New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Compares Free Speech Online to Weapons of War

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Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, called for the censorship of the internet in her recent speech to the United Nations. She claimed that the internet’s unregulated free speech was a weapon of war.

She stated that leaders are concerned that even the most subtle disinformation approaches could be misinterpreted to be hostile to free speech values that we hold dear. “But although I cannot give you the solution to this problem right now, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is something we cannot ignore. This is a threat to the norms that we all hold dear.”

She continued, “How can you end a war if people believe that the reason it exists is not only legal but also noble?” “How can you address climate change if people don’t believe it exists?”

She said that although the weapons might be different, the goal of those who perpetrate them often is the same: To create chaos and decrease the ability of others, disintegrate communities, and destroy the collective strength of countries who work together. We have the opportunity to make sure that these weapons of war don’t become a part of regular warfare.

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