It is past time to resume my “Shapes of things” series on our Orwellian present. This is approximately the thirty-third installment, but the first since January 1 of this year. I have fallen down on the job.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs convened on Wednesday to hear from current and former social media executives. The hearing was called to address the impact of social media on homeland security consistent with Biden administration talking points — you know, “white supremacist, conspiracy related, and anti-government violence'” That is a quote from committee chairman Gary Peters’s opening statement.
The committee has posted video of the full hearing along with the written statements submitted by each witness here. In the video below Senator Josh Hawley interrogated Meta chief product officer Chris Cox on Facebook’s collaboration with the authorities to censor “disinformation.”
Just so you know, everything is copacetic. On Twitter Will Cain got my attention when he declared that “this should be the top story in the country.”
Steve Mosher coincidentally serves up Exhibit A in his current New York Post column “Government censorship should scare us just as much as COVID once did.” Cox might serve as the authoritative voice of O’Brien instructing Winston Smith in chapter 3 of 1984: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.”
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