Originally published December 19 2012
Facebook now threatening to shut down accounts of users who question official narrative on Sandy Hook shooting
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Social media site Facebook has decided to turn the First Amendment on its head, which is remarkable for no less a reason than because its creator has made a fortune on the concept of free, open and unedited speech.
According to reports, Facebook has begun suspending the accounts of users who throw into question the official narrative behind the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, after a warning by Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance that said posting "misinformation" on the site could be result in criminal prosecution.
In one instance of outright censorship, an image that was posted in the shooting's aftermath and which questioned whether Adam Lanza, "a clumsy 20-year-old autistic kid," could have possibly been responsible for killing 26 people, was deleted, with the user handed a warning.
'We will punish you'
"It seems that Facebook is now in the business of shutting down the accounts of journalists who question the mainstream medias reporting of the news. Saturday night I was alerted by Facebook that I would have to wait three days until I was able to log onto my personal Facebook account again," writes the editor of SecretsOfTheFed.com.
"I was informed the reason for this punishment was the result of meme I had shared," the editor continued. "Facebook told me it '...violates Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.' I was further warned that, 'If you continue to abuse Facebook's features, your account could be permanently disabled.'"
On the Saturday following the shooting, Connecticut State Police officials warned that posting "misinformation" on social media sites would be "investigated and prosecuted."
"There has been misinformation coming from people posing as the shooter in this case, using other IDs, mimicking this crime and crime scene," Vance said, adding that some posts were made in a "threatening manner."
"It's important to note that we have discussed this with federal authorities. These things are crimes. They will be investigated and prosecuted," he said.
Consistent 'misinformation'
The SecretsOfTheFed.com site's graphic did not appear to fit the description of "threatening." Moreover, the Connecticut State Police warning - which is apparently backed up by the Feds - is not being applied to the mainstream media. Reporters and news networks got a shocking amount of information surrounding the shootings completely wrong in their haste to be the first with the story. For example:
-- It was first reported that Lanza's mother, the very first victim of the massacre, was a teacher at the Sandy Hook school - false.
-- It was first reported that Lanza also gunned down his father - false.
-- It was first reported that the shooter was Ryan Lanza, the older brother of Adam - false.
-- First reports of the shootings said a second gunman was arrested in the woods behind the school, but those reports were subsequently dropped without explanation.
'Be careful and cognizant'
This is what makes the Facebook action so troubling; given that most of the "misinformation" that has been published regarding the shootings came from the corporate-owned media, it is rather hypocritical to punish individuals who are merely posting their own thoughts about what they believe happened.
Earlier reports have documented that Facebook has a habit of deleting images and posts that the social site deems are in violation of its "Statement of Rights and Responsibilities," but which actually don't amount to much more than political satire, conjecture or a reasonable suspicion of official narratives on current events.
In September 2011, Infowars reporter Darrin McBreen was told by Facebook staff not to voice his political opinion on the social networking website.
Responding to comments McBreen had made about off-grid preppers being treated as criminals, the "Facebook Team" wrote, "Be careful about making political statements on facebook," adding, "Facebook is about building relationships not a platform for your political viewpoint. Don't antagonize your base. Be careful and cognizant (sic) of what you are preaching."
Sources:
http://www.infowars.com
http://www.secretsofthefed.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/photo-2.jpg
http://www.nydailynews.com
http://www.facebook.com/legal/terms
http://www.secretsofthefed.com
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