GNV has covered many issues surrounding the flow of information and freedom of expression around the world in articles and podcasts.

In particular, even in Western countries where freedom of expression ought to be established, it can be said that it has been gradually eroded. For example, when high public-interest information concealed by state power is leaked, inconvenient facts for those in power are exposed. In a democracy, this is considered what journalism ought to be. However, in many countries, governments have not only intensified crackdowns on such leaks, but suppression of media outlets and organizations that publish them has also become conspicuous. There is even concern that journalism itself is being criminalized. GNV has analyzed this situation.

Information control on social media is also being criticized. It has come to light that the flow of information is being restricted in various ways without users’ knowledge. For example, the “Twitter Files” have revealed that the U.S. government and cooperating organizations pressured Twitter (now X) in attempts to censor information on the platform. Such restrictions are carried out under the pretext of “countering disinformation,” and even a system that could be called a “disinformation countermeasures industry” is taking shape. GNV has also covered these issues.

Many in the West feel a sense of crisis about this situation. Out of that concern came the “Westminster Declaration” (The Westminster Declaration). The Westminster Declaration is the product of a meeting on free speech held in Westminster, UK, in June 2023. Journalists, writers, activists, and scholars who gathered at this meeting drafted the declaration, and in October of the same year it was signed by more than a hundred prominent figures, mainly based in Western countries. GNV was responsible for the Japanese translation. A podcast also provides commentary on the background to this declaration.

Below is the full text of the Westminster Declaration.

From the Westminster Declaration website [CC BY 4.0 DEED]

The Westminster Declaration

We, as journalists, artists, writers, activists, technologists, and scholars, issue a warning against the increasing international censorship that threatens to infringe democratic norms developed over centuries.

Coming from the left, right, and center, we are united by our commitment to universal human rights and freedom of expression, and we are deeply concerned by attempts to label protected speech as “misinformation” or “disinformation,” and with other vague terms.

The misuse of such terms has led to censorship of ordinary citizens, journalists, and dissenters around the world.

Such interference with free speech suppresses legitimate debate on matters of urgent public concern and undermines the basic principles of representative democracy.

Around the world, government actors, social media companies, universities, and NGOs are intensifying efforts to monitor citizens and strip them of their voices. This large-scale, organized endeavor is sometimes called the “Censorship-Industrial Complex.”

This complex often operates through direct government policy. Authorities in India（※1） and Turkey（※2） have seized powers to remove political content from social media. The legislature in Germany（※3） and the Supreme Court in Brazil（※4） are seeking to criminalize political speech. Other countries have measures such as Ireland’s “hate speech” bill（※5）, Scotland’s Hate Crime Act（※6）, the UK’s Online Safety Bill（※7）, and Australia’s “misinformation” bill（※8）. These measures risk imposing severe restrictions on expression and creating chilling effects.

However, the Censorship-Industrial Complex also operates through subtler means—for example, visibility filtering, labeling, and manipulation of search results. Those engaged in censoring social media have already suppressed lawful opinions on topics of national and geopolitical importance by blocking access to platforms or reporting content to moderators. In the mainstream media, which has abandoned the journalistic values of debate and intellectual inquiry, censorship is carried out with the full cooperation of “disinformation experts” and “fact-checkers.”

As the Twitter Files have shown, tech companies often coordinate with government agencies and civil society to conduct censorious “content moderation.” Soon, under the European Union’s Digital Services Act, platform data will be provided to “selected vetted researchers” from NGOs and academia, formalizing this relationship and placing our speech rights in the hands of unelected and unaccountable bodies.

Some politicians and NGOs（※9） are even targeting end-to-end encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram（※10）. If end-to-end encryption is broken, there will no longer be any means of having genuinely private conversations in the digital realm.

Foreign disinformation between states is a real problem, but agencies created to combat such threats—such as the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)—are increasingly turning their focus toward domestic citizens. Under the pretexts of preventing harm and protecting truth, speech is being treated not as an inviolable right but as a permitted activity.

We recognize that words can at times hurt people’s feelings, but we reject the idea that hurt feelings or offense—even serious offense—justify censorship. Open speech is a central pillar of a free society; it is essential for holding governments to account, empowering the socially marginalized, and reducing the risk of authoritarian rule.

The protection of speech is not only for views we agree with. We must resolutely protect the speech of views we most strongly oppose. Only in the public square can such views be heard and appropriately challenged.

Moreover, opinions and ideas that many oppose have repeatedly become common sense over time. By labeling particular political or scientific positions as “misinformation” or “malinformation,” our societies risk being trapped in false paradigms that strip us of hard-won knowledge and erase the possibility of acquiring new knowledge. Freedom of speech is the best defense against falsehood.

Attacks on speech are not merely a matter of distorted rules and regulations; they are a crisis for humanity itself. Every movement for equality and justice in history has depended on open forums where dissent could be voiced. In countless cases, including abolition and the civil rights movement, social progress has relied on freedom of expression.

We do not want our children to grow up in a world where they must be afraid to express their thoughts. We want them to grow up in a world where they can freely express, explore, and openly debate their ideas. That is the world the founders of our democracies envisioned when they wrote free speech into laws and constitutions.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is a powerful example of how the rights to free speech, a free press, and freedom of conscience can be protected under law. One need not agree with America on every issue to recognize that this freedom is the “first freedom,” from which all other freedoms derive. Because we have free speech, we can denounce violations of rights and fight for new freedoms.

There are also clear and robust international protections for free expression. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)（※11） was drafted in 1948 in response to the atrocities committed during World War II. Article 19 of the UDHR states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” While governments may need to regulate certain aspects of social media, such as age restrictions, such regulation must never infringe the human right of freedom of expression.

As Article 19 makes clear, the right to free speech entails a right to information. In a democracy, no one can claim a monopoly on truth. Rather, truth must be discovered through dialogue and debate. And truth cannot be discovered without allowing for the possibility of error.

Censorship in the name of “protecting democracy” turns what should be bottom-up representation into top-down ideological control. Such censorship is ultimately counterproductive. It breeds distrust, fosters radicalization, and delegitimizes democratic processes.

Throughout human history, attacks on freedom of speech have been a prelude to attacks on all other freedoms. Regimes that infringe free speech have invariably weakened and damaged the core structures of democracy. Likewise, today’s elites who advance censorship are weakening democracy. What has changed is the large-scale, technological means used to enshrine censorship in law.

We believe that freedom of speech is essential to safeguard against abuses of state power—abuses that have historically posed far greater threats than the words of any individual or organized group. For the welfare and flourishing of humanity, we call for the following three actions.

・We call on governments and international institutions to fulfill their responsibilities to citizens and uphold Article 19 of the UDHR.

・We call on tech companies to protect the digital public sphere as set out in Article 19 of the UDHR, and to refrain from politically motivated censorship, censorship of dissent, and censorship of political opinions.

・And finally, we call on ordinary citizens to join the fight to defend their democratic rights. Legal reform is not enough. We must also build a culture of free expression from the ground up by rejecting the climate of intolerance that fosters self-censorship and generates needless personal conflict for many. In place of fear and dogmatism, we must embrace inquiry and debate.

We affirm the right to question. Heated debate—even when it causes pain—is far better than no debate at all.

Censorship deprives us of the richness of life itself. Freedom of expression is the soil from which meaningful lives and a rich humanity grow—through art, poetry, theater, stories, philosophy, and song.

This declaration is the product of the first meeting of free-speech advocates from around the world, held in Westminster, London, at the end of June 2023. As signatories to this statement, we have fundamental political and ideological disagreements. But to defeat the censorious forces that would constrain us, and to preserve our ability to argue frankly and challenge one another, we must unite. In the spirit of disagreement and debate, we sign the Westminster Declaration.

Signatories

Matt Taibbi, Journalist, USA
Michael Shellenberger, Public, USA
Jonathan Haidt, Social Psychologist, NYU, USA
John McWhorter, Linguist, Columbia, Author, USA
Steven Pinker, Psychologist, Harvard, USA
Julian Assange, Editor, Founder of Wikileaks, Australia
Tim Robbins, Actor, Filmmaker, USA
Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law, NYLS, USA
Glenn Loury, Economist, USA
Richard Dawkins, Biologist, UK
John Cleese, Comedian, Acrobat, UK
Slavoj Žižek, Philosopher, Author, Slovenia
Jeffrey Sachs, Columbia University, US
Oliver Stone, Filmmaker, USA
Edward Snowden, Whistleblower, USA
Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, USA
Stella Assange, Campaigner, UK
Glenn Greenwald, Journalist, USA
Claire Fox, Founder of the Academy of Ideas, UK
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Psychologist, Author, Canada
Bari Weiss, Journalist, USA
Walter Kirn, Author, USA
Peter Hitchens, Author, Journalist, UK
Niall Ferguson, Historian, Stanford, UK
Matt Ridley, Journalist, Author, UK
Melissa Chen, Journalist, Spectator, Singapore/USA
Yanis Varoufakis, Economist, Greece
Peter Boghossian, Philosopher, Founding Faculty Fellow, University of Austin, USA
Michael Shermer, Science Writer, USA
Alan Sokal, Professor of Mathematics, UCL, UK
Sunetra Gupta, Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology, Oxford, UK
Jay Bhattacharya, Professor, Stanford, USA
Martin Kulldorff, Professor of Medicine (on leave), Harvard, USA
Aaron Kheiriaty, Psychiatrist, Author, USA
Chris Hedges, Journalist, Author, USA
Lee Fang, Independent Journalist, USA
Alex Gutentag, Journalist, USA
Iain McGilchrist, Psychiatrist, Philosopher, UK
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Human Rights Activist, Author, Netherlands
Konstantin Kisin, Author, UK
Leighton Woodhouse, Public, USA
Andrew Lowenthal, liber-net, Australia
Aaron Mate, Journalist, USA
Izabella Kaminska, Journalist, The Blind Spot, UK
Nina Power, Writer, UK
Kmele Foster, Journalist, Media Entrepreneur, USA
Toby Young, Journalist, Free Speech Union, UK
Winston Marshall, Journalist, The Spectator, UK
Jacob Siegel, Tablet, USA/Israel
Ulrike Guerot, Founder of European Democracy Lab, Germany
Heather E. Heying, Evolutionary Biologist, USA
Bret Weinstein, Evolutionary Biologist, USA
Martina Pastorelli, Independent Journalist, Italy
Leandro Narloch, Independent Journalist, Brazil
Ana Henkel, Independent Journalist, Brazil
Mia Ashton, Journalist, Canada
Micha Narberhaus, The Protopia Lab, Spain/Germany
Alex Sheridan, Free Speech Ireland
Ben Scallan, Gript Media, Ireland
Thomas Fazi, Independent Journalist, Italy
Jean F. Queralt, Technologist, Founder @ The IO Foundation, Malaysia/Spain
Phil Shaw, Campaigner, Operation People, New Zealand
Jeremy Hildreth, Independent, UK
Craig Snider, Independent, USA
Eve Kay, TV Producer, UK
Helen Joyce, Journalist, UK
Dietrich Brüggemann, Filmmaker, Germany
Adam B. Coleman, Founder of Wrong Speak Publishing, USA
Helen Pluckrose, Author, UK
Michael Nayna, Filmmaker, Australia
Paul Rossi, Educator, Vertex Partnership Academics, USA
Juan Carlos Girauta, Politician, Spain
Andrew Neish, KC, UK
Steven Berkoff, Actor, Playright, UK
Patrick Hughes, Artist, UK
Adam Creighton, Journalist, Australia
Julia Hartley-Brewer, Journalist, UK
Robert Cibis, Filmmaker, Germany
Piers Robinson, Organization for Propaganda Studies, UK
Dirk Pohlmann, Journalist, Germany
Mathias Bröckers, Author, Journalist, Germany
Kira Phillips, Documentary Filmmaker, UK
Diane Atkinson, Historian, Biographer, UK
Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck, University of Buckingham, Canada
Laura Dodsworth, Journalist and Author, UK
Nellie Bowles, Journalist, USA
Andrew Tettenborn, Professor of Law, Swansea University, UK
Julius Grower, Fellow, St. Hugh’s College, UK
Nick Dixon, Comedian, UK
Dominic Frisby, Comedian, UK
James Orr, Associate Professor, University of Cambridge, UK
Brendan O’Neill, Journalist, spiked, UK
Jan Jekielek, Journalist, Canada
Andrew Roberts, Historian, UK
Robert Tombs, Historian, UK
Ben Schwarz, Journalist, USA
Xavier Azalbert, Investigative Scientific Journalist, France
Doug Stokes, International Relations Professor, University of Exeter, UK
James Allan, Professor of Law, University of Queensland, UK
David McGrogan, Professor of Law, Northumbria University, UK
Jacob Mchangama, Author, Denmark
Nigel Biggar, Chairman, Free Speech Union, UK
David Goodhart, Journalist, Author, UK
Catherine Austin Fitts, The Solari Report, Netherlands
Matt Goodwin, Politics Professor, University of Kent, UK
Alan Miller, Together Association, UK
Catherine Liu, Cultural Theorist, Author, USA
Stefan Millius, Journalist, Switzerland
Philip Hamburger, Professor of Law, Columbia, USA
Andrew Doyle, Author and journalist, UK
Rueben Kirkham, Co-Director, Free Speech Union of Australia, Australia
Jeffrey Tucker, Author, USA
Sarah Gon, Director, Free Speech Union, South Africa
Dara Macdonald, Co-Director, Free Speech Union, Australia
Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive, Free Speech Union, New Zealand
David Zweig, Journalist, Author, USA
Juan Soto Ivars, Author, Spain
Colin Wright, Evolutionary Biologist, USA
Gad Saad, Professor, Evolutionary Behavioral Scientist, Author, Canada
Robert W. Malone, MD, MS, USA
Jill Glasspool-Malone, PhD., USA
Jordi Pigem, Philosopher, Author, Spain
Holly Lawford-Smith, Associate Professor in Political Philosophy, University of Melbourne, Australia
Michele Santoro, Journalist, TV Host, Presenter, Italy
Dr. James Smith, Podcaster, Literature Scholar, RHUL, UK
Francis Foster, Comedian, UK
Coleman Hughes, Writer, Podcaster, USA
Marco Bassani, Political Theorist, Historian, Milan University, Italy
Isabella Loiodice, Professor of Comparative Public Law, University of Bari, Italy
Luca Ricolfi, Professor, Sociologist, Turin University, Italy
Marcello Foa, Journalist, Former President of Rai, Italy
Andrea Zhok, Philosopher, University of Milan, Italy
Paolo Cesaretti, Professor of Byzantine Civilization, University of Bergamo, Italy
Alberto Contri, Mass Media Expert, Italy
Carlo Lottieri, Philosopher, University of Verona, Italy
Alessandro Di Battista, Political Activist, Writer, Italy
Paola Mastrocola, Writer, Italy
Carlo Freccero, Television Author, Media Expert, Italy
Giorgio Bianchi, Independent Journalist, Italy
Nello Preterossi, Professor, University of Salerno, Scientific Director of the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies, Italy
Efrat Fenigson, Journalist, Podcaster, Israel
Eli Vieira, Journalist, Genetic Biologist, Brazil
Stephen Moore, Author and Analyst, Canada

Footnotes

※1　Pahwa, Nitish. ‘Twitter Blocked a Country.’ Slate Magazine, 1 Apr. 2023, slate.com/technology/2023/04/twitter-blocked-　pakistan-india-modi-musk-khalistan-gandhi.html.
※2　Stein, Perry. ‘Twitter Says It Will Restrict Access to Some Tweets before Turkey’s Election.’ The Washington Post, 15 May 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/13/turkey-twitter-musk-erdogan/.
※3　Hänel, Lisa. ‘Germany criminalizes denying war crimes, genocide.’ Deutsche Welle, 25 Nov. 2022, https://www.dw.com/en/germany-criminalizes-denying-war-crimes-genocide/a-63834791
※4　Savarese, Mauricio, and Joshua Goodman. ‘Crusading Judge Tests Boundaries of Free Speech in Brazil.’ AP News, 26 Jan. 2023, apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-government-af5987e833a681e6f056fe63789ca375.
※5　Nanu, Maighna. ‘Irish People Could Be Jailed for “Hate Speech”, Critics of Proposed Law Warn.’ The Telegraph, 17 June 2023, www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/1  7/irish-people-jailed-hate-speech-new-law/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_psc_ppc_us_news_dsa_generalnews.
※6　The Economist Newspaper. (n.d.). Scotland’s new hate crime act will have a chilling effect on free speech. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2021/11/08/scotlands-new-hate-crime-act-will-have-a-chilling-effect-on-free-speech
※7　Lomas, Natasha. ‘Security Researchers Latest to Blast UK’s Online Safety Bill as Encryption Risk.’ TechCrunch, 5 July 2023, techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/uk-online-safety-bill-risks-e2ee/.
※8　Al-Nashar, Nabil. ‘Millions of Dollars in Fines to Punish Online Misinformation under New Draft Bill.’ ABC News, 25 June 2023, www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-25/fines-to-punish-online-misinformation-under-new-draft-bill/102521500.
※9　’Cryptochat.’ Meedan, meedan.com/project/cryptochat. Accessed 8 July 2023.
※10　Lomas, Natasha.’Security Researchers Latest to Blast UK’s Online Safety Bill as Encryption Risk.’ TechCrunch, 5 July 2023, techcrunch.com/2023/07/05/uk-online-safety-bill-risks-e2ee/.
※11　United Nations General Assembly. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). New York: United Nations General Assembly, 1948.

Commentary: Virgil Hawkins

Translation: Ayane Ishida