[vetinari]

> Or they were banned for spreading disinformation

"Disinformation" is a propaganda term. Unless you are Ministry of Truth, of course ;)

In practice, what is labeled "disinformation" is just what those in power do not want published. Or: "News Is What Somebody Does Not Want You To Print".

From personal experience, I have strong sense of deja-vu. I've seen all of this in 80's in my country. Exactly the same, except at the time it was reactionary propaganda.

> or being traced back to Russian state sponsored agents.

You see, for Chinese posting about Tiananmen Square is being traced back to US programs intended to undermine the statehood of independent countries. For them, it is the same thing pushed by state sponsored agents as you claim about Russians.

So either both are fine when censoring it, or neither is. (I personally take option two).

[ericmay]

Except I can write all of the following statements and I could speak them publicly, but you cannot write or speak of all of these things publicly in China or Russia.

  The US sponsored terrorist biolabs in Ukraine to target Russian citizens.

  The US *didn't* sponsor terrorist biolabs in Ukraine to target Russian citizens and it's all fake misinformation.

and I can write:

  China has never genocided Uighur Muslims.

  Tiananmen Square didn't happen.

  The CCP is currently participating in a genocide of Uighur Muslims.

  Tiananmen Square did happen and the CCP murdered lots of people.

> For them, it is the same thing pushed by state sponsored agents as you claim about Russians.

This is called a false equivalence. I also demonstrated why it's false here in this very post. Ta-da!

[xtian]

Yes, you can say all of those things in isolation, where nothing is at stake. In practice, a response is triggered when the “wrong” narratives start to gain momentum.

[ericmay]

I can say them regardless of whether something is at stake in or outside of isolation, as can others which is evidenced by the fact that people do spread disinformation and misinformation routinely in the United States.

Biolabs in Ukraine? That's just made up bullshit by Russia. Period. And despite the Sovereignty of the United States being very much against Russia, people go on television and broadcast things that are not only wrong but completely against the interests of the Sovereign and not a single bad thing happens.

Covid vaccine misinformation? That resulted in some tens of thousands (maybe hundreds) of dead Americans. I can go on Twitter or down to the state capitol building and hold up signs that say crazy things and not a single thing will happen to me from the government.

I can say anything I want about Donald Trump, or Joe Biden.

Now contrast that with the CCP or Russia. You can't do those things. Period.

So these attempts to try and draw equivalences are, in fact, false. Hence, false equivalence.

[xtian]

Tell that to Fred Hampton, Julian Assange, Gary Webb, Darren Seals, et al.

[throwaway0x7E6]

>China has never genocided Uighur Muslims.

now say that about the other genocide