If your politics are anything but far-left, The Mozilla Foundation, creators of the FireFox web browser and the Thunderbird email client, despise you and everything you say.
Removing you from social media platforms is not enough. They want to utterly destroy your online presence so nobody will ever hear your WrongSpeak again.
This week we saw the culmination of a four-year disinformation campaign orchestrated by the President. We have to acknowledge how the internet was misused to get here.
And we have to change it.https://t.co/gIVZHQPYT4
— Mozilla (@mozilla) January 8, 2021
Replace “by” with “about” and Mozilla’s statement is transformed from partisan political nonsense into an actual fact.
Mozilla Foundation CEO Mitchell Baker’s post titled “We need more than deplatforming” on the official Mozilla blog spelled out what that their Twitter post meant.
Donald Trump is certainly not the first politician to exploit the architecture of the internet in this way, and he won’t be the last. We need solutions that don’t start after untold damage has been done.
Changing these dangerous dynamics requires more than just the temporary silencing or permanent removal of bad actors from social media platforms.
Additional precise and specific actions must also be taken:
- Reveal who is paying for advertisements, how much they are paying and who is being targeted.
- Commit to meaningful transparency of platform algorithms so we know how and what content is being amplified, to whom, and the associated impact.
- Turn on by default the tools to amplify factual voices over disinformation.
We’ve already seen what “factual voices” look like to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google.
Facts do not include documented truths about the Biden family or COVID-19 but “facts” do include the wildest accusations of anyone on the right, including the sitting President of the United States.
Corporate America believes they, and only they, must be the arbiters of who is permitted to speak.
Follow the Money
Google is Firefox’s default search provider in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“Google pays Mozilla for it to be the default search engine on Firefox, and the money accounts for the vast majority of Mozilla’s revenue,” says Bloomberg Businessweek.
In it’s State of Mozilla 2018 report, the foundation said it “generated $435.702 million from royalties, subscriptions and advertising revenue.”
When you follow the money it’s obvious why Mozilla opposes the US government’s anti-trust lawsuit against Google and sides with Google/YouTube on silencing voices with whom they disagree.
Their financial life depends upon it.
Remove Mozilla Products From Your Computer
So… if the Mozilla Foundation wants to stand with censorship; if the Mozilla foundation wants to deplatform those they disagree with politically, they can do it without me or the money generated by my use of their software.
I encourage you to do as I am, and remove their products from your computer immediately.
As of last night, Firefox was removed from my computer and replaced with Brave, a new entrant into the privacy browser market.
Brave is not the only privacy-focused web browser on the market, of course. Here are a few others I’ve tested recently:
By the end of day today, Thunderbird will be removed from my system too, but I’m still testing replacements for it.
Current contenders are:
- Em Client (great if you only use two email addresses, excellent import from Thunderbird feature)
- MailSpring
- Sylpheed
- Zimbra Desktop
I’ll update this commentary once I make a final determination on which email client replacement best meets my requirements.
(Yes, dumping the entire Windows platform in favour of Linux is in my future.)
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is this: Freedom of Speech is the gift I must give to my enemy BEFORE I can claim it for myself.
Free Speech must be defended in the face of voices with which I disagree, not hacked to death because I can’t stand what someone else says, or worse, how they choose to say it.
Am I naïve enough to believe my actions will change the minds of the free-speech-despising fools at Mozilla Foundation?
Nope. Not for a second.
But I refuse to be a party to their nonsense in any way, shape or form and that includes helping them take more of Google’s money.
Will changing my default browser and email client be a pain in the behind?
Oh, you bet it will, but the price of living by principles has never been without cost – a fact of life I embraced decades ago.
Bruce Montague says
Thanks for the censorship issue you pointed out. I was not aware of it. I tried to contact Mozilla to let them know why I’m leaving them but they have “temporarily” shut down their feedback page. I hope this is because lots of people are removing them as quick as possible.
I find it astonishing at how so many companies are supporting and enforcing censorship, AND they’re so blatant about it, AND so many people seem to be onboard with it! It appears that most people don’t understand why free speech is such a protected right in any free country or society. I guess history is doomed to repeat itself, yet once again.
I’ve also stopped using Google quite some time ago and I don’t miss it at all. I now use “DuckDuckGo” and it seems to find anything I’m looking for, PLUS more. Google is too “selective” when doing a search.
I’ve also switched 2 of my computers over to Linux, and they work fine once I got used to them. The only problem with trying to eliminate Windows, is the stranglehold they have on the market for useful software apps and games.
Yours in Liberty,
Bruce.
Dave_C says
Oh krap.
I LIKE Firefox. Been using it since it was launched. Last time I tried Brave it severely under-performed. You’ve convinced me to try again.
Other than that I’m a Windoze guy, since Linux has yet to make a version that works with everything.
And MSFT 365 remains the premier get-stuff-done suite all others attempt to emulate.
LibreOffice and OpenOffice cannot compete.
Google Docs is always off limits, unless a client insists. I try to show them the EULA grants all ownership to Google of all docs in there — nobody cares.
Now what am I supposed to do?
This is like when I order a book from Amazon. While I HATE giving that scumbag lying Demonrat Bezos a penny, he’s made it convenient.
Barry Jackson says
I am often reminded of Lord Acton’s famous dictum, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The tech giants are giddy with delight at the prospect of acquiring absolute power if they play along with the con foisted on the American people by the irredeemably corrupt, anti-American Demorrhoids. If enough conservatives can organize and rally their resources to replace the criminal tech monopoly, we can hit them where it hurts – in the pocketbook. A hurculean undertaking if ever there was one, but that is the only language these traitors understand.
Terry says
As far as wife and I are concerned USA and if Trudeau get back in Canada are SCREWED. Republicans and conservatives stuck their heads up their asses and are useless and don’t know if they will pull them out and start to grow some balls. Looking for small island warm climate gun friendly conservative Govt but can’t find one.
Norbert Kausen C.D. says
Terry, I absolutely agree!
John Doe says
Good for you Chris!!! And Facebook is the biggest waste of time and invader of privacy on this earth. And of course very dangerous to your health.
David Anderson says
I never used these programs, just the included Browser and Email Client that comes with my Mac. I use Google, but will definitely look into Brave. I dumped Twitter, was going to set up an account on Parler, but…we all know where that is now. I just set up an account on Clouthub – we’ll see how that goes. No one will probably know or care but it’s the least I can do. Thanks for your work.
Christopher di Armani says
Thanks David.
There are some other social media alternatives out there. https://ThinkSpot.com is Jordan Peterson’s effort and is quite good, as is Gab.com, Minds.com and MeWe.com. Parler will be back once they sort out their server issue. Their mistake was relying on Amazon’s service to be their provider.
David Layte says
Just removed Firefox from my computer and replaced it with Brave. For email I have started using ProtonMail.
I hope many others uninstall Firefox too.
Christopher di Armani says
Awesome, thanks David!
Robert says
I saw a comment from Andrew Torba on Gab that Brave had agreed to Apple’s demands recently. Apple that keeps wanting me to install the latest update on my phone so they can uninstall my Parler app.
I’ve heard of Proton mail. I would be interested in comments from those that have used it.
Good to see Mr. Montague commenting!
Christopher di Armani says
Thanks Robert. Protonmail is a web-based encrypted email solution. I’ll look into the Apple/Brave thing and see what I can dig up. Thanks for that.
Christopher di Armani says
Robert, the changes to Brave for iOS are specific to the Apple store and don’t affect the browser on other platforms. Their rewards feature violated Apples terms and conditions because the reward was not purchased via the Apple store. Nothing happens on the iStore unless Apple gets a cut.
From From Brave’s website: https://brave.com/rewards-ios/
“Today Brave is releasing a new version (1.22) of its iOS browser in order to comply with recent stipulations made by Apple. In a nutshell, Brave users on iPhones and iPads will no longer be able to earn rewards for their attention, and will no longer be able to tip their favorite online creators via Brave. These changes to our Brave Rewards system do not apply to our desktop and Android browsers.”
Robert says
Thanks Christopher.
I see IBM Canada mentioned in January 8ths CSSA e-news as the company that will lead the “buyback” program of last May’s illegal firearms confiscations.
What is up with big-tech these days?
Christopher di Armani says
I think IBM needed to top up their coffee fund because that’s about all this contract means to them. And they’re designing the program, not running it… mostly because every other company the government asked to do it refused to bid on the contract. So far it’s unclear who will actually run the program once the design phase is complete.
Arie Intveld says
Why is Torba able to promote Gab.com on Twitter? Most peculiar. Are the Dissenter browser and Gab.com social media platforms honeypots just like Parler?
Right now, phenomenal effort by Big Tech is being put into creating lists of “wrong thinkers”. Pretty soon, those of us who are vehemently opposed to becoming the chattel of the elites will need to start “kiting” handwritten, coded messages to each other, just like prison inmates.
Christopher di Armani says
Perhaps, Arie. Perhaps. I’m brushing up on my handwriting skills just in case. 🙂
While I can’t say why Twitter still allows Gab founder Andrew Torba to use their platform, it is interesting that he is (so far) immune to The Great Deplatforming we’re witnessing. I suspect Gab is also immune to being deplatformed the way Parler was due to a more fundamental understanding of just how evil big tech is on Torba’s part.
Norbert Kausen C.D. says
Thank-you for the information, Christopher! I am “de- platforming” Firefox, have already “de- platformed” Twitter from my computer. I am in the process of “de- platforming” any and all social networks that censor, oppose free speech and violate our freedom sensibilities!
Christopher di Armani says
Great! Love that, Norbert.