In the digital age, where information flows freely and voices compete for attention, a hidden battle is being waged against Musicians and Creators like myself. It’s a battle against censorship and media blackouts, a silent suppression of voices that dare to challenge the status quo or disrupt established narratives.
This hidden battle against musicians and creators isn’t a figment of our imaginations; it’s a reality we face daily. It’s a systemic attempt to silence dissent and control the narrative. Musicians, like myself, have been targeted for censorship. Our song lyrics are flagged as inappropriate, and our social media posts are suppressed. This stifles creativity and limits our ability to connect with our audience.
In 2025, President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at curbing government censorship, marking one of his first official actions since returning to the White House. The order seeks to prevent the government from limiting free speech, a move Trump said is intended to “stop the weaponization” of speech.
It’s important to understand that this censorship issue is only one part of a larger problem. The Obama administration initiated a two-part strategy that laid the groundwork for the challenges musicians and creators face today. The first part involved encouraging tech companies to take a more active role in moderating content, which led to the development of algorithms and policies that can be used to suppress certain voices. The second part involved increasing government surveillance and data collection, which can chill free expression and make it easier for authorities to target dissenters.
This brings us to the issue of media blackouts. Unlike censorship, which often involves the removal or suppression of specific content, media blackouts are a more subtle form of control. They involve limiting the reach of certain voices and preventing their messages from reaching a wider audience. This can be done through a variety of means, such as manipulating search algorithms, restricting access to social media platforms, and even pressuring traditional media outlets to ignore certain stories.
In recent years, tech giants, once champions of free expression, have implemented policies and algorithms that restrict certain voices and promote others. This subtle form of censorship, often hidden beneath layers of code and legalese, has a chilling effect on creativity, innovation, and the free exchange of ideas.
I’ve experienced this blackout firsthand. My social media reach has been drastically limited. Posts that used to reach thousands of fans are now barely seen by a few hundred. My content is shadowbanned, making it impossible for my audience to find it. My voice is muffled by the invisible hand of algorithmic manipulation. But I refuse to be silenced. I’ve fought back, challenging these tech giants and exposing their hidden agendas, and demanding a digital landscape where freedom of expression reigns supreme.
My legal battles have exposed the hidden machinery of censorship, the intricate web of algorithms and policies designed to suppress certain voices and promote others. These tech giants, cloaked in the guise of neutrality, have become the gatekeepers of information, wielding their power to shape public opinion and control the flow of ideas.
But I refuse to be a pawn in their game. I’ve taken legal action against these tech giants, demanding transparency and accountability. Through settlements reached out of court, I’ve forced them to reveal their hidden agendas, to expose the biases embedded within their systems, and to acknowledge the damage they’ve inflicted on musicians and creators like myself.
The liberation of Twitter, spearheaded by Elon Musk, who has taken steps to eradicate media blackouts embedded within the platform’s algorithms, offers a glimmer of hope. While concerns remain about the potential for increased misinformation, Musk’s actions demonstrate that even the most formidable giants can be challenged. By revealing and dismantling the algorithms that contribute to media blackouts, he has loosened their grip on the narrative and diminished their control over the digital landscape. However, the battle is far from over. Other platforms, like Meta and its Instagram subsidiary, continue to wield enormous power and pose significant challenges for musicians and creators seeking to reach their audience.
And while the battle with Meta and its Instagram subsidiary rages on, I remain undeterred. This isn’t my first fight for digital freedom. I’ve previously reached settlements with Youtube, Youtube Music, Amazon‘s Twitch, and Google Inc. regarding similar media blackout tactics. For Google Inc., I faced media blackouts on their search engine and on my Google Knowledge Graph, hindering my visibility and access to information. I even had to challenge Wikipedia to ensure accurate and unbiased representation. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, settled with me out of court for their media blackouts, but they claimed that Instagram operates independently with its own executive board and governing body. They told me I would have to take my fight directly to Instagram’s door. This resulted in Instagram holding my @savvyturtle Instagram page hostage publicly while not allowing me access during this long battle. But I will continue to fight for the freedom of expression, for the right to be heard, for the restoration of a digital landscape where voices can rise above the noise and truth can prevail over manipulation.
This is not just a personal battle; it’s a fight for the soul of the internet, for the future of our society. It’s a battle against those who seek to control our thoughts, our words, our very identities.
My call to action is for President Donald J. Trump to meet with the tech giants again and address the second prong of the attack on free speech: media blackouts cast over America’s heart and soul: its musicians and creators. While the first prong, outright censorship, has been publicly acknowledged and recently addressed, the secret weapon of media blackouts remains hidden in the shadows. These blackouts are stifling creativity, limiting access to audiences, and silencing voices that need to be heard. The President must demand that tech giants reveal the truth about these media blackouts and the algorithms that perpetuate them. He must fight for a digital landscape where musicians and creators can thrive, free from hidden manipulation and algorithmic suppression. The future of our music and our culture depends on it.
