Facebook and its subsidiary company, Instagram, have been caught censoring one of the Founding Fathers, calling his comments “false information.”
QUICK FACTS:
- The quote, “He who dares not offend cannot be honest,” was said by Thomas Paine hundreds of years ago, but now has been flagged by Instagram as “false information,” according to Reclaim The Internet.
- Evolutionary biologist and Instagram user Colin Wright tried to post Paine’s quote, but received a notification from Instagram, who told Colin his post “goes against our community guidelines.”
- Multiple users on Facebook and Instagram have reported their posts of the same quote being either removed or their accounts temporarily blocked.
MORE DETAILS:
- The photos containing the Paine quote were “fact-checked” for “accuracy of information,” indicating that the post might be an algorithm rather than a person who is systematically removing the offending quotes.
- Some users reported the Paine quote was removed for being “against (Instagram’s) guidelines on vaccine misinformation.”
BACKGROUND:
- The quote originates in Paine’s work, the Pennsylvania Journal, 24 April, 1776.
- Paine was an 18th-century Anglo-American figure whose work is considered vitally important for inspiring the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
- Thomas Paine has long been considered the most “radical” Founding Father, inspiring many to join the revolutionary cause.
