Juno News - January 19, 2024Free speech is on the Davos agenda – because the elites want to curb it
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Summary
Freedom of expression is under threat in many countries, including Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United States. What does that mean for artists like Willi iam and Niall Rogers, who are represented at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland?
Transcript
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Joining you from the streets of Davos, day four of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting.
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Ideas being discussed among the 2,800 delegates here, top of their field in politics, media, the world of academia,
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and much of the corporate world as well represented here.
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One of the themes that's come up in the past, not as much as things like net zero, has been freedom of expression.
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Now we know that freedom of expression is under threat.
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We have in a Canadian context numerous government policies that are threatening it.
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We have in Ireland a so-called hate speech law that will send a massive chill on free speech.
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And in Australia, you have much of the same, policing speech online and offline.
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The reason I bring this up is because a couple of years ago, you may recall Julie Inman-Grant,
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who's Australia's e-safety commissioner, saying this.
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We are finding ourselves in a place where we have increasing polarization everywhere.
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And everything feels binary when it doesn't need to be.
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So I think we're going to have to think about a recalibration of a whole range of human rights that are playing out online.
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You know, from freedom of speech to the freedom to, you know, to be free from online violence.
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Or the right of data protection to the right to child dignity.
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She called for a recalibration of freedom of speech.
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In fact, that question has been lingering with me for the last year and a half.
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So when I stumbled upon Julie Inman-Grant this morning, still in that position in Australia,
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although she is American, as you'll know in a second, I thought I would get some clarity.
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Julie, Andrew Lawton with True North in Canada.
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I'm just wondering, when you talked about recalibrating free speech a couple of years ago, what were you referring to?
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I am talking about balancing a range of rights that everyone has a right to online.
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Where do you think freedom of expression online should be limited?
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When it undermines other people's freedom of expression and causes significant harm.
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Well, actually, it is the government drew the line on what the threshold was.
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And an investigation is taken when somebody reports to a platform.
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When it doesn't conform to their terms of service, they come to us to adjudicate.
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Do you believe that the First Amendment has too high a bar for the online era?
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The First Amendment does not apply in Australia.
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So I thought in general, as a standard for freedom of expression, do you think that's too high of one?
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I apply the laws of the Australian government that the parliamentarians provided and the thresholds they provided.
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So as you hear there, the way that she approaches this is about how to regulate and how to justify those regulations.
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Now, there are a number of people in the artistic space represented at Davos this year.
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One is the legendary singer and songwriter and producer Niall Rogers.
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Also, Will.i.am, of whom I happen to be a great fan.
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And he was able to stop and share a few moments.
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And I asked him as an artist if he feels freedom of expression is under threat.
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Will, I'm just wondering as an artist what you think of the state of freedom of expression right now?
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Well, countries don't always have the same commitment to free speech.
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If you feel happy, you've answered my question.
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I just wanted to get your thoughts on it as an artist.
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I think I'm happy that I live in the country that I'm from.
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I think everybody should have the right to express themselves without hurting other folks.
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You still have to be mindful we all live on the same planet.
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Should they be censored if they do hurt other folks, their feelings?
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But if I hurt your feelings, should I be censored?
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If your intent was to hurt me on purpose, then you need to up your love, and you shouldn't...
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Why do you want to exist in a world where you're purposely trying to hurt somebody's feelings?
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Now, if things are taken out of context, or I...
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What I do believe in is trying your hardest to inspire and uplift people.
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Obviously, I disagree with his answer there, but he was speaking to his own feelings.
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Now, why that's so important is because people in the World Economic Forum bubble
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don't actually view there as being a problem here.
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And their focus, not Will.i.am, but certainly the Julie Inman grants,
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on ways they can curb and not protect freedom of expression.
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When they say it's on the radar, they mean that for all the wrong reasons.
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When they say it's on a landing page, then you will Renee Lutton.