The EU DisinfoLab, a nonprofit organization with significant influence among European Union (EU) policymakers, is advocating for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to take a stand against disinformation. This group, which purports to be independent but is largely funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, believes ICANN should extend its domain registration oversight to include policing for “disinformation”, alongside its efforts against phishing and malware. In essence, they are calling for ICANN to regulate who can register websites based on their compliance with official narratives.
Yet it’s worth noting the irony of EU DisinfoLab claiming independence while being heavily funded by the Open Society Foundations – a project spearheaded by billionaire activist George Soros. This blatant disregard for impartiality and fair play is characteristic of left-wing organizations that often tout principles they themselves fail to uphold.
“Attempting to directly enlist ICANN would be highly controversial, to put it mildly, at least at this stage,” writes Didi Rankovic for Reclaim the Net about the news.“Given its importance in the internet infrastructure – ICANN manages domain names globally – and the fact content control is not among its tasks (DisinfoLab says ICANN ‘refuses’ to do it) – this would represent a huge departure from the organization’s role as we understand it today.”
The Open Society Foundations seems eager to redefine ICANN’s role into a tool for targeting “disinformation sites”. This could potentially include independent media sites that do not align with their narrative. This is a clear example of the left’s ongoing attempts to control the narrative and stifle free speech – a cornerstone of our democratic society.
Moreover, EU DisinfoLab is pushing for ICANN to police the entire internet for anything deemed as “disinformation” by the powers that be. This would involve ICANN determining which websites are unacceptable and revoking their domain names, effectively affecting the entire global internet landscape. This approach reeks of censorship and is reminiscent of George Orwell’s dystopian vision of a world controlled by an all-powerful ‘truth ministry’.
This proposed shift in ICANN’s role is deeply troubling. It represents an attempt to control information and silence dissenting voices under the guise of combating disinformation. As conservatives, we must stand against such blatant assaults on freedom of speech and press.
Source: Conservative Firing Line