Netflix Challenged As Accessory to Murder In Open Letter By Direct Democracy

LOS ANGELES - Jan. 5, 2019 - PRLog -- The United Democratic Commonwealth (UDC), a direct democracy with a strong human rights constitution, has challenged Netflix to respond to questions about it's conduct which, says the UDC, turns Netflix into an accessory to murder.

There is growing furor over Netflix's recent decision to block and episode of Patriot Act on request of the Saudi government has reached a new stage. The nascent media company, whose debt is climbing over USD 8 billion, and doesn't expect positive cash flow for several years, has failed to respond to numerous press inquiries over it's censorship. The Patriot Act episode cited the direct involvement of Saudi deputy prime minister Mohammed bin Salmon in the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. News agencies and journalists from around the world, including National Public Radio requested an explanation, but the only reply was a terse statement in which Netflix said it was responding to a "valid legal request" by the Saudis.

Netflix's behavior,says spokesman for the UDC Austin Rowe, underscores growing concern worldwide over the controls multinational corporations exert over media, propaganda and censorship. UDC Secretary-General Shadow Dragu-Mihai says, "Netflix's move knowingly undermines the United States Congress who want to punish Mohammed bin Salmon and Saudi Arabia. Congress is an elected body, but of course the politics of a multinational like Netflix are unknown. The extent to which multinational media companies can and do affect human rights and democracy is becoming a great concern. This comes at a time when Facebook is being investigated over its abuse and sale of personal data, manipulation of real and phony information, and its secret moderator policies which are known to have caused political strife around the world."

The open letter challenges Netflix to reverse its decision, and encourages it to take the lead in creating responsible corporate policies. "We want all media corporations to be put on notice that usurping democratic principles is unacceptable," says Dragu-Mihai. "But we think that this is also an opportunity to create very positive progress. That's why we addressed Netflix in this manner. We want to stimulate and open dialog."

The text of the open letter is at https://udcommonwealth.global/open-letter-to-netflix-on-m... and there is more information about the UDC on the website at https://udcommonwealth.global