Former President Barack Obama has come under fire for suggesting the use of “digital fingerprints” to crack down on information which “is not true,” during a recent podcast interview with a former advisor.
Obama’s call for increased censorship has been seen by many as a direct violation of the American people’s right to free speech and information. His remarks came amidst a larger push by many Democrats to create a system of censorship and control over the flow of information and opinion on the internet.
The documents released to journalist Michael Shellenberger by CIA-backed tech billionaire Elon Musk show that the FBI contacted Twitter about the potential for leaks involving Hunter Biden prior to the New York Post’s Oct. 14, 2020 report on the contents of a laptop owned by Biden that was abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop.
This incident exposed the government’s eagerness to use digital resources to exert control over citizens’ access to information. In 2022, Obama took this idea further by calling for the ramping up of censorship during a speech at Stanford University, citing the deaths of people due to misinformation. He blamed former Trump administration official Steve Bannon and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others, for the spike in reported deaths.
Obama’s idea to track information with “digital fingerprints” adds an alarming layer of violation to the already troubling prospect of censorship. Forcing citizens to verify that the information they are receiving is true or not is an infringement on their right to free speech and expression. Not only would this open the door for the government to decide what information is true and what is not true, but it would also allow them to potentially deny citizens access to information which it deems as “untrue” or “inappropriate”.
Obama suggests 'digital fingerprints' to counter misinformation 'so we know what's true and what's not true' https://t.co/8XZrNao7In
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 16, 2023
Instead of attempting to find ways to control the flow of information and opinion, the government should focus more on combatting the rising instances of right-wing terrorism, political infighting, and deep-rooted racism and bigotry that are consuming America. This can only be done by encouraging tolerance, understanding, and inclusiveness, not by depriving individuals of their right to free speech and authentic expression.