Any time the government has a say in how information is controlled and produced, it raises concerns of potential propaganda in the news. Although freedom of speech is not always guaranteed in every country like it is in the United States, it is a basic human right.
It almost feels dystopian in a sense that politicians and leaders can essentially have a say in, if not complete jurisdiction over, the news consumed.
Mere weeks ago, for example, a close ally of despotic Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Órban purchased Index, one of the last independent news outlets in Hungary. This is potential for a future fascist government regime.
In the case of Hungary, Órban has been prime minister since 2010, and was recently elected for his third term in April this past year. Órban is a member of the Fidesz party, an arguably alt-right conservative party in Hungary’s political scene.
One of the policies he has been pushing for since his re-election targets Muslim refugees directly, denying their entrance to the country with extreme measures such as putting a physical fence on the border.
In this year alone, despite only 165 undocumented migrants living in Hungary, at their border entrances — which are only two — migrants have been detained and held in shipping containers, a blatant violation of basic human rights.
Two years ago, a Hungarian European Parliament member went so far as to suggest impaling pig heads on the border fences to deter Muslim migrants. In the Muslim faith, the consumption of pork products is banned as a religious dietary restriction.
Gyorgy Schopflin, a member of the Fidesz party under Óban, has previously made many xenophobic comments that advocate for the purge and ostracism of Muslims and refugees fleeing war and poverty.
Óban having such a close tie to a prominent news outlet in the nation is horrific to say the least.
What is particularly terrifying is that this is not just happening in Hungary, but around the world, other countries are facing the same threats to access to information.
Recently former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir Nick Clegg was hired by Facebook.
Policies aside, any political affiliation in social media, especially a platform as notable as Facebook, is dangerous. It comes down to the fact that government officials, current or former, are gaining access to the means in which information is spread.
Various news outlets now put content on social media sites in short videos and updates on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Although we can all agree that not all news sources are as reliable as others, social media has drastically changed the way people access information.
Social media sites such as Facebook have a moral responsibility to allow the sharing of information, especially when it is about important events happening within our society. Politicians working in platforms that spread and potentially filter information is a scary thought, and now possibly a scary reality.
The internet does have the advantage, though, of allowing users to more easily avoid censorship than other media. Via a tweet, Instagram comment or a Facebook share, people can either voice their agreement or disagreement with policies, statements or actions.
With political influence directly involved in sites that provide platforms for civil disobedience and protest, it is a question not of when but how long it will take for them to silence those voices.
Especially with growing conservative and nationalistic majority in several governments, it is important that people have a platform to protest unsatisfactory actions made by officials, so people can push for necessary change.
Without these platforms, we run the risk of only receiving propaganda, potentially incredibly fascist, racist and despotic propaganda at that.
