Children’s Health Defense (CHD), said in its lawsuit.
It accused The Zuck of conspiring with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), Big Pharma and Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) to “suppress vaccine safety speech” as well as the health risks associated with 5G and wireless networks.
The proof of this conspiracy are “warning labels” and fact-check buttons that regularly appear alongside Facebook posts made by the group. Facebook doesn’t take down the posts but that doesn’t matter because the mere suggestion that their claims may not be grounded in science, or reality at all, is akin to government censorship, the group claims.
While the warnings “appear to flag disinformation,” the lawsuit notes, “in reality [they] censor valid and truthful speech, including speech critical of those agencies and their policies. A judicial remedy is urgently required to redress that system of prior restraint which will otherwise go unredressed.”
What's in a name?
According to CHD, it has a “good name and reputation as a public health advocate for complete candor as to both the risks of environmental toxins, vaccines, 5G and wireless networks, and the conflicts of interest in government oversight of those products and services.” The Facebook notices damage its online reputation which “is important to its standing as a preeminent leader in the health reform movement.”
Just the facts: Vaccines contain ingredients at a dose [3]lower than what we are naturally exposed to. They do not cause autism. There is [4]no reputable evidence that cellphones or wireless networks cause health problems. 5G [5]does not spread coronavirus.
As for the charges laid against Zuckerberg, he and his antisocial network have seemingly managed to break both the First and Fifth Amendments, not to mention the Lanham Act (which covers trademarks), and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act (which was designed to be used in mafia cases).
The fact that the First Amendment on free speech doesn’t apply to companies is irrelevant because, the lawsuit points out, Zuckerberg has conspired with the US government – specifically the CDC and Schiff – to “fraudulently misrepresent and defame” the CHD. And Mark's in bed with Big Pharma because they take out Facebook ads, apparently.
But wait, there's more: the CHD’s chairman and chief legal counsel is none other than Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who, as the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, knows a bit about government conspiracies. And he’s all too happy to [6]talk about how the CIA and mafia conspired to kill his famous uncle.
The CHD is unafraid to use lawsuits: for example, it sued the FCC [7]in February for refusing to revisit radio frequency guidelines despite receiving thousands of comments from member of the American public convinced that wireless technology “is a contributing factor to the exponential increase in sickness among children.”
Why are there no painkillers in the jungle?
Among the “known culprits” that the CHD says are causing an explosion in sick children are products that use heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides. But the group also feels strongly that [8]5G , [9]paracetamol , [10]fluoride , [11]food additives , [12]aluminum , and [13]vaccines are also to blame.
The scientific community is less persuaded about those claims, having carried out tests and trials and discovered that there is no evidence of it. But that won’t stop the CHD from arguing Facebook has no right to imply it might be completely wrong.
As for Facebook’s use “of so-called ‘independent fact-checkers’,” the CHD is unimpressed. “In truth,” it argued, they are “neither independent nor fact-based” and “create oppositional content on Children’s Health Defense’s page, literally superimposed over Children’s Health Defense’s original content, about open matters of scientific controversy.”
Why? “To further silence Children’s Health Defense’s dissent against important government policies and its critique of pharmaceutical products.”
The group wants damages of up to $5m, its costs paid, and that Zuck, Facebook, et al "make a public retraction of their false statements." ®
Get our [14]Tech Resources
[1] https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/FACEBOOK-COMPLAINT-DKT-1-08-17-2020.pdf
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/22/5g_conspiracy_theories_rage_violence_paranoia/
[3] https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/vaccine-myth-fact
[4] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48616174
[5] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/clearing-up-myths-5g-and-coronavirus
[6] https://youtu.be/_kJdOtnBUcw?t=337
[7] https://childrenshealthdefense.org/seeking-justice/legal/chd-v-federal-communication-commission-fcc/
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/science/5g-cellphones-wireless-cancer.html
[9] https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/paracetamol-warning/
[10] https://www.ada.org/en/public-programs/advocating-for-the-public/fluoride-and-fluoridation
[11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy#Internet_hoax_conspiracy_theory
[12] https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/adjuvants.html
[13] https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/embrace-the-facts-about-vaccines-not-the-myths
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
No. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more, no less.
Facebook being utter shits doesn't mean anyone should be rooting for the antivax nutjobs in this case.
Tossing their toys about
It seems that those who don't accept science are once again tossing their toys out the pram and they want everyone to believe and follow their beliefs. The world has gone mad with crackpots suing crackpots and crackpots suing science. The rise of the entitled misinformed paranoids goes on....
Re: Tossing their toys about
"The world has gone mad with crackpots suing crackpots and crackpots suing science."
I really think there's something in the US tap water besides just fluorine.
Maybe the crackpot conspiracist are really onto something after all.
Re: Tossing their toys about
@sandtitz
Seems it is not only U.S water
https://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2020/08/5g-conspiracy-pushers-have-raised-105k-to-sue-the-government/
Cheers… Ishy
Re: Tossing their toys about
Seems the motive is to pollute the airwaves. To inundate any sentient beings with crapola.
Random/malicious bits on the internets are essentially free and may cause some desired effects. Various state-run agencies are more cunning, more targeted.
Re: Tossing their toys about
We can hope that the words "Dismissed" and "with prejudice" are heard early in the proceedings...
Re: Tossing their toys about
Maybe the judge can dismiss Facebook’s existence while he’s at it...
@Mark 85 Re: Tossing their toys about
I think you're missing the bigger picture.
Platforms like FB and others enjoy Safe Harbor because they are platforms and do not censor.
But clearly that's not the case.
I agree that these groups are a bit 'interesting in a tin foil hat way'.
However, they shouldn't be censored. Just ridiculed.
They have the right to sue, and the downside ... is that Zuck may get this case dismissed, however there's possibility that this case removes the safe harbor they enjoy.
Re: @Mark 85 Tossing their toys about
They aren't being censored the e posts are being labeled as questionable, the posts aren't edited to remove anything from them.
Re: @Mark 85 Tossing their toys about
But it sounds like facebook did not censor the group, just added a disclaimer. So they have done what you advise, don't censor, just ridicule.
Oh really? Did you have to do that?
The problem with this is that I find myself on the side of Zuk.
A dichotomy of infinite scope.
I think I may just have to kill myself. It’s the only way out.
Re: Oh really? Did you have to do that?
>I think I may just have to kill myself. It’s the only way out.
So how are you going to do it ?
5G, aluminium or vaccine ?
Re: Oh really? Did you have to do that?
My take on it is "here's a chance to redeem yourself, Zuck". You've got more than enough wonga to face them down, prove them wrong, rip them new ones, and still say "and I'll cover your costs if you agree to shut the fuck up".
Actually, it's only partially redeem yourself. But it would be a good first step.
Welcome to the post-sanity world
If anyone thinks that this lawsuit is 'out there', they better brace themselves for what is yet to come. We have seen the anti-5G, anti-vaxxer and other assorted nutcases pass by during the past months of this pandemic. That's before the mass-vaccination campaigns kick off in (hopefully) a matter of months. We all know how well things like the measles vaccine go over by a (very vocal) minority the past years.
What are you going to do, force truth and reason on people?
In psychology there is the concept of cognitive bias, which causes people to filter any incoming information and facts using their own experiences and views. In the most extreme cases this can lead to injury, death and even world wars. That's how we end up with for example Greenpeace bulldozing 'Golden Rice' fields which could have saved millions of children from blindness or forcing the closure of nuclear plants to have the slack picked up by the fossil fuel plant next door. Or how some people make it their life's work to picket in front of women's health clinics with images of chopped up fetuses.
It are only the ones with enough money and influence who get to really show off their lunacy, such as in this case. And that's before the anti-COVID-19 mass-demonstrations and what not that we'll be seeing before long.
Mine is the one with a towel in the right pocket. Thanks for the fish, folks.
Re: Welcome to the post-sanity world
Simple; want to do anything in public, get vaccinated and have proof.
Re: Welcome to the post-sanity world
like a tattoo of the number of the beast?
What if COVID-19 causes 5G? Hmm? I bet the fake news sites don't carry this!
I mean, in the states, Free Speech is a restriction on Government. Since Facebook isn't the government (Yet! Free the Facebook 5! Bastards!) then it's possible this is just ridiculous grandstanding by a bunch of sad people who enjoy attention. Or fake news! Who can tell?
You might be onto something!
As coronavirus cases have grown in the US, so has news of 5G deployments.
Idiots
Just one word - nutcases!
Re: Idiots
Idiots, well what do you expect, they're Americans. You only have to look at who they chose as a President and they will do the same again this year.
Re: Idiots
Everyone's a fruit and nutcase. In the manner of true connoisseurs, you see.
(to be sung to the tune of Danse des Mirlitons)
Beyond belief
Like the poor referred to in Scripture, the idiots you will have with you always.
I know the US Constitution guarantees freedom of belief but this is ridiculous.
Chris Cosgrove
Hidden Meaning
CHD just needs to dilute its Facebook posts until there's just a single letter, or maybe a comma left. The diluted post will have the same meaning as the original one, but FB won't be able to censor or flag it because it will appear to be meaningless.
Lots of Americans believe that 'free speech' allows them to say whatever they want without any consequences. But in fact the law is quite clear that isn't the case. So far example you could be arrest for shouting FIRE! in a crowded building and causing panic when there was no fire, or inciting people to kill others. And the right to free speech would not be a defence you can use in court against those charges.
I am not a fan of Zuckerberg or Facebook, but its their platform and if i remember rightly the T&Cs pretty much say that they can do whatever they want with what you post on Facebook, moderate it, hide it from searches, remove it completely etc and the Anti-vax / 5G dumpties all agreed to the T&Cs when they signed up for an account.
Conspiracy theorists
I find it amazing that there are people who are sometimes quite intelligent and quite capable of detailed research, and are happy to dismiss most of what they are told as at least dubious (which is a good way to be, sceptical but with an open mind), are quite happy to believe some random bloke, whose intentions they don’t really know, because he says something they agree with.
Like that Andrew Wakefield. People are happy to believe a man whose entire income is derived from persuading as many people possible that vaccines are bad, rather than doctors and other experts who generally don’t make any more money if they persuade you to have vaccines. Not say that big pharma is working for the good of people. It isn’t. It is working for profit. It’s just vaccines aren’t big pharma’s only source of income.
Just got to work out who profits out of the 5g theories..
Phew. Aluminium is safe.
I can't believe Jack Kennedy's nephew is a Trumper. They seem to be the ones who push this kind of nonsense with no substantiation, verification, studies, etc. to support their claims. If someone shows any proof contrary to their position, they scream fake, conspiracy, etc.
So if they want to win....
All they have to do, is prove in court that their claims of vaccines causing autism, 5g cauising whatever wackadoodle conspiracy theory it is they think they cause... is true and do that they're gonna need a whole lot of peer reviewed, widely accepted, and proven scientific evidence from within the actual scientific community.
Great... can they also prove that the earth is flat, the we never went to the moon, that Trump is actually a nice human being and that good old BoJo the clown has a sense of morals, ethics and decency.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. But _which_ enemy ?