1,138 blocks on public access to our Church and State website since 26 July 2016. One block so far today (as of 11.36am) on DAY 2 of Facebook's 37th block against Church and State since 1 December 2015
Ted Cruz asks if Facebook is a "neutral public forum". Mark Zuckerberg admits Silicon Valley is an "extremely left-leaning place" and claims he tries to make sure the company does not have a political bias. pic.twitter.com/gaWw7ORQDY
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) April 10, 2018
Re: Blocks on public access to our Church and State website since 26 July 2016
From my Facebook post's Update 15 April (11.21am):
"And it's not just Facebook blocks, blocks on public access to our Church and State website, and the daily targeting to fluctuating degrees of category pages throughout the site. Since 26 May 2017, we have been recording Internet cuts to boot; see my blog post of 21 June 2017, Internet cuts: We pay £65 per month for BT Infinity but feel we are in a race against time to stay online (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018 RE: 183rd Internet cut since 26 May 2017). Perhaps of particular importance in all this is the fact that last November Church and State topped more than 3 million hits over the previous eleven months and despite the even then far from level playing field."
15 April (11.36am): 1,138 blocks on public access to our Church and State website since 26 July 2016 (89 blocks 2016; 871 blocks 2017; 178 blocks 2018). See my blog post of 16 January 2017, The blocks on public access to our Church and State website continue unabated (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018 RE: 1,138th block since 26 July 2016). 183 blocks in the last three months of 2017 that included 7 blocks on 19 October; 59 blocks last month; 19 blocks this month; 10 blocks last week; 1 block so far today.
1. 810th 19 October 2017, 6.40am
2. 811th 19 October 2017, 12.14pm
3. 812th 19 October 2017, 2.03pm
4. 813th 19 October 2017, 5.13pm
5. 814th 19 October 2017, 7.18pm
6. 815th 19 October 2017, 8.22pm
7. 816th 19 October 2017, 10.54pm (7)
---------------------------------------------------
Last week:
319. 1,128th 8 April 2018, 5.41pm
320. 1,129th 8 April 2018, 11.48pm (2)
321. 1,130th 10 April 2018, 10.04am
322. 1,131st 10 April 2018, 11.52pm (2)
323. 1,132nd 11 April 2018, 9.54am (1)
324. 1,133rd 12 April 2018, 4.02am (1)
325. 1,134th 13 April 2018, 3.33am
326. 1,135th 13 April 2018, 6.31am
327. 1,136th 13 April 2018, 10.53am
328. 1,137th 13 April 2018, 11.59am (4)*
---------------------------------------------------
So far this week:
329. 1,138th 15 April 2018, 2.05am (1)
October 2017: 57 blocks
November 2017: 52 blocks
December 2017: 74 blocks
January 2018: 55 blocks
February 2018: 45 blocks
March 2018: 59 blocks
April 2018: 19 blocks (ongoing)
* This 1,137th block occurred the day before Facebook's 37th block against Church and State since 1 December 2015; see my blog post of 7 December 2017, Fighting for survival in London: Facebook's 26th block against our Church and State website since 1 December 2015. Last month Church and State topped more than 3 million hits over the past year (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018 RE: Block 37 DAY 2). The following are the last 14 of these Facebook blocks (all without explanation save the 30th block which maintained that everything from Church and State "looks like spam"):
24th 28 October - 8 November 2017 (12 days)
25th 23-30 November 2017 (8 days)
26th 7-8 December 2017 (2 days)
27th 10-17 December 2017 (8 days)
28th 28 December 2017 - 4 January 2018 (8 days)
29th 16-23 January 2018 (8 days)
30th 28 January - 4 February 2018 (8 days) ('spam')
31st 12-19 February 2018 (8 days)
32nd 26 February - 5 March 2018 (8 days)
33rd 7-14 March 2018 (8 days)
34th 16-24 March 2018 (8 days)
35th 24 March - 1 April 2018 (9 days)
36th 4-11 April 2018 (8 days)
37th 14-21 April 2018 (8 days) (ongoing)
November 2017: 16 days
December 2017: 14 days
January 2018: 16 days
February 2018: 15 days
March 2018: 29 days
April 2018: 17 days (to 21 April)
See The War on Free Expression by our honorary associate Flemming Rose (of Danish Cartoon Crisis fame), who is also one of our 13 authors.
From my Facebook post's Update 15 April (11.21am):
"And it's not just Facebook blocks, blocks on public access to our Church and State website, and the daily targeting to fluctuating degrees of category pages throughout the site. Since 26 May 2017, we have been recording Internet cuts to boot; see my blog post of 21 June 2017, Internet cuts: We pay £65 per month for BT Infinity but feel we are in a race against time to stay online (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018 RE: 183rd Internet cut since 26 May 2017). Perhaps of particular importance in all this is the fact that last November Church and State topped more than 3 million hits over the previous eleven months and despite the even then far from level playing field."
15 April (11.36am): 1,138 blocks on public access to our Church and State website since 26 July 2016 (89 blocks 2016; 871 blocks 2017; 178 blocks 2018). See my blog post of 16 January 2017, The blocks on public access to our Church and State website continue unabated (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018 RE: 1,138th block since 26 July 2016). 183 blocks in the last three months of 2017 that included 7 blocks on 19 October; 59 blocks last month; 19 blocks this month; 10 blocks last week; 1 block so far today.
1. 810th 19 October 2017, 6.40am
2. 811th 19 October 2017, 12.14pm
3. 812th 19 October 2017, 2.03pm
4. 813th 19 October 2017, 5.13pm
5. 814th 19 October 2017, 7.18pm
6. 815th 19 October 2017, 8.22pm
7. 816th 19 October 2017, 10.54pm (7)
---------------------------------------------------
Last week:
319. 1,128th 8 April 2018, 5.41pm
320. 1,129th 8 April 2018, 11.48pm (2)
321. 1,130th 10 April 2018, 10.04am
322. 1,131st 10 April 2018, 11.52pm (2)
323. 1,132nd 11 April 2018, 9.54am (1)
324. 1,133rd 12 April 2018, 4.02am (1)
325. 1,134th 13 April 2018, 3.33am
326. 1,135th 13 April 2018, 6.31am
327. 1,136th 13 April 2018, 10.53am
328. 1,137th 13 April 2018, 11.59am (4)*
---------------------------------------------------
So far this week:
329. 1,138th 15 April 2018, 2.05am (1)
October 2017: 57 blocks
November 2017: 52 blocks
December 2017: 74 blocks
January 2018: 55 blocks
February 2018: 45 blocks
March 2018: 59 blocks
April 2018: 19 blocks (ongoing)
* This 1,137th block occurred the day before Facebook's 37th block against Church and State since 1 December 2015; see my blog post of 7 December 2017, Fighting for survival in London: Facebook's 26th block against our Church and State website since 1 December 2015. Last month Church and State topped more than 3 million hits over the past year (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018 RE: Block 37 DAY 2). The following are the last 14 of these Facebook blocks (all without explanation save the 30th block which maintained that everything from Church and State "looks like spam"):
24th 28 October - 8 November 2017 (12 days)
25th 23-30 November 2017 (8 days)
26th 7-8 December 2017 (2 days)
27th 10-17 December 2017 (8 days)
28th 28 December 2017 - 4 January 2018 (8 days)
29th 16-23 January 2018 (8 days)
30th 28 January - 4 February 2018 (8 days) ('spam')
31st 12-19 February 2018 (8 days)
32nd 26 February - 5 March 2018 (8 days)
33rd 7-14 March 2018 (8 days)
34th 16-24 March 2018 (8 days)
35th 24 March - 1 April 2018 (9 days)
36th 4-11 April 2018 (8 days)
37th 14-21 April 2018 (8 days) (ongoing)
November 2017: 16 days
December 2017: 14 days
January 2018: 16 days
February 2018: 15 days
March 2018: 29 days
April 2018: 17 days (to 21 April)
See The War on Free Expression by our honorary associate Flemming Rose (of Danish Cartoon Crisis fame), who is also one of our 13 authors.
'Independent' court scrutinising MI5 is located inside Home Office http://t.co/ZezpDipCPx via @guardian
— Ian Cobain (@IanCobain) March 5, 2014
Re: Investigatory Powers Tribunal
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) dismissed Declan's complaint against the secret services on papers in less than three weeks, on 1 September 2011, stating that it was "obviously unsustainable". This is paragraph 11 of Declan's updated complaint to the United Nations under Article 19 (freedom of expression) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
11. The IPT was created in October 2000 by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and given the power to investigate any complaints against GCHQ, MI5 or MI6, as well as complaints about surveillance operations mounted by the police or any other public bodies. The Guardian reported on 5 March 2014 that the tribunal, which claims to be completely independent of the UK Government, is secretly operating from a base within the Home Office, by which it is funded. The newspaper found that the IPT had investigated about 1,500 complaints and upheld only 10 (five of these concerned members of one family who had all lodged complaints about surveillance by their local council). No complaint against any of the intelligence agencies had ever been upheld. The discovery that the IPT is lodged within a Whitehall department fuelled criticisms of the tribunal that had been levelled by rights groups, lawyers and complainants. The IPT's critics complain that the secrecy is excessive and that its procedures are stacked so heavily in favour of the government and against complainants that it is fundamentally unfair. According to The Guardian, some senior lawyers have described the IPT as "Kafkaesque", while one eminent barrister has dismissed it as "a kangaroo court". The newspaper also reports that as a consequence of the secrecy surrounding the tribunal and the perception that it is unfair, many would-be complainants spurn it.
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) dismissed Declan's complaint against the secret services on papers in less than three weeks, on 1 September 2011, stating that it was "obviously unsustainable". This is paragraph 11 of Declan's updated complaint to the United Nations under Article 19 (freedom of expression) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
11. The IPT was created in October 2000 by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and given the power to investigate any complaints against GCHQ, MI5 or MI6, as well as complaints about surveillance operations mounted by the police or any other public bodies. The Guardian reported on 5 March 2014 that the tribunal, which claims to be completely independent of the UK Government, is secretly operating from a base within the Home Office, by which it is funded. The newspaper found that the IPT had investigated about 1,500 complaints and upheld only 10 (five of these concerned members of one family who had all lodged complaints about surveillance by their local council). No complaint against any of the intelligence agencies had ever been upheld. The discovery that the IPT is lodged within a Whitehall department fuelled criticisms of the tribunal that had been levelled by rights groups, lawyers and complainants. The IPT's critics complain that the secrecy is excessive and that its procedures are stacked so heavily in favour of the government and against complainants that it is fundamentally unfair. According to The Guardian, some senior lawyers have described the IPT as "Kafkaesque", while one eminent barrister has dismissed it as "a kangaroo court". The newspaper also reports that as a consequence of the secrecy surrounding the tribunal and the perception that it is unfair, many would-be complainants spurn it.
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From My Picks:
25 March: Threat to life: We have started our "threat to life" defence against the Greater London Authority. Facebook blocks against our Church and State website have massively escalated this month (WITH UPDATE 15/4/2018)
