Finland Free Speech US YLE

Finnish ‘hate speech’ cop says US authorities are helping to obtain private social media details of Finns supposedly promoting ‘hate speech’ online…….


 

This is big…

 

Yes, you read that right, US officials are aiding and abetting Finnish anti-free speech government authorities in tracking people down ‘guilty’ of violating of their hate speech laws. It’s the same as if the US were engaging in helping the Chinese government track down dissidents of its state’s policies. The US has the 1st amendment, it should be pursuing policies that reflect it, not conflicting with it. Evidently, it’s not.

 

Niskanen warns that even anonymous writers tend to get caught, because police can turn to US authorities to request information from YouTube, Twitter or Facebook.

 

Online hate speech

Meanwhile, daily Turun Sanomat (TS) reports that hundreds of police reports are filed every year concerning racist hate speech online.

 

An investigative unit within the police, which focuses on racist speech, started its work in March 2017. Over a 14-month period until the end of April this year, the group had filed about 300 reports, TS says.

 

About 40 percent of the cases involved suspected agitation against an ethnic group and 35 percent involved defamation. Other offences included unlawful threats and breach of religious peace.

 

According to chief superintendent Jouni Niskanen, who heads the hate speech unit, ethnic agitation takes place almost exclusively online.

 

”It’s easy to write on the Web and it’s an effective way to spread messages. Whenever something concrete happens, like a news report about a crime committed by an asylum seeker is published, people tend to become more active.”

 

Niskanen warns that even anonymous writers tend to get caught, because police can turn to US authorities to request information from YouTube, Twitter or Facebook.

 

”Some of the people we catch understand and regret their mistakes. But a majority argue they have not committed any crime. Instead, they believe that freedom of speech gives them the right to express opinions about individuals,” Niskanen says.

 

He advises people to avoid generalisation in online comments.

 

”One of the surest ways to become a suspect for online hate speech is to generalise a group of people, such as migrants. People need to understand that it is an individual who is responsible for a given crime, not the group as a whole.”

 

Yle.

2 Responses

  1. Juhani Koivunen

    “But a majority argue they have not committed any crime. Instead, they believe that freedom of speech gives them the right to express opinions about individuals,” Niskanen says.”

    That is exactly what it does. Gives us the right to express opinions about individuals. And furthermore, Niskanen even encourages it by stating this:

    ”One of the surest ways to become a suspect for online hate speech is to generalize a group of people, such as migrants. People need to understand that it is an individual who is responsible for a given crime, not the group as a whole.”

    So mr. Niskanen, which is it? Groups or individuals that we can speak of?

    1. He agrees with free speech, but only for speech that he/the state officially agrees with…

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