Former Google consultant confident Twitter censorship is happening on other platforms
Joe Toscano told Fox News Digital that Twitter’s actions are one step away from George Orwell’s thought police.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, claimed that President Joe Biden is sending more than $5 million to a journalism and tech non-profit that's making a "naughty and nice list" of organizations and media based on trust.
"@POTUS is paying more than $5M to a group called Hack/Hackers which is making lists of orgs & media they think should & should not be trusted," Ernst tweeted Thursday. "They’ve basically created a naughty & nice list to police the content posted by family & friends. #MakeEmSqueal."
In early October, the Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust (ARTT), which is led by researchers at Hacks/Hackers and the University of Washington, received a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
Part of the toolkit is designed to help users respond to "difficult" online discussion by offering them tailored "expert-informed" responses, using an amalgamation of sources, to share with their followers and meant to "build trust."
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Users are encouraged to plug in their friends and family's Twitter and Facebook posts to determine how "harmful" they may be. ARTT has said that influencing the views of others is more successful when it comes from friends and family, as opposed to a social media fact-check.
"People are asking, ‘How do I know what is true? How can I make decisions for myself? Where are the official sources?’ The ARTT Project is aiming to build practical tools to address these challenges," a National Science Foundation YouTube video says in part.
Hack/Hackers is also in the process of developing a rating and categorization scale for the reliability of sources and utilizing their tools on Wikipedia to determine "credible sources" for readers.
The project has already been put to real world use, citing conservative-leaning sources like The Daily Wire, Daily Mail, and biologist Bret Weinstein as "unreliable," while Vox, The New Yorker, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic and The Guardian have been marked as "reliable."
"If you dare to share from the naughty list, instead of coal you’ll get trolled. And instead of stockings stuffed with treats, you might just get ‘stalkings’ online and censorship under the tree!" Ernst told Fox News Digital, when referencing the software.
The toolkit has generated tailored response for several topics, including vaccine efficacy.
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Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) warned of censorship of sources deemed "unreliable." ((Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))
The project recently announced it has entered Phase II as part of the Nationals Science Foundation’s convergence accelerator and will receive additional federal funding.
"Phase II of the ARTT project is led by Hacks/Hackers, a non-profit organization focused on journalism and technology, and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering at University of Washington. Throughout Phase I, a variety of organizations including Wikimedia DC, MuckRock Foundation, and Social Science Research Council collaborated and partnered in the project," Hacks/Hackers said.
"Additional advising in Phase I has come from members of WHO’s Vaccine Safety Net," a news article on Hacks/Hackers website reads.
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Page 225 of the omnibus bill designates funding to the National Science Foundation, which includes the foundation's research and related activities, major research equipment and facilities, stem education, agency operations and award management, and The Office of the National Science Board.
The bill passed the Senate on Thursday with a 68-29 vote.
The National Science Foundation and Hacks/Hackers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
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