by Cindy Harper, Reclaim The Net:
The online free speech war has found a new battlefield with the video platform Rumble at its center, following recent accusations leveled against comedian Russell Brand. Numerous companies, including Burger King, Asos, the Barbican, and meal delivery service HelloFresh have withdrawn their ads from the increasingly popular platform.
A group called The News Movement, who say they “help people fight misinformation,” contacted companies, pointing out that their adverts were being shown on Russell Brand’s channel.
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The group said they also contacted other brands including “Ralph Lauren, eBay and Hilton hotels” who didn’t respond to their “request for comment.”
The media and parliamentary pressure on Rumble was triggered by allegations of rape and sexual assault towards Russell Brand, who commands a following of 1.4 million on Rumble. Despite these allegations, Brand has publicly denied them and has decried the decision to block his revenue stream as an attempt at censorship.
YouTube also embraced a decision to strip Brand of income, halting the comedian’s ability to make money from their platform. Rumble, however, has remained steadfastly neutral and refrained from limiting his ability to earn money.
The platform found itself in the crosshairs of a UK parliamentary committee, with the Conservative chair and member of the committee, Caroline Dinenage, expressing her concerns about Brand’s possibility of profiting from his content.
This quickly prompted Rumble to respond by describing the letter sent by the committee as “dangerous.”
As a champion of free speech, Rumble made it clear that it is dedicated to fostering an internet that does not suppress specific ideas or deprive individuals of a platform at someone’s whim.
