Rumble refuses UK censorship demand

Rumble, the video platform most popular as an alternative to YouTube, yesterday refused a demand by the British government to censor, demonetize, shadow-ban, or otherwise disparage the channel or message of commentator Russell Brand.

Rumble to the Brits: bugger off!

The platform received a demand from MP Dame Caroline Dinenage DBE, Chair of the Committee on Culture, Media and Sport. Dame Caroline expressed “concern” that Russell Brand might “profit” from the reach the platform offers him. Brand has a Rumble channel and a YouTube channel. YouTube recently demonetized his channel, after several women apparently filed rape complaints against him. (One is a complaint of statutory rape, because the woman involved is sixteen years old, hence underage.) Brand denies the allegations and insists that all his relationships with women are and have always been consensual. (They are also, he admits, out of wedlock, but that does not seem to concern Dame Caroline.)

Whether Alphabet, Inc., parent of YouTube, received a letter similar to the letter Rumble received, no one has said. But Tucker Carlson backs Brand, suggesting the pharmaceutical industry, or someone sympathetic to it, promoted the allegations to silence Brand.

Elon Musk agreed.

Dan Bongino, head of Rumble, responded immediately to the demand letter, saying his platform found it “deeply inappropriate and dangerous.” He then rejected the demands out-of-hand.

Although it may be politically and socially easier for Rumble to join a cancel culture mob, doing so would be a violation of our company’s values and mission. We emphatically reject the UK Parliament’s demands.

Dan Bongino, CEO, Rumble.com

To which Elon Musk replied:

So what happens next?

In theory, the British could fine Rumble for continuing to refuse. Britain has no tradition of freedom of speech. Indeed truth is not an absolute defense to a libel or slander action in His Majesty’s courts. But Rumble could block all access from UK users, who then could turn to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to retain access. (A VPN lets a user access Internet content from a server outside his usual public network. This allows a user literally to pretend to reside in a country different from that where he actually resides.)

Rumble is not the first social media platform to refuse censorship demands from foreign governments. Gab Social, part of Andrew Torba’s Gab empire, has done so repeatedly. (The name Gab is actually an acronym for Go And Build, a paraphrase of Matthew 28:19-20.)Most notably, Gab refused to do so even in the face of a new European Parliament law. But Gab is much smaller, so Rumble is now the largest platform to receive such a demand and refuse it. Gab News has no comment on the latest controversy involving a rival platform. That company usually touts itself as the only, or the first, platform to refuse such demands.

Glossary

CEO – Chief Executive Officer

DBE – Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. This is the second highest class of appointment to this order. The Order of the British Empire recognizes contributions to the arts and sciences, charity work, and public service outside the civil, foreign, and military services. (These services have their own honorable orders.) Among its most notable members: Sir Alfred Hitchcock KBE, who won the honor shortly before his death.

MP – Member of Parliament

VPN – Virtual Private Network