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A rapidly growing social media site described as the ‘new Facebook’ is sponsoring Plant Based News‘ upcoming documentary Vegan 2018.
Award-winning platform MeWe was founded by Mark Weinstein, who’s known as one of the early inventors of social media and a leading privacy advocate. He’s been ranked as one of the ‘Top 8 Minds in Online Privacy‘ and named ‘Privacy by Design Ambassador’ by the Canadian Government. Inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, sits on MeWe’s Advisory Board.
The platform operates by a Privacy Bill of Rights – meaning it has no ads, no political bias, no shadow banning, no spyware, no boosted fake news, no newsfeed manipulation, and no facial recognition. It does not sell the information of its members.
Vegan censorship
Weinstein is sponsoring Vegan 2018 to counter what he describes as ‘censorship’ of different lifestyles by other social media platforms.
“We saw that Plant Based News, and the vegan movement in general, were being censored and treated unfairly by Facebook,” he said. “Plant Based News are upstanding citizens of the world and their censorship by Facebook smacks of authoritarianism. That is NOT the role of a social media company.
“At MeWe, we support all lifestyles and it’s none of our business whether a member promotes veganism or any other mainstream or alternative lifestyle. Vegan2018’s message is positive, important to educate all of us, and not threatening in any possible way.”
Mark Weinstein is interviewed by the BBC
Alternative voices
Weinstein added that alternative outlets like Plant Based News and MeWe are ‘more important now than ever’.
‘Every day we see remarkable news revealing Facebook’s latest violations that harm their members and interfere with democracy,” he said, citing the selling of members’ personal data without consent and the targeting of LGBT members with ads for ‘gay conversion therapy’, among the controversies.
“Alternative media outlets like Plant Based News are routinely censored and ‘shadow banned’ for nothing more than the bias of mainstream social media sites and their leaders. This blatant censorship is a violation of all principles of freedom and democracy. It is vital that alternative voices can be heard without being stifled by mainstream bias.”
Weinstein speaks about online privacy laws on PBS News
Vegan 2018
Weinstein, who is also CEO of MeWe, says his company supports PBN and its message of promoting a healthy, sustainable lifestyle with minimal negative impact on the Earth. While he isn’t vegan himself, he ‘loves learning and opening his mind’.
‘At MeWe, we simply believe that the world is a better place with diversity and that the censorship of law-abiding citizens promoting and discussing their beliefs with others in an intelligent and positive manner is absurd,” Weinstein said.
‘We hope Vegan2018‘s message reaches millions of people in the world who are already vegans and the millions of others who will want to hear and learn about veganism and the vegan movement.”
‘We want to empower Plant Based News, Vegan2018, and all other alternative and mainstream voices who have important messages, to be heard.”
Watch the trailer for Vegan 2018 here
Buy tickets for Vegan 2018’s London premiere here
Become part of the conversation –Join Plant Based News’ group on MeWe
