16AR21-35

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AR 21:35 - China "leads the way" in "human enhancement"

In this issue:

FREE SPEECH - proactive move by European Union against "hate speech" results in widespread "Orwellian" censorship far beyond claimed intent

GENETIC MODIFICATION - will the Chinese people "be subject to an unethical and dangerous" program?

Apologia Report 21:35 (1,308)

October 5, 2016

FREE SPEECH

"European Union Declares War on Internet Free Speech" by Soeren Kern, a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute and Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group -- "The European Union (EU), in partnership with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft, has unveiled a 'code of conduct' [on May 31] to combat the spread of 'illegal hate speech' online in Europe.

"Proponents of the initiative argue that in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, a crackdown on 'hate speech' is necessary to counter jihadist propaganda online.

"Opponents counter that the initiative amounts to an assault on free speech in Europe. They say that the EU's definition of 'hate speech' and 'incitement to violence' is so vague that it could include virtually anything deemed politically incorrect by European authorities, including criticism of mass migration, Islam or even the European Union itself.

"Some Members of the European Parliament have characterized the EU's code of online conduct - which requires 'offensive' material to be removed from the Internet within 24 hours, and replaced with 'counter-narratives' - as 'Orwellian.' ...

"The National Secular Society (NSS) of the UK warned that the EU's plans 'rest on a vague definition of 'hate speech' and risk threatening online discussions which criticize religion.' It added:

"'The agreement comes amid repeated accusations from ex-Muslims that social media organizations are censoring them online. The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain has now begun collecting examples from its followers of Facebook censoring 'atheist, secular and ex-Muslim content' after false 'mass reporting' by 'cyber Jihadists.' They have asked their supporters to report details and evidence of any instances of pages and groups being 'banned [or] suspended from Facebook for criticizing Islam and Islamism.' ...

"In an interview <www.goo.gl/KoMbVk> with Breitbart London, the CEO of Index on Censorship, Jodie Ginsburg, said:

"'Hate speech laws are already too broad and ambiguous in much of Europe. This agreement fails to properly define what "illegal hate speech" is and does not provide sufficient safeguards for freedom of expression.'

"'It devolves power once again to unelected corporations to determine what amounts to hate speech and police it - a move that is guaranteed to stifle free speech in the mistaken belief this will make us all safer. It won't. It will simply drive unpalatable ideas and opinions underground where they are harder to police - or to challenge.' ...

"Even before signing on to the EU's code of conduct, social media sites have been cracking down on free speech, often at the behest of foreign governments. ...

"Writing for Gatestone Institute, British commentator Douglas Murray noted that Facebook's assault on 'racist' speech 'appears to include anything critical of the EU's current catastrophic immigration policy.' He wrote:

"'By deciding that "xenophobic" comment in reaction to the crisis is also "racist," Facebook has made the view of the majority of the European people (who, it must be stressed, are opposed to Chancellor Merkel's policies) into "racist" views, and so is condemning the majority of Europeans as "racist." This is a policy that will do its part in pushing Europe into a disastrous future.' ...

"In January 2013, Facebook suspended the account of Khaled Abu Toameh after he wrote about corruption in the Palestinian Authority. The account was reopened 24 hours later, but with the two posts deleted and no explanation. Abu Toameh wrote:

"'It's still a matter of censorship. They decide what's acceptable. Now we have to be careful about what we post and what we share. Does this mean we can't criticize Arab governments anymore?'

"In June 2016, Facebook suspended the account of Ingrid Carlqvist, Gatestone's Swedish expert, after she posted a Gatestone video to her Facebook feed <www.goo.gl/T2p2yR> - called 'Sweden's Migrant Rape Epidemic.'" <www.goo.gl/6uujoE>

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GENETIC MODIFICATION

Will the future of human genetic experiments be driven by China? Writing for the BBC ("Will China create the first GM baby?" Aug 8 '16), G. Owen Schaefer (National University of Singapore) "argues that China will lead the way."

Schaefer begins by saying that "the advent of the CRISPR-cas9 gene editing tool ... raises the specter of tinkering with our DNA to improve traits like intelligence, athleticism and even moral reasoning. ...

"Numerous surveys among Western populations have found significant opposition to many forms of human enhancement. ...

"A broader review of public opinion studies found significant opposition in countries like Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. to selecting the best embryos for implantation based on nonmedical traits like appearance or intelligence. ...

"There is some evidence that in Japan there is similar opposition to enhancement as in the West. Other countries, such as China and India, are more positive toward enhancement. ... This has led Darryl Macer of the Eubios Ethics Institute <eubios.info> to posit that Asia will be at the forefront of expansion of human enhancement.

"In the meantime, the biggest barrier to genetic enhancement will be broader statutes banning gene editing. ...

"The US may appear to be an exception to this trend. It lacks legal restriction of gene editing; however, federal funding of germline gene editing research is prohibited. Because most geneticists rely on government grants for their research, this acts as a significant restriction on germline editing studies.

"By contrast, it was Chinese government funding that led China to be the first to edit the genes of human embryos using the CRISPR-cas9 tool in 2015. China has also been leading the way in using CRISPR-cas9 for non-germline genetic modifications of human tissue cells for use in treatment of cancer patients. ...

"A further, more political factor may be at play. Western democracies are, by design, sensitive to popular opinion. Elected politicians will be less likely to fund controversial projects, and more likely to restrict them. By contrast, countries like China that lack direct democratic systems are thereby less sensitive to opinion, and officials can play an outsize role in shaping public opinion to align with government priorities. ...

"Some genes may have an effect on violent tendencies, suggesting genetic engineering could reduce crime rates.

"Indeed, if we set ethical and safety objections aside, genetic enhancement has the potential to bring about significant national advantages. ...

"If further studies bear out the reliability of gene editing in improving such traits, China is well-poised to become a leader in the area of human enhancement. ...

"If the critics are correct that human enhancement is unethical, dangerous or both, then yes, emergence in China would be worrying. From this critical perspective, the Chinese people would be subject to an unethical and dangerous intervention - a cause for international concern. ...

"As Western governments hem and haw, delaying development of potentially great advances for humanity, China leads the way forward. Their increased competitiveness, in turn, would pressure Western countries to relax restrictions and thereby allow humanity as a whole to progress - becoming healthier, more productive and generally capable." <www.goo.gl/hqMSKF>

Also see <www.goo.gl/GtEvk8> and <www.goo.gl/2VzNm6>

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