Sarah Westall - Business Game Changers The Psychological Warfare Behind the Headlines w/ Mike Robinson
Dec 8, 2025
Mike Robinson, co-editor of the UK Column and a seasoned commentator on media influence, discusses the current global assault on free speech. He explores the origins of UK internet censorship, contrasting it with EU legislation, and highlights how claims of child protection are often used to mask broader control efforts. Robinson warns about the dangers of government overreach into communication tools like encryption, emphasizing the strategies used to amplify extreme voices while silencing genuine independent journalism. The conversation calls for more open dialogue and support for independent voices.
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Coordinated Censorship Began Years Ago
- Governments began an organized internet censorship effort around 2015 using extremism as the pretext.
- UK and EU laws like the Online Safety Act and Digital Services Act formalized platform control beyond platform self-policing.
Anonymity And Real-Time Filtering Are Next
- Next censorship targets are encryption and VPNs to remove online anonymity.
- Platforms are moving toward pre-upload filters (chat control) so content never appears.
Rapid-Response Narratives Centralize Messaging
- G7 promoted a rapid-response mechanism to align narratives across allied mainstream media.
- That common-language strategy makes independent counter-narratives easier to suppress.