4 ms·

RT turns to Peter Thiel's Rumble after Big Tech companies block the network

36 points by archagon 5y ago

archagon 5y ago
If you needed another reminder that Thiel delights in and financially backs despotic authoritarianism, here it is. His vision for our country's future is Russia today.
- atlantas 5y ago
  How is backing a permissive free speech focused video hosting site authoritarianism? Authoritarians lock down and control speech. You have it completely backwards. Putin, for example, does not support anything remotely like Rumble. It's the opposite of what he supports.
- etangent 5y ago
  Insane take, especially considering that over the past 10 years we have observed a steady creep of authoritarianism here in the West.
  - scrollbar 5y ago
    A steady creep spearheaded by him and his closest allies?
    - TruthIsHeresy 5y ago
      [flagged]
    - sudden_dystopia 5y ago
      [flagged]
    - TruthIsHeresy 5y ago
      [flagged]
  - 1270018080 5y ago
    Exactly?
  - Miner49er 5y ago
    Thiel is very openly not a fan of democracy.
    - etangent 5y ago
      Well, neither am I, considering that the Western governments have been using the term "democracy" to launder a specific flavor of apparatchik authoritarianism.
- danans 5y ago
  > His vision for our country's future is Russia today. While I agree, I have to say it takes some skill to end such a dark and realistic assessment with a pun!
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
uberman 5y ago
He also happens to have purchased NZ citizenship just in case things in the US fall apart.
- iamacyborg 5y ago
  Heaven forbid the rich have to actually end up dealing with the consequences of their actions
  - smitty1e 5y ago
    Doubtless your next unreasonable demand will be that civil servants be civil and serve the voters; not merely the donors.
- landemva 5y ago
  And he has the wealth to keep stacking passports. He was born German.
thereare5lights 5y ago
this link is incorrect
- archagon 5y ago
  Ugh, I'm pretty sure it was correct before. Should be this: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine#rt-turns-to-rumble-after-big-tech-companies-block-the-network https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine...
- 1f60c 5y ago
  It is correct (i.e. the article is on the linked page), but it is a live blog. I suggest changing the link to https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine/rt-turns-to-rumble-after-big-tech-companies-block-the-network https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine..., which will hopefully work for the foreseeable future.
deadalus 5y ago
Youtube Alternatives : Centralized : Dailymotion, Bitchute, Rumble, DTube, Vimeo, Vidlii, DLive, Triller Decentralized : Odysee(LBRY), Peertube
- nojonestownpls 5y ago
  Seems like DTube is decentralized too? I wasn't familiar with it before your post, but some search says so.
archagon 5y ago
Corrected link: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine#rt-turns-to-rumble-after-big-tech-companies-block-the-network https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine...
flipbrad 5y ago
I can't say I feel too proud or happy about censorship. What does this achieve, really?
- Barrin92 5y ago
  Two straightforward things. It stops Russian propaganda from being broadcast, secondly it destroys their revenue. I think you need to be masochistic to have an enemy broadcast lies to your country and make money in the process. RT is such a blatant tool of the Russian state it should have been shut down five years ago.
  - flipbrad 5y ago
    Your first "thing" is begging the question. What is that blatant propaganda (your words) really going to achieve at this point ? One of the West's key marks of distinction has always been freedom of the press. By allowing our governments to decide what's a lie / propaganda that's not allowed to be published, I feel we set ourselves well on the path to becoming exactly what we're criticising here.
    - long_time_gone 5y ago
      > By allowing our governments to decide what's a lie / propaganda that's not allowed to be published The headline "RT turns to Peter Thiel's Rumble after Big Tech companies block the network" tells us that private companies blocked the network, not the government.
    - archagon 5y ago
      The government is not deciding what can and cannot be published, as far as I'm aware.
      - flipbrad 5y ago
        https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nadine-dorries-russian-nick-clegg-sky-british-b985448.html https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nadine-dorries-russian-ni...
spikels 5y ago
Nobody commenting here even read the article because the link is incorrect. Also Peter Thiel doesn’t manage or control Rumble but is an investor.
- cinntaile 5y ago
  People sure do love guilt by association when it comes to Peter Thiel. He also invested in Facebook, Paypal, Palantir, Stripe, SpaceX,...
- uberman 5y ago
  I googled "thiel rumble rt" and got my fill there. I'm not going to pay for a subscription to the NYT so the link for me at least was meaningless.
- qiskit 5y ago
  > Also Peter Thiel doesn’t manage or control Rumble but is an investor. An investor is just another word for owner. He owns part of Rumble. He has more say than any employee in the company ( including the CEO ).
pastor_bob 5y ago
I really don't understand the defense against censorship of state controlled propaganda news from people like Glenn Greenwald. That idea that it operates in the normal realm of media is extremely questionable. This is not a slippery slope but clearly delineated line imo.
dukeofdoom 5y ago
Knowing the other sides best arguments is a benefit. Censorship is stupid. The pro government media would have love your oppressor. This is so bad in Canada where all the TV stations just parrot the current liberal government's narratives. If it wasn't for US coverage, most Canadians would even know about protesters getting trampled by horses or that trucker that had his ribs broken from repeated police kicks to the chest while he was down. A guy who literally escaped from a communist Romania. They're talking about banning Fox news here. Because they had some pro protestor coverage.
- I-M-S 5y ago
  Downvoted you until you provide sources
  - dukeofdoom 5y ago
    Trampling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mAT12ZpJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mAT12ZpJM Police kicking https://rumble.com/vvmpxi-ottawa-police-arrest-and-violently-kick-protester.html https://rumble.com/vvmpxi-ottawa-police-arrest-and-violently... No charges for OPS officer after takedown that broke man's ribs https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/no-charges-for-ops-officer-after-takedown-that-broke-mans-ribs https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/no-charges-for-ops... Former Liberal MP wants to ban Fox News in Canada https://tnc.news/2022/03/02/former-liberal-mp-wants-to-ban-fox-news-in-canada/ https://tnc.news/2022/03/02/former-liberal-mp-wants-to-ban-f...
    - I-M-S 5y ago
      Thank you. The Globe and Mail did mention the trampling incident and Ottawa Citizen is definitely not an US source. I only know of Adam Vaughn from his stances on housing which have discredited him in my eyes.
labrador 5y ago
Peter Thiel was born and spent the first 12 years of his life in Germany. A lot of people worry about Thiel's intentions, but none more so than Germans Who is Peter Thiel? | ZDF Magazin Royale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKY5pOcEn4U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKY5pOcEn4U
basisword 5y ago
Surprised but not surprised to see people using the standard free speech/censorship arguments in this thread. Surely people can differentiate between standard speech and state sponsored propaganda??? More speech is often the solution to “bad” speech - but I think it would be quite obvious this doesn’t apply to propaganda.
- JakeAl 5y ago
  Many non-state actors produce content for RT, including academics and celebrities, and almost all MSM outlets here in the US produce content sponsored/paid for by the US government. It's only propaganda when it's crafted by The State, otherwise it's just the marketing of ideas. The issue at hand is who is filtering/controlling what ideas people are allowed to have access to. I recommend everyone read Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death," and "How to Watch TV News."

36 points by archagon 5y ago

If you needed another reminder that Thiel delights in and financially backs despotic authoritarianism, here it is. His vision for our country's future is Russia today.

atlantas 5y ago
How is backing a permissive free speech focused video hosting site authoritarianism? Authoritarians lock down and control speech. You have it completely backwards. Putin, for example, does not support anything remotely like Rumble. It's the opposite of what he supports.
etangent 5y ago
Insane take, especially considering that over the past 10 years we have observed a steady creep of authoritarianism here in the West.
- scrollbar 5y ago
  A steady creep spearheaded by him and his closest allies?
  - TruthIsHeresy 5y ago
    [flagged]
  - sudden_dystopia 5y ago
    [flagged]
  - TruthIsHeresy 5y ago
    [flagged]
- 1270018080 5y ago
  Exactly?
- Miner49er 5y ago
  Thiel is very openly not a fan of democracy.
  - etangent 5y ago
    Well, neither am I, considering that the Western governments have been using the term "democracy" to launder a specific flavor of apparatchik authoritarianism.
danans 5y ago
> His vision for our country's future is Russia today. While I agree, I have to say it takes some skill to end such a dark and realistic assessment with a pun!
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

uberman 5y ago

He also happens to have purchased NZ citizenship just in case things in the US fall apart.

iamacyborg 5y ago
Heaven forbid the rich have to actually end up dealing with the consequences of their actions
- smitty1e 5y ago
  Doubtless your next unreasonable demand will be that civil servants be civil and serve the voters; not merely the donors.
landemva 5y ago
And he has the wealth to keep stacking passports. He was born German.

thereare5lights 5y ago

this link is incorrect

archagon 5y ago
Ugh, I'm pretty sure it was correct before. Should be this: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine#rt-turns-to-rumble-after-big-tech-companies-block-the-network https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine...
1f60c 5y ago
It is correct (i.e. the article is on the linked page), but it is a live blog. I suggest changing the link to https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine/rt-turns-to-rumble-after-big-tech-companies-block-the-network https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine..., which will hopefully work for the foreseeable future.

deadalus 5y ago

Youtube Alternatives : Centralized : Dailymotion, Bitchute, Rumble, DTube, Vimeo, Vidlii, DLive, Triller Decentralized : Odysee(LBRY), Peertube

nojonestownpls 5y ago
Seems like DTube is decentralized too? I wasn't familiar with it before your post, but some search says so.

archagon 5y ago

Corrected link: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine#rt-turns-to-rumble-after-big-tech-companies-block-the-network https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/03/world/russia-ukraine...

flipbrad 5y ago

I can't say I feel too proud or happy about censorship. What does this achieve, really?

Barrin92 5y ago
Two straightforward things. It stops Russian propaganda from being broadcast, secondly it destroys their revenue. I think you need to be masochistic to have an enemy broadcast lies to your country and make money in the process. RT is such a blatant tool of the Russian state it should have been shut down five years ago.
- flipbrad 5y ago
  Your first "thing" is begging the question. What is that blatant propaganda (your words) really going to achieve at this point ? One of the West's key marks of distinction has always been freedom of the press. By allowing our governments to decide what's a lie / propaganda that's not allowed to be published, I feel we set ourselves well on the path to becoming exactly what we're criticising here.
  - long_time_gone 5y ago
    > By allowing our governments to decide what's a lie / propaganda that's not allowed to be published The headline "RT turns to Peter Thiel's Rumble after Big Tech companies block the network" tells us that private companies blocked the network, not the government.
  - archagon 5y ago
    The government is not deciding what can and cannot be published, as far as I'm aware.
    - flipbrad 5y ago
      https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nadine-dorries-russian-nick-clegg-sky-british-b985448.html https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/nadine-dorries-russian-ni...

spikels 5y ago

Nobody commenting here even read the article because the link is incorrect. Also Peter Thiel doesn’t manage or control Rumble but is an investor.

cinntaile 5y ago
People sure do love guilt by association when it comes to Peter Thiel. He also invested in Facebook, Paypal, Palantir, Stripe, SpaceX,...
uberman 5y ago
I googled "thiel rumble rt" and got my fill there. I'm not going to pay for a subscription to the NYT so the link for me at least was meaningless.
qiskit 5y ago
> Also Peter Thiel doesn’t manage or control Rumble but is an investor. An investor is just another word for owner. He owns part of Rumble. He has more say than any employee in the company ( including the CEO ).

pastor_bob 5y ago

I really don't understand the defense against censorship of state controlled propaganda news from people like Glenn Greenwald. That idea that it operates in the normal realm of media is extremely questionable. This is not a slippery slope but clearly delineated line imo.

dukeofdoom 5y ago

Knowing the other sides best arguments is a benefit. Censorship is stupid. The pro government media would have love your oppressor. This is so bad in Canada where all the TV stations just parrot the current liberal government's narratives. If it wasn't for US coverage, most Canadians would even know about protesters getting trampled by horses or that trucker that had his ribs broken from repeated police kicks to the chest while he was down. A guy who literally escaped from a communist Romania. They're talking about banning Fox news here. Because they had some pro protestor coverage.

I-M-S 5y ago
Downvoted you until you provide sources
- dukeofdoom 5y ago
  Trampling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mAT12ZpJM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mAT12ZpJM Police kicking https://rumble.com/vvmpxi-ottawa-police-arrest-and-violently-kick-protester.html https://rumble.com/vvmpxi-ottawa-police-arrest-and-violently... No charges for OPS officer after takedown that broke man's ribs https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/no-charges-for-ops-officer-after-takedown-that-broke-mans-ribs https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/no-charges-for-ops... Former Liberal MP wants to ban Fox News in Canada https://tnc.news/2022/03/02/former-liberal-mp-wants-to-ban-fox-news-in-canada/ https://tnc.news/2022/03/02/former-liberal-mp-wants-to-ban-f...
  - I-M-S 5y ago
    Thank you. The Globe and Mail did mention the trampling incident and Ottawa Citizen is definitely not an US source. I only know of Adam Vaughn from his stances on housing which have discredited him in my eyes.

labrador 5y ago

Peter Thiel was born and spent the first 12 years of his life in Germany. A lot of people worry about Thiel's intentions, but none more so than Germans Who is Peter Thiel? | ZDF Magazin Royale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKY5pOcEn4U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKY5pOcEn4U

basisword 5y ago

Surprised but not surprised to see people using the standard free speech/censorship arguments in this thread. Surely people can differentiate between standard speech and state sponsored propaganda??? More speech is often the solution to “bad” speech - but I think it would be quite obvious this doesn’t apply to propaganda.

JakeAl 5y ago
Many non-state actors produce content for RT, including academics and celebrities, and almost all MSM outlets here in the US produce content sponsored/paid for by the US government. It's only propaganda when it's crafted by The State, otherwise it's just the marketing of ideas. The issue at hand is who is filtering/controlling what ideas people are allowed to have access to. I recommend everyone read Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death," and "How to Watch TV News."