Social Media Platforms Are Censoring Legitimate Scientific Dissent About COVID-19

Look, nobody wants medical advice from quacks like David Icke (the guy who claims that the British Royals are actually reptilian aliens). We’re smart enough to know that Icke’s claim that the pandemic was caused by 5G networks is ridiculous. Which is why we have the option to unfollow and block these messages on our social media platforms. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve clicked the unfollow button to tune out the information of hysterical lunatics because 1) I ain’t stupid, and 2) ain’t nobody got time for that.

But when platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and even Google start removing every and all medical advice from legitimate sources like certified medical professionals and researchers, that’s when you should start getting apprehensive and know something’s just not right.

Big Tech Deciding What Information You Can Have Access To

Elon Musk, back when the global pandemic was declared, put out a tweet citing a study about the potential effectiveness of a malaria drug for treating COVID-19. The information Musk shared quickly caught on and was subsequently cited by the President at the White House as a possible treatment. 

The establishment media immediately politicized this statement and went on to condemn the irresponsibility of people like Elon Musk and the President for touting the effectiveness of an “unproven” drug. Twitter has since flagged the tweet for being “malicious” and “dangerous”. Google Docs went on to block the link Musk had provided. 

These are independent studies done by qualified healthcare professionals and researchers. Why were these studies condemned and ignored by the social media establishment? It’s because these studies and findings weren’t sanctioned by the World Health Organization — the same global institution that has consistently failed at handling the Wuhan coronavirus from the very beginning.

Governmental Institutions Don’t Hold Exclusive Ownership on Knowledge 

To the censors who work to silence dissent at companies like Google, Facebook, and YouTube, the truth can only come from the verified experts of the World Health Organization. Therefore, the WHO should have the sole authority to inform the public about what is correct. God forbid that the public be influenced by “unverified non-experts” like Elon Musk. 

By flagging his tweet, the implication is that Elon Musk is just as dumb, ignorant, and uninformed as every other doctor, scientist, and researchers who didn’t pass the approval process of the authorities at the WHO. 

The Guardian, in their criticism against Elon Musk’s tweet, stated that the French study should be dismissed because it didn’t follow all the necessary protocols for scientific research, which includes a randomized administration of the drug and a double-blind test. 

Theoretical Analysis vs. Observations from Reality  

Please enlighten me. How exactly are the doctors in France supposed to ethically “randomize” the administration of a drug they have reason to believe could be life-saving and conduct the study while being double-blinded when they have patients who are dying so quickly from the virus in reality?

This is similar to the press conference done by two local doctors for their local ABC news affiliate in Bakersfield, California which was removed by YouTube. In that video, the doctors were merely questioning the authority of the government-affiliated medical experts and consultants who had long stopped practicing medicine nor saw patients on an everyday basis, unlike other doctors.  

The doctors were merely questioning the authority of the government-affiliated medical experts and consultants who had long stopped practicing medicine.

The criticism was how these government-appointed experts and consultants are up in their ivory towers, doing thought experiments, projections, and analyses which don’t correspond to reality. Meanwhile, they’re ignoring the findings of doctors on the ground who are actively working to solve the problem and save lives.

Censorship Is Not a Virtue 

As for the coronavirus, I take no official position on scientific research or medical advice because that is better left to the experts in the medical field. That means all experts — not just the experts who are officially approved and appointed by the WHO. We’re dealing with an event that is unprecedented in modern history, thus active and open discourse is not only necessary but also vital. The stakes are too high for a discovery of a potential cure by independent doctors, scientists, and researchers to be silenced and dismissed because it contradicts the experts at the WHO.

The stakes are too high for a discovery of a potential cure by independent doctors, scientists, and researchers to be silenced and dismissed because it contradicts the experts at the WHO.

In this case, Big Tech thinks they know better and therefore have to control the information so they can control the discourse regarding COVID-19. Sure, they own their platform and have the right to suppress information if they want to. But it doesn’t make what they are doing moral or ethical.

Importantly, when experts make evaluative claims about how to deal with the coronavirus, they’re expected to provide evidence and data in support of those claims. If and when they can’t support their recommendations with evidence, we, as intelligent observers, should know that we can dismiss their claims of expertise.

This is the reason why we need to have access to opposing ideas. While it’s true that there are countless irresponsible perpetrators spreading dangerous misinformation, it’s still up to the individual to dissect the truth behind the information. 

Closing Thoughts

With rights come responsibilities, and when you have the right to open information via free speech, it’s your responsibility to not be a gullible fool. So why are social media companies treating the public like we’re foolish enough to believe David Icke’s lunacy? 

It should be unnecessary for you to rely on Big Brother to tell you what to do. Only the very unintelligent and the institutionalized insane rely on oppressive authority figures to direct them on how to live their lives. Otherwise, as free individuals with the capacity to think rationally and independently, we’re better off having access to all the information that is available so we can adjudicate for ourselves the best way to live our own lives.