You know when something can be right in front of your face and you just don't see it? Then without warning it's a light bulb moment and you can't believe why you didn't see it before? Well, I had one of these moments leading up to the festive holidays and have now set the ball in motion.
Maybe it won't come to anything. Maybe it will.
What the dickens am I rambling on about you're asking? Freedom of speech, that's what!
With the FOS phrase being banded around from the likes of Trump, Elon Musk and the media, I can't believe I didn't think about it before.
Of course, we have to have freedom of speech but with it comes responsibility. You can't just talk, shout, write about whatever you want.
When I first started to raise awareness about the faulty chemotherapy drug, Taxotere, when I discovered it had caused me to suffer from permanent hair loss, I posted on their Facebook page about this adverse side effect. Of course, as you would expect they removed it leaving me with no option other than to repost. Lots of times. Lots.
After they removed their page from the platform for a few days, it was made live again and I was blocked. It was their page and they can block me if they so wish. Absolutely right.
But, and this is a humongous 'but' they then proceeded to try and get me banned from Facebook. See where I'm going with this?
I didn't know at the time. In fact I didn't find out for many years until the current Multi District Litigation MDL 02740 began in the USA and court documents from discovery were produced.
When I first saw THAT document, to say I was shocked was an understatement. They wanted me banned from that social media platform to try to stop me from having my say. Trying to take away my right to have freedom of speech. But it gets worse. 'They' didn't do it themselves. It wouldn't look good I suppose. So instead they tried to do it using a third party, a pharma marketing service called InTouch Solutions which has now rebranded to (or been bought) Eversana Intouch. On their website they refer to Intouch Solutions as affiliates and "EVERSANA INTOUCH Solutions
Our first full-service agency, founded in 1999, offering a wide range of disciplines and capabilities. Our never-say-quit attitude combined with an unmatched breadth of expertise, creativity, and talent make magic happen on the daily". They applied many times to have me permanently banned, not just the once. I would say this constitutes as a blatant attempt to silence someone's voice, their right to freedom of speech. Wouldn't you? They might have banned me from posting on their FB page but thankfully Zuckerberg and co didn't bow to their many requests to get me permanently removed from the FB site. Makes me think that Eversana Intouch Solutions failed to "make magic happen on the daily" on that one!
