Did you know that the @UN declared September 15 the "International Day of Democracy" & invited people to share their thoughts on the state of democracy in the world using the #DemocracyDay hashtag?
The @WhiteHouse should tell you: promoting & defending democracy is a US policy.
World leaders, UN bodies, & NGOs have tweeted about the International Day of Democracy today, including some of the most trusted allies of the USA in the UK, the EU, & Canada, like @JustinTrudeau:
This @POTUS didn't tweet about #DemocracyDay today, but he did make time to tweet about reports of his campaign spending, amplify a tweet calling the @VP44 (his political opponent) a pedophile, & promote his appearance on Fox News.
(President Trump is not a friend of democracy.)
For 2 centuries, a central goal of U.S. foreign policy has been the promotion of respect for human rights & democracy: state.gov/policy-issues/… …though our union has struggled to extend & protect them at home, from the original sin of slavery to suffrage to @CivilRights today.
In that light, here's what @SecPompeo said about democracy & this pandemic:
"Democracies, authoritarian governments, & dictatorships are equally challenged by the coronavirus pandemic, but only democracies are free to debate openly how to respond." state.gov/international-…
👉 @SecPompeo: "Authoritarians…remain true to form. Their 1st priority is not public health, but the protection of their own power. They refuse to answer hard questions. They sow disinformation, scapegoat vulnerable groups, expand mass surveillance, & suspend the rule of law."
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Cold take: The arrest of Pavel Durov is not a global threat to freedom of expression, but rather a threat to executives of tech companies who behave with impunity when a platform they operate is abused by organized criminals or corrupt politicians. civic-texts.ghost.io/what-the-arres…
This is not the “end of global social media,” as @semaforben suggested, but it may be the beginning of the end of impunity for tech billionaires who behave as if they are beyond the reach of accountability for harms that their unregulated platforms cause offline.
“We have spent many hours at 404 Media discussing amongst ourselves why there is so much crime on @Telegram itself and why Telegram has continued to let blatant criminal organizations operate on its platform in open, unencrypted channels. The only theory that makes any sense thus far is that the company sees itself as operating entirely outside the law.” 404media.co/how-telegrams-…
Transparency & accountability have not been a priority for a @WhiteHouse that briefs on background & relegates open government to a compliance exercise.
Opacity atop secrecy: @politico granted US officials anonymity to say @DeptofDefense did not tell @POTUS @JakeSullivan46 & NSC aides @SecDef was hospitalized for 3 days,
Austin recognized he “could have done better job” informing the public.
@politico @DeptofDefense @POTUS @JakeSullivan46 @SecDef Official opacity: @Axios granted the @WhiteHouse anonymity to claim that President Biden & Austin had “a warm conversation” & that @POTUS “has full confidence in @SecDef & is “ looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon.”
I heard a thunderclap in DC on a sunny day.
It appears it was a sonic boom from @DeptofDefense fighters scrambled from Andrews @airforce Base to intercept an unresponsive Cessna that overflew DC.
This is the least useful PSA I’ve encountered in some time, @AlertDC — could you please investigate and then elaborate when you confirm what has happened, @DC_HSEMA@SafeDC ?
🚨✈️🛫💨💥?
I take it back, @AlertDC: it was useful to hear that “there is no great at this time,” but being aware of reports of a loud “boom” doesn’t add much context for millions of people wondering what we heard.
If you know there was a sonic boom from scrambled fighters, please say so.
I’m at the historic @WarnerTheater in DC to bear witness what @PowerUSAID invited all Americans to learn about this morning:
How Ukraine is delivering services online in a democracy at war with @USAID. @karaswisher live now: usaid.gov/diiaindc
19M Ukrainians using DIAA now
As @karaswisher said, there has a been backpack against disruptive technologies like the Internet, smartphones, & social media.
We now worry about AI.
But all governments must harness these technologies to provide critical info & deliver services to networked publics, everywhere.
Today, @PowerUSAID says delivering services showed how “robust & secure digital public infrastructure” enabled Ukrainians to access services in a war while minimizing corruption.
She says @USAID supported in e-gov in Ukraine since 2016. “
The result: “Government in a smartphone.”
I find it encouraging to see @USAID@StateDRL rejoining international open government circles.
It’s discouraging @OpenGovPart@OGP_IRM have said so little about @WhiteHouse45@WhiteHouse acting contrary to process after @POTUS45 made a mockery of the US being in “good standing.”