With size comes great responsibility. The more successful Substack is, the more it's going to have to work within a realistic environment. So, for example, if let's say somebody is a successful Substack and makes, let's say, $100,000 a year out of it, well, of course they're going to have to pay tax for that. And let's say somebody promotes jihad on Substack or suggests that mosques or synagogues should be burned down. Of course they should be accountable for that. I don't actually think the freedom of speech involves the right to cry "fire, fire, fire" in a crowded theatre. So there have to be some constraints.
George Washington once said, "If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
"The government will outlaw our right to disagree. IF we let them" —Harrison Ford
Don't let them, ever, because the consequences are far worse than death.
“There is no time in history where the people who were censoring speech were the good guys,” —RFK.
“Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful... Better a thousandfold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech. The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race.” —Charles Bradlaugh
"If speaking out feels dangerous now, just imagine how much more dangerous it will get should we stay silent."
It is simple for me. I will LEAVE if it becomes a BIOMETRIC GATE. I hope the writers I follow will find a new home. I have previously closed a 10+ year old account on another platform when they tried to FORCE biometrics.
Elizabeth. My sentiments exactly. As an Aussie content creator myself I was taken aback and caught out by SS's inexplicable decision to voluntarily enforce the age verification requirement. You will see below for my view on the matter, made public on FB and on X, and sent to them directly, via their less than responsive "support" emails. I receive no satisfactory reply from anyone at Substack.
Now I've since been able to recover my account, but with no direct help from the SS folks, using their account recovery facility. At the moment, as of yesterday, I now have full access to my account, and to Substack as a reader, subscriber, and content creator. But for how much longer none of us can be certain.
On a slightly different tangent, as someone who has considerable professional and academic background and experience in marketing, branding and communications, I was stunned by this decision. Given the hype around Substack at the time of its launch and for years after, many creators and readers seeking alternatives to the thoroughly discredited mainstream news and information outlets have come to view the SS brand as an island of information integrity in an ocean of dross and propaganda.
Some have suggested they are prepping themselves for a buyout (that is they're selling out to the highest bidder), and this IMO can be the only rational--though far from excusable--explanation for the betrayal of its core mission. We can only speculate as to the "free speech" bona fides of prospective buyers of the platform, given the present censorship milieu. I don't know how this is going to play out, but I'm looking at setting up on a different platform in any event. I'd suggest others look to doing likewise.
Obituary: The Suicide of Substack 2017-2025 (Posted on X 14/12/2025; see X link below)
ATTENTION: All Substack Readers, Subscribers and Content Creators
The platform known as Substack, once touting itself as a forum for free speech has deceased, the result of a self inflicted, mortal wound.
As a content creator on the platform with over 4K subscribers, I've now been summarily locked out of my account, unable to post new content, or read other contributor's content unless I comply with their "age verification" dictates.
I will not be complying with these dictates. If Substack doesn't reverse this decision and soon, there'll be no brand resurrection. Even if it does reverse it, said brand will forever be sullied by this unexpected, ill judged, incomprehensible move.
See below for more information.
Substack announced in early December 2025 that it would implement age verification for Australian users to comply with the Oz government's Online Safety Act, despite not being explicitly required to do so.
This has sparked widespread backlash from users, writers, and free speech advocates, who view it amongst other things as a surrender to surveillance, a barrier to anonymous reading, and a revenue killer for independent creators.
Below is a curated list of recent X posts expressing negative sentiments re: Substack's decision. Let's just call them some random eulogies.
=========
Dec 12, 2025
"This is an horrific attack on freedom. Substack have introduced user age ID checks in Australia - despite NOT being on the government’s list of channels required to check ID! The law is bad enough without channels voluntarily opting in!" @joanneharris_
Nov 26, 2025
"Substack rolling out age verification (ed. note: voluntarily mind you)... There is something undeniably insidious and authoritarian about our governments... calling themselves democracies and then censoring information..." @rationalaussie
Dec 11, 2025
"Have you seen now what Substack has done? Your Australian subscribers will now have to verify their age to read your articles. As a result of this I will now lose most of mine 😡 That’s how bad this is." @ClassicsofRome
Dec 10, 2025
"WTF IS THIS?! 'Verifying your age is required to access the Substack app if you're in Australia' Luckily I don't use the app, but..I have no interest in being carded by a bouncer at the door of the internet." @WomensNN
Dec 11, 2025
"What about the age checks... when you log onto a search engine in Aus? What about Substack (all Aus users will need to be age verified, except for paid subscribers)? It will expand. They want to end anonymity on the internet." @cookie_city
Dec 11, 2025
"What a pity Substack didn’t have the backbone to do the same. Australians have now lost their subscriber base because readers are required to comply with age verification which they will not do - and they shouldn’t! I am one of them and I’m livid!" @ClassicsofRome
Dec 11, 2025
"The impact of mandatory digital age verification on Australian authors with Substack accounts is demoralising for author & subscribers alike. It will punish them financially as potential subscribers refuse to comply." @bearmouseau
Dec 12, 2025
What a pity that Substack is age-checking all Australians using their platform. I won't be doing that. Goodbye Substack. 👋 @Vintuitive
Dec 10, 2025
"Substack complies with Dutton's Censorship 'Online Safety Act' requiring Age Verification. I got the message today at 7 am. Paid Subscribers already verified with no need to act."
@FluoridePoison
Dec 11, 2025
"I’ve lost my Substack readership now because of these bastards. Something I poured my soul into building. Substack now requires Australians to age verify just to read one of my articles! I’m an historian! What 13-16 year old will communicate nefariously on a grown up writer's platform!" @ClassicsofRome
Dec 11, 2025
"I just received an email from Substack stating that in order to comply with the Online Safety Act, Substack is also introducing age verification steps for readers in Australia. I don't know what's next." @TheMuSinger
Dec 11, 2025
"I woke up to an email from Substack bending the knee. Now the bastards that run Australia have taken away my right to earn a living because they are demanding readers prove their age - most won’t." @ClassicsofRome
As we know, Australia was one of the most dystopian countries during ‘Covid’, with the National Cabinet imposing mandatory vaccination under threat of loss of livelihood and participation in society for those who refused to comply. It has been the most shocking experience… All the Five Eyes countries are implicated in this, the supposed ‘free countries’ betraying the people.
And now here we are with the UK and Australia imposing regulation to curb free speech… I wonder if it’s really about shutting down critical analysis of the deliberately manufactured Covid crisis that was used to exploit and control the people?
My specific interest is in exposing that vaccine mandates violated voluntary informed consent for vaccination, which now means there is no valid informed consent for vaccination…just think about the implications of that.
Whatever happens with Substack, I will continue with my work in pursuing accountability… In this regard, see my recent open letter to doctors, nurses, and medical leaders on professional responsibility, voluntary informed consent, and moral failure during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout: https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-doctors-nurses
I don't think you quite understand. Substack is a company. A company makes profit. That is all a company does. Anything that intrudes upon the making of profit is not allowed. Substack doesn't want costly litigation. It eats into profit. Therefore Substack will do what is profitable and comply.
Yes, Substack is a private company. But when a platform publicly markets itself as a refuge for independent speech, it also accepts ethical responsibility for the consequences of its choices.
The point of my open letter is to challenge the idea that compliance with identity-linked systems is inevitable. Platforms make choices about what they normalise, what they resist, and where they draw ethical lines. Those choices shape the environment in which people can speak…or be cancelled.
I’m pursuing Substack for principled leadership and accountability, will they defend the ethics of their platform?
All I know is I’m tired of being sold one thing and later being told to get over it because they are a private business and because of this, they can do whatever they want. Yes, we can quit, leave, or protest, but the damage and trust is gone.
I’m still on FB, but only because my family and friends are all on there. But, I do not engage on that platform like I do on Substack. FB sucks so bad. People on there are afraid to post or comment. It’s superficial BS. Hey, look! 👀 look at how wonderful my family, my life, my dog, my car, look at how wonderful my life is. Look at my new shiny object. On and on..
It was good while it lasted. AI slop isn’t helping either..
The customer may not always be right ... but they are ALWAYS the ones who pay the wages and produces the profit for them. Substack should remember that fact before anything else.
I would also leave, immediately, without a second thought. It's a matter of principle and of personal safety and self-protection.
After what we experienced during the Biden Administration, we learned to fly under the radar if we wanted to preserve our immune system and safeguard our family's health. I will never voluntarily participate on any platform that demands I "show them my papers" as a condition of public discourse.
That defeats the purpose. The purpose is to abandon a platform that insists on you identifying yourself. Thereby depriving them of users. Few will do this. They use a work around but principles should not be worked around.
I went across after The Conservative Woman site started refusing nigh on every post by disqus (I think they use muslim mods) which 'moderated' rather immoderately and it then ultimately blocked me in perpetuity when I objected. I've never had a post refused for any reason whatsoever at FSB.
Substack was a lifeline in the era of the Covidians. But now... there's still some great content but it's harder to find. I don't like notes either, too addictive. I don't want to leave. Substack is the only social media platform I use. But if I have to I will. I have heard about Beehive or something?
I don’t like Notes either. I just like to read. I don’t like video content either. I can’t watch others talk and talk, but I can read transcripts just fine.
Au contraire "Dollyboy" I DO "quite understand"! Thing is they didn't have to "comply" with these requirements. Moreover, the damage they have inflicted on their brand can and will (I believe) be even more costly. Not just damage caused by the decision itself, but the manner in which it was handled, which was a classic case study in how to 🤬🆙 your brand value. See my earlier comment for more, including selected comments from other people.
As you say Greg “Thing is they didn't have to "comply" with these requirements.”
It’s ironic that Substack has folded so easily, when we thought we were on a genuine ‘free speech’ platform. It’s also telling that it’s action by the UK and Australia which has led to this chilling effect…two countries that were at the forefront of the ‘COVID’ debacle, and which have a vested interest in shutting down debate on the ‘COVID’ scandal, eg the destruction of voluntary informed consent for vaccination. Is this actually the sinister agenda?
Elizabeth, I think the agenda is for shutting down debate on anything and everything the PTBs see as contrary to their offical line. BTW, I saw your second open letter, and have reposted it in full on both X and on FB. I’ve tagged the Substack people. Be very interesting to see if we receive any kind of offical response. It was extremely well framed. Thanks for all your efforts. Best wishes, GM
Thanks Greg. Debate on vaccination policy has been shut down for years - that's why we're in this mess.
Are we living in free countries or not? In reality it doesn't look like it.
Governments are not accountable. And yet...when I pressed on the matter of vaccination, both AHPRA and the Australian Government had to respond and acknowledge that informed consent should be obtained - yet under coercion and mandates there is no informed consent. This is the core scandal that remains unresolved. Have you seen my open letter to doctors etc on this? See: https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-doctors-nurses
For me, informed consent is the key to everything. 'They' have been imposing their will - but not with our consent. That's the angle that must be pursued.
And yes - Substack must be held to account for this biometric move. They've interfered with paid subscriptions and people are being disrupted already. Have you seen this article Michael Ginsburg shared? Crikey! Substack BIOMETRIC SCANS, New US Identity Verification Laws & Authors Hit with Chargebacks Due to This Chaos: https://chemtrails.substack.com/p/substack-biometric-scans-new-us-identity
Thanks for sharing my open letter on X and FB, and tagging Substack, these people have to be held to account.
Not necessarily. During the Covid Event this platform was seemingly left alone and attracted an army of writers and readers prone to critical thinking. That changed dramatically after the Twitter-X transition and Trump’s presidency turn. The new clientele may very much keep the platform afloat.
Yes Andrei, it was an astonishing time during the height of ‘Covid’ when dissenters could speak here freely.
There remains an enormous scandal to expose - is this what is really behind this restraining of free speech, vested interests trying to cover up the Covid scandal?
We still don’t, and may never, know what actually happened in the world, do we? Substack’s owners might have chosen to abandon certain jurisdictions, just as Rumble closed its doors to France, but they did not. I hope they will contemplate your questions, and we will learn something from it.
Yes, there is still much to be exposed about what happened in the world…
This is exactly why open discussion spaces are so important.
It’s appalling that Substack is collaborating with this discrimination against people in the UK and Australia, denying us the same level of participation as others around the world. Why is this? Because governments in Australia and the UK have so much they want to keep covered up, not to be raked over on social media such as Substack?
Will Substack leadership reflect seriously on this moment, and choose a path that protects dissent rather than narrowing it?
They can easily "comply" by simply not showing any "flagged" content to anyone. Once the population understands they are being censored, then the population will put pressure on government insisting that our freedom be returned.
I hope you’re correct John. But power once ensconced is rarely relinquished. I fear we’ve allowed the PTBs to push the envelope too far already. And far too many people remain either too complacent about the dangers ahead, or far too compliant and subservient. Indeed their compliance and their complacency undermines the resistance of those who amongst us who dare to challenge this technocratic overreach.
We do have a unique situation in the USA though because we have fifty states all making different laws. That gives opportunity to educate the population and push back against censorship. Sure a huge number of people are too stupid to realize what is happening and think that "censorship is a good thing".
And how do they make profit?? Is government regulation making them profit? Like with Covid - people took the jabs as they also did not want to have high cost fighting their freedom - except if anyone had just disobeyed, things would have gone different… And now many of them died and was fired anyway…
I use substack to find truth - and as it seems all platforms will obey the deep state - so it will not be worth using these platforms ! As the Chinese say, let it rot.
It should be self-evident by now that Substack is and ALWAYS was a "honeypot" with the purpose of attracting as much "dissident content" as possible to the platform and then bring the hammer down at the most opportune time.
Chris & Hamish do NOT control this platform Elizabeth and NEVER have.
The person actually in control is Marc "egghead" Andreessen and his VC giant A16Z.
It is my intention to spearhead a coordinated campaign to KILL OFF SUBSTACK by capitalising on their primary Achilles heel: their revenue share model.
A16Z is obviously aware of this weakness and already have plans in place to pivot and diversify (including by introducing ads) so the window of opportunity will not remain open forever.
Michael, my focus is not on destroying Substack. For many of us, this platform has been one of the few places where difficult dissenting conversations could occur at all. The ethical risk I’m addressing is the introduction of identity-linked participation systems that produce chilling effects and exclusion, particularly in Australia and the UK (perhaps not coincidentally countries which are key players in the ‘Covid’ debacle…) The priority is to challenge that direction change and defend the conditions that allowed free discussion to exist, not to wipe out one of the few spaces where people can speak freely.
Looks like folk who are likely to be cancelled need to get together to make an alternative communcation website/ email network. Taking down Substack does not need to be an objective. And it doesn't matter if the alternative is self-funded, uses fees from (some) subscribers, or advertising. Just so long as it's controlled by a group of people who are determined to retain freedom of speech. Obviously, its survival would depend on said freedom remaining.
Not sure how you can say that Substack is a “platform where people can speak freely” given recent events which you are obviously well aware of given this post but I won't get into argument with you. Our approaches to fighting this war are obviously quite different. Regardless of whether my efforts will be successful or not (and they WILL be!), I do suggest you start considering alternatives outside Substack…for your own benefit.
As you say Michael "Our approaches to fighting this war are obviously quite different"...
As for Substack, my eggs are not all in this basket, it's an adjunct to the work I've been doing for years, seeking accountability for vaccination policy and practice.
This is a long game, and it's interesting to see who is now working to curtail forums where criticism of vaccination has been freely aired, e.g. the UK and Australian governments imposing regulation to hinder free speech.
I can bypass 'AGE VERIFICATION ' When I press ' like' ❤️ it takes me to age verification,( on Substack )I press CANCEL and go back to the email sent to me by Elizabeth etc. it then.... allows me to read, engage, press like and comment, bypassing the Age Verification section.👍
I click on 'like' heart, it asks me for age verification, I reject it, go back to the email sent to me then I am directed straight into the substack article with comments etc ... So I can still get in !!
Just in case we lose Substack, I'm encouraging everyone to create an account on MeWe (even if you don't use it). I've created a group for us, post links to your articles as you publish them and encourage additional discussion of your articles.
My sympathies go out to the companies having to deal with these government regulations. We must realize that many people believe the government is just trying to give people what they want. "The people" do not understand that "age verification" can't be done without "identification". Once users are forced to "identify" then freedom is thrown away.
Since platforms are already using some method to identify "offending" material, my recommendation to Substack and others is to simply remove such content and replace it with a message: "the government does not permit you to view this material".
Do NOT fall into the "we must comply or our business will be fined and put out of business" trap.
We need a strong and complete rejection of this tyranny now! Not some lame pretending that it's okay if we give up our freedom. Or nonsense that it's for the "greater good".
I think all platforms start off with great ideals and then end up having to conform to various parts of international legislation and the requirements of scrutineers and different standards in different countries.
So I'm not quite sure how Substack has managed to get this far so well and so freely, but quite clearly I think most of us don't have concerns about all this stuff. My own Substack is pretty minor league, really, and it covers non-controversial subjects. But certainly if somebody was promoting child pornography or something like that or animal abuse, then I would hope that they get chucked out of this site very, very quickly.
That any readers have got the right to complain about stuff that's just immoral, unsuitable, illegal, or they're promoting hate. I like freedom of speech, but I don't like haters and I don't like people who use that free, who abuse the freedom of speech to promote bigoted minority hatred and racism.
Just like that, a platform bends the knee and destroys the fabric of who they told us they were.
With size comes great responsibility. The more successful Substack is, the more it's going to have to work within a realistic environment. So, for example, if let's say somebody is a successful Substack and makes, let's say, $100,000 a year out of it, well, of course they're going to have to pay tax for that. And let's say somebody promotes jihad on Substack or suggests that mosques or synagogues should be burned down. Of course they should be accountable for that. I don't actually think the freedom of speech involves the right to cry "fire, fire, fire" in a crowded theatre. So there have to be some constraints.
George Washington once said, "If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
"The government will outlaw our right to disagree. IF we let them" —Harrison Ford
Don't let them, ever, because the consequences are far worse than death.
“There is no time in history where the people who were censoring speech were the good guys,” —RFK.
“Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful... Better a thousandfold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech. The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race.” —Charles Bradlaugh
"If speaking out feels dangerous now, just imagine how much more dangerous it will get should we stay silent."
I'm disgusted that a substack leaders have already started locking out creators that I follow by requesting their digital id to be done
Fantastic work, Elizabeth. I wholeheartedly agree.
It is simple for me. I will LEAVE if it becomes a BIOMETRIC GATE. I hope the writers I follow will find a new home. I have previously closed a 10+ year old account on another platform when they tried to FORCE biometrics.
Ditto.
Elizabeth. My sentiments exactly. As an Aussie content creator myself I was taken aback and caught out by SS's inexplicable decision to voluntarily enforce the age verification requirement. You will see below for my view on the matter, made public on FB and on X, and sent to them directly, via their less than responsive "support" emails. I receive no satisfactory reply from anyone at Substack.
Now I've since been able to recover my account, but with no direct help from the SS folks, using their account recovery facility. At the moment, as of yesterday, I now have full access to my account, and to Substack as a reader, subscriber, and content creator. But for how much longer none of us can be certain.
On a slightly different tangent, as someone who has considerable professional and academic background and experience in marketing, branding and communications, I was stunned by this decision. Given the hype around Substack at the time of its launch and for years after, many creators and readers seeking alternatives to the thoroughly discredited mainstream news and information outlets have come to view the SS brand as an island of information integrity in an ocean of dross and propaganda.
Some have suggested they are prepping themselves for a buyout (that is they're selling out to the highest bidder), and this IMO can be the only rational--though far from excusable--explanation for the betrayal of its core mission. We can only speculate as to the "free speech" bona fides of prospective buyers of the platform, given the present censorship milieu. I don't know how this is going to play out, but I'm looking at setting up on a different platform in any event. I'd suggest others look to doing likewise.
Obituary: The Suicide of Substack 2017-2025 (Posted on X 14/12/2025; see X link below)
ATTENTION: All Substack Readers, Subscribers and Content Creators
The platform known as Substack, once touting itself as a forum for free speech has deceased, the result of a self inflicted, mortal wound.
As a content creator on the platform with over 4K subscribers, I've now been summarily locked out of my account, unable to post new content, or read other contributor's content unless I comply with their "age verification" dictates.
I will not be complying with these dictates. If Substack doesn't reverse this decision and soon, there'll be no brand resurrection. Even if it does reverse it, said brand will forever be sullied by this unexpected, ill judged, incomprehensible move.
See below for more information.
Substack announced in early December 2025 that it would implement age verification for Australian users to comply with the Oz government's Online Safety Act, despite not being explicitly required to do so.
This has sparked widespread backlash from users, writers, and free speech advocates, who view it amongst other things as a surrender to surveillance, a barrier to anonymous reading, and a revenue killer for independent creators.
Below is a curated list of recent X posts expressing negative sentiments re: Substack's decision. Let's just call them some random eulogies.
=========
Dec 12, 2025
"This is an horrific attack on freedom. Substack have introduced user age ID checks in Australia - despite NOT being on the government’s list of channels required to check ID! The law is bad enough without channels voluntarily opting in!" @joanneharris_
Nov 26, 2025
"Substack rolling out age verification (ed. note: voluntarily mind you)... There is something undeniably insidious and authoritarian about our governments... calling themselves democracies and then censoring information..." @rationalaussie
Dec 11, 2025
"Have you seen now what Substack has done? Your Australian subscribers will now have to verify their age to read your articles. As a result of this I will now lose most of mine 😡 That’s how bad this is." @ClassicsofRome
Dec 10, 2025
"WTF IS THIS?! 'Verifying your age is required to access the Substack app if you're in Australia' Luckily I don't use the app, but..I have no interest in being carded by a bouncer at the door of the internet." @WomensNN
Dec 11, 2025
"What about the age checks... when you log onto a search engine in Aus? What about Substack (all Aus users will need to be age verified, except for paid subscribers)? It will expand. They want to end anonymity on the internet." @cookie_city
Dec 11, 2025
"What a pity Substack didn’t have the backbone to do the same. Australians have now lost their subscriber base because readers are required to comply with age verification which they will not do - and they shouldn’t! I am one of them and I’m livid!" @ClassicsofRome
Dec 11, 2025
"The impact of mandatory digital age verification on Australian authors with Substack accounts is demoralising for author & subscribers alike. It will punish them financially as potential subscribers refuse to comply." @bearmouseau
Dec 12, 2025
What a pity that Substack is age-checking all Australians using their platform. I won't be doing that. Goodbye Substack. 👋 @Vintuitive
Dec 10, 2025
"Substack complies with Dutton's Censorship 'Online Safety Act' requiring Age Verification. I got the message today at 7 am. Paid Subscribers already verified with no need to act."
@FluoridePoison
Dec 11, 2025
"I’ve lost my Substack readership now because of these bastards. Something I poured my soul into building. Substack now requires Australians to age verify just to read one of my articles! I’m an historian! What 13-16 year old will communicate nefariously on a grown up writer's platform!" @ClassicsofRome
Dec 11, 2025
"I just received an email from Substack stating that in order to comply with the Online Safety Act, Substack is also introducing age verification steps for readers in Australia. I don't know what's next." @TheMuSinger
Dec 11, 2025
"I woke up to an email from Substack bending the knee. Now the bastards that run Australia have taken away my right to earn a living because they are demanding readers prove their age - most won’t." @ClassicsofRome
👀🔗 👉 https://x.com/gjmaybury/status/2000097971388526918
It’s definitely chilling Greg…
As we know, Australia was one of the most dystopian countries during ‘Covid’, with the National Cabinet imposing mandatory vaccination under threat of loss of livelihood and participation in society for those who refused to comply. It has been the most shocking experience… All the Five Eyes countries are implicated in this, the supposed ‘free countries’ betraying the people.
And now here we are with the UK and Australia imposing regulation to curb free speech… I wonder if it’s really about shutting down critical analysis of the deliberately manufactured Covid crisis that was used to exploit and control the people?
My specific interest is in exposing that vaccine mandates violated voluntary informed consent for vaccination, which now means there is no valid informed consent for vaccination…just think about the implications of that.
Whatever happens with Substack, I will continue with my work in pursuing accountability… In this regard, see my recent open letter to doctors, nurses, and medical leaders on professional responsibility, voluntary informed consent, and moral failure during the COVID-19 vaccination rollout: https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-doctors-nurses
I don't think you quite understand. Substack is a company. A company makes profit. That is all a company does. Anything that intrudes upon the making of profit is not allowed. Substack doesn't want costly litigation. It eats into profit. Therefore Substack will do what is profitable and comply.
Yes, Substack is a private company. But when a platform publicly markets itself as a refuge for independent speech, it also accepts ethical responsibility for the consequences of its choices.
The point of my open letter is to challenge the idea that compliance with identity-linked systems is inevitable. Platforms make choices about what they normalise, what they resist, and where they draw ethical lines. Those choices shape the environment in which people can speak…or be cancelled.
I’m pursuing Substack for principled leadership and accountability, will they defend the ethics of their platform?
All I know is I’m tired of being sold one thing and later being told to get over it because they are a private business and because of this, they can do whatever they want. Yes, we can quit, leave, or protest, but the damage and trust is gone.
I’m still on FB, but only because my family and friends are all on there. But, I do not engage on that platform like I do on Substack. FB sucks so bad. People on there are afraid to post or comment. It’s superficial BS. Hey, look! 👀 look at how wonderful my family, my life, my dog, my car, look at how wonderful my life is. Look at my new shiny object. On and on..
It was good while it lasted. AI slop isn’t helping either..
The customer may not always be right ... but they are ALWAYS the ones who pay the wages and produces the profit for them. Substack should remember that fact before anything else.
Personally, if I was asked for age verification or something of that nature, I would leave the platform but I think I am in the minority.
I would also leave, immediately, without a second thought. It's a matter of principle and of personal safety and self-protection.
After what we experienced during the Biden Administration, we learned to fly under the radar if we wanted to preserve our immune system and safeguard our family's health. I will never voluntarily participate on any platform that demands I "show them my papers" as a condition of public discourse.
Use VPN if asked to prove ID. There's a built in one on Opera browser and it circumvents the process.
Thank you. I truly appreciate the advice.
Plus opera is a lot less 'hefty' on the memory than the usual suspects that microsoft supply! (I'm not on the Opera payroll BTW Kathleen! ;o)
That defeats the purpose. The purpose is to abandon a platform that insists on you identifying yourself. Thereby depriving them of users. Few will do this. They use a work around but principles should not be worked around.
I tried two different ones, and they didn't work.
There's always
https://www.freespeechbacklash.com
I went across after The Conservative Woman site started refusing nigh on every post by disqus (I think they use muslim mods) which 'moderated' rather immoderately and it then ultimately blocked me in perpetuity when I objected. I've never had a post refused for any reason whatsoever at FSB.
VPNs are being blocked. There is a push to make VPNs illegal.
I use a VPN and Substack blocked me from reading one article. The system is glitching!
Oh, I’ll leave. At first it was a great place. I felt at home.
Now, it’s been taken over by folks that think plugging their ideas into AI and regurgitating that slop is a good way to make money.
Then came the mainstream liberals… and when you see mainstream coming… it’s over.
Substack was a lifeline in the era of the Covidians. But now... there's still some great content but it's harder to find. I don't like notes either, too addictive. I don't want to leave. Substack is the only social media platform I use. But if I have to I will. I have heard about Beehive or something?
I don’t like Notes either. I just like to read. I don’t like video content either. I can’t watch others talk and talk, but I can read transcripts just fine.
Am I the only one? lol
The only thing I want from Substack are articles. None of this other nonsense.
If Substack cracks down and requires Identification then I'll be down to MeWe being the only "free speech" non-censored platform.
You're not the only one.
In general, I find watching videos a waste of time.
Reading a transcript or, better yet, a well composed article, is far less time-consuming.
Au contraire "Dollyboy" I DO "quite understand"! Thing is they didn't have to "comply" with these requirements. Moreover, the damage they have inflicted on their brand can and will (I believe) be even more costly. Not just damage caused by the decision itself, but the manner in which it was handled, which was a classic case study in how to 🤬🆙 your brand value. See my earlier comment for more, including selected comments from other people.
As you say Greg “Thing is they didn't have to "comply" with these requirements.”
It’s ironic that Substack has folded so easily, when we thought we were on a genuine ‘free speech’ platform. It’s also telling that it’s action by the UK and Australia which has led to this chilling effect…two countries that were at the forefront of the ‘COVID’ debacle, and which have a vested interest in shutting down debate on the ‘COVID’ scandal, eg the destruction of voluntary informed consent for vaccination. Is this actually the sinister agenda?
Elizabeth, I think the agenda is for shutting down debate on anything and everything the PTBs see as contrary to their offical line. BTW, I saw your second open letter, and have reposted it in full on both X and on FB. I’ve tagged the Substack people. Be very interesting to see if we receive any kind of offical response. It was extremely well framed. Thanks for all your efforts. Best wishes, GM
Thanks Greg. Debate on vaccination policy has been shut down for years - that's why we're in this mess.
Are we living in free countries or not? In reality it doesn't look like it.
Governments are not accountable. And yet...when I pressed on the matter of vaccination, both AHPRA and the Australian Government had to respond and acknowledge that informed consent should be obtained - yet under coercion and mandates there is no informed consent. This is the core scandal that remains unresolved. Have you seen my open letter to doctors etc on this? See: https://elizabethhart.substack.com/p/an-open-letter-to-doctors-nurses
For me, informed consent is the key to everything. 'They' have been imposing their will - but not with our consent. That's the angle that must be pursued.
And yes - Substack must be held to account for this biometric move. They've interfered with paid subscriptions and people are being disrupted already. Have you seen this article Michael Ginsburg shared? Crikey! Substack BIOMETRIC SCANS, New US Identity Verification Laws & Authors Hit with Chargebacks Due to This Chaos: https://chemtrails.substack.com/p/substack-biometric-scans-new-us-identity
Thanks for sharing my open letter on X and FB, and tagging Substack, these people have to be held to account.
Not necessarily. During the Covid Event this platform was seemingly left alone and attracted an army of writers and readers prone to critical thinking. That changed dramatically after the Twitter-X transition and Trump’s presidency turn. The new clientele may very much keep the platform afloat.
Yes Andrei, it was an astonishing time during the height of ‘Covid’ when dissenters could speak here freely.
There remains an enormous scandal to expose - is this what is really behind this restraining of free speech, vested interests trying to cover up the Covid scandal?
We still don’t, and may never, know what actually happened in the world, do we? Substack’s owners might have chosen to abandon certain jurisdictions, just as Rumble closed its doors to France, but they did not. I hope they will contemplate your questions, and we will learn something from it.
Yes, there is still much to be exposed about what happened in the world…
This is exactly why open discussion spaces are so important.
It’s appalling that Substack is collaborating with this discrimination against people in the UK and Australia, denying us the same level of participation as others around the world. Why is this? Because governments in Australia and the UK have so much they want to keep covered up, not to be raked over on social media such as Substack?
Will Substack leadership reflect seriously on this moment, and choose a path that protects dissent rather than narrowing it?
I haven't been asked to show papers... which makes me wonder... Almost considering leaving Substack. Don't trust em.
Substack asked me once (I refused). I haven't have a problem since then.
They can easily "comply" by simply not showing any "flagged" content to anyone. Once the population understands they are being censored, then the population will put pressure on government insisting that our freedom be returned.
I hope you’re correct John. But power once ensconced is rarely relinquished. I fear we’ve allowed the PTBs to push the envelope too far already. And far too many people remain either too complacent about the dangers ahead, or far too compliant and subservient. Indeed their compliance and their complacency undermines the resistance of those who amongst us who dare to challenge this technocratic overreach.
Basically I agree with you.
We do have a unique situation in the USA though because we have fifty states all making different laws. That gives opportunity to educate the population and push back against censorship. Sure a huge number of people are too stupid to realize what is happening and think that "censorship is a good thing".
And how do they make profit?? Is government regulation making them profit? Like with Covid - people took the jabs as they also did not want to have high cost fighting their freedom - except if anyone had just disobeyed, things would have gone different… And now many of them died and was fired anyway…
I use substack to find truth - and as it seems all platforms will obey the deep state - so it will not be worth using these platforms ! As the Chinese say, let it rot.
Appreciation and blessings from Sydney Australia.
It should be self-evident by now that Substack is and ALWAYS was a "honeypot" with the purpose of attracting as much "dissident content" as possible to the platform and then bring the hammer down at the most opportune time.
Chris & Hamish do NOT control this platform Elizabeth and NEVER have.
The person actually in control is Marc "egghead" Andreessen and his VC giant A16Z.
It is my intention to spearhead a coordinated campaign to KILL OFF SUBSTACK by capitalising on their primary Achilles heel: their revenue share model.
A16Z is obviously aware of this weakness and already have plans in place to pivot and diversify (including by introducing ads) so the window of opportunity will not remain open forever.
Can I count on your support Elizabeth?
Michael, my focus is not on destroying Substack. For many of us, this platform has been one of the few places where difficult dissenting conversations could occur at all. The ethical risk I’m addressing is the introduction of identity-linked participation systems that produce chilling effects and exclusion, particularly in Australia and the UK (perhaps not coincidentally countries which are key players in the ‘Covid’ debacle…) The priority is to challenge that direction change and defend the conditions that allowed free discussion to exist, not to wipe out one of the few spaces where people can speak freely.
Looks like folk who are likely to be cancelled need to get together to make an alternative communcation website/ email network. Taking down Substack does not need to be an objective. And it doesn't matter if the alternative is self-funded, uses fees from (some) subscribers, or advertising. Just so long as it's controlled by a group of people who are determined to retain freedom of speech. Obviously, its survival would depend on said freedom remaining.
Yes, it's good to have alternatives.
But I'm suspicious of people who want to destroy what has been built here over the past few years.
Not sure how you can say that Substack is a “platform where people can speak freely” given recent events which you are obviously well aware of given this post but I won't get into argument with you. Our approaches to fighting this war are obviously quite different. Regardless of whether my efforts will be successful or not (and they WILL be!), I do suggest you start considering alternatives outside Substack…for your own benefit.
As you say Michael "Our approaches to fighting this war are obviously quite different"...
As for Substack, my eggs are not all in this basket, it's an adjunct to the work I've been doing for years, seeking accountability for vaccination policy and practice.
This is a long game, and it's interesting to see who is now working to curtail forums where criticism of vaccination has been freely aired, e.g. the UK and Australian governments imposing regulation to hinder free speech.
I can bypass 'AGE VERIFICATION ' When I press ' like' ❤️ it takes me to age verification,( on Substack )I press CANCEL and go back to the email sent to me by Elizabeth etc. it then.... allows me to read, engage, press like and comment, bypassing the Age Verification section.👍
100% support for Elizabeth's courageous outing of the Substack Sellouts!
Grow up boys. Time to be counted for what matters in this world. Free Speech Not $ Touting.
I click on 'like' heart, it asks me for age verification, I reject it, go back to the email sent to me then I am directed straight into the substack article with comments etc ... So I can still get in !!
Just in case we lose Substack, I'm encouraging everyone to create an account on MeWe (even if you don't use it). I've created a group for us, post links to your articles as you publish them and encourage additional discussion of your articles.
https://mewe.com/join/substackfriends
We need a million articles like this.
My sympathies go out to the companies having to deal with these government regulations. We must realize that many people believe the government is just trying to give people what they want. "The people" do not understand that "age verification" can't be done without "identification". Once users are forced to "identify" then freedom is thrown away.
Since platforms are already using some method to identify "offending" material, my recommendation to Substack and others is to simply remove such content and replace it with a message: "the government does not permit you to view this material".
Do NOT fall into the "we must comply or our business will be fined and put out of business" trap.
We need a strong and complete rejection of this tyranny now! Not some lame pretending that it's okay if we give up our freedom. Or nonsense that it's for the "greater good".
I think all platforms start off with great ideals and then end up having to conform to various parts of international legislation and the requirements of scrutineers and different standards in different countries.
So I'm not quite sure how Substack has managed to get this far so well and so freely, but quite clearly I think most of us don't have concerns about all this stuff. My own Substack is pretty minor league, really, and it covers non-controversial subjects. But certainly if somebody was promoting child pornography or something like that or animal abuse, then I would hope that they get chucked out of this site very, very quickly.
That any readers have got the right to complain about stuff that's just immoral, unsuitable, illegal, or they're promoting hate. I like freedom of speech, but I don't like haters and I don't like people who use that free, who abuse the freedom of speech to promote bigoted minority hatred and racism.
This piece really made me think; it's a fine line between digital safety and an erosion of privaccy that could exclude so many.