Algorithmic Censorship: Where Do We Go From Here?
An update on my efforts to create an alternate offshore space for this work (Recording at the end)
For over a year, I’ve been talking about creating an alternative space for this work. Whether you’ve heard me speak about it in the past, helped me test various options, or are completely new to this concept, this newsletter is an update on where things stand.
On Friday, I wrote about how Substack’s algorithmic censorship is throttling progressive voices. Link below if you missed it.
Since the 2024 election, I’ve understood that our time on Substack is finite. Marc Andreessen, one of Substack’s primary investors, is aggressively supporting techno-state fascism. However the three founders pay lip service to “free speech,” the algorithm is disappearing progressive voices because the money behind Substack wants them minimized.
As the US slides further into Christian Nationalist/techno-fascism, progressive voices will be harder and harder to find. Meta, TikTok, and X are outright removing progressive information, but Substack is being clever: They’re using the algorithm to censor us because they want us to try harder. They want us to say even more, especially in notes where we might not be so circumspect or filtered. It makes for a more comprehensive Palantir/NSPM-7/domestic terrorist profile later.
Readers can find out more about Andreessen et al from Michael Zeitgeist below:
Instead of moving to Ghost, Beehiv, Steady, or Patreon - 3 of 4 are US platforms - I decided to shift my website to the EU. I began that project in 2024.
At the same time, a small group of us tried Steady, based in Berlin. Steady is a Substack-lite platform. Everybody hated it.
In late 2025, I worked with my web designer to relocate all Substack work to my self-hosted EU website, thinking I would transfer my email lists, enable payments, and host newsletters there.
My goal has always been to preserve good information beyond the reach of a predatory government.
And that’s when I learned how difficult the United States makes it for Americans-who-aren’t-billionaires to set up businesses overseas.
Every time I open a bank account, purchase a piece of property, or make an investment, it is reported to the US government. This process began during the Obama administration and has been expanded under the guise of “preventing money laundering.” (Never mind that the Epstein Class and our entire government is pretty much a mafioso money laundering operation. We must prevent average Americans from having things!)
While I have been able to open personal banking accounts overseas, I cannot set up a business bank account or corresponding credit card processing alternative to Stripe (US-based owned by Thiel/Musk/Andreessen/et al; they also own Venmo and PayPal). I put everything on hold in February 2026 and took a step back to figure out what to do.
For those who’ve been following and helping with this ongoing saga, the above is primarily for you.
Why simply moving off Substack to another US platform won’t work
In the near future, Stripe is going to start de-platforming progressive creators. They’ll use reasons like your account has too many chargebacks or you did some nebulous thing and violated our terms of service.
The heads of Mastercard and Visa went to China with the regime this week. They can use similar tactics to make it impossible to pay for any item, service, or information the regime deems to be in violation of NSPM-7.
They’ll let us keep publishing for a while, if only to identify who to deplatform. But the first thing they’re going to come after is our ability to make money. They’re doing it now through algorithmic censorship, but they will implement the above tactics if enough Americans don’t stop them.
I’m looking to do something more radical
I know. I know. I’ve been talking about aspects of this journey for over a year. Some of you probably believe I’ll never make it happen.
I haven’t given blow-by-blow updates on every twist, turn, and dead end on purpose. I don’t want to create a map for everything I’ve tried.
Suffice it to say I still have a couple of options to create a fully-functional subscription-based service offshore. In addition to coverage of the United States, I’m going to add once-weekly newsletters for Canada, the UK, the EU, and Latin America (Spanish.) Readers can subscribe to the ones that interest them and learn more about how this crowd targets different countries, rather than learning about the US and trying to divine how it might work in their country.
If I run into insurmountable roadblocks, I will let everyone know without giving too many details. But right now, this is the plan.
In the near term, I’m not going anywhere
I’ll probably be more active than ever on Substack in the coming months. You will get your daily newsletters. Paid subscribers will have interesting LIVE discussions and extras. Nothing about your user experience will change.
This process is expensive
I have spent five-figures-and-counting between professionals, web site development, tech pieces, financial support, and more. My website endures daily brute force attacks that require outlays for added security, and I haven’t even launched this piece yet. (I’m deliberately keeping the URL private for this reason.)
Some people on Substack like to shame those of us who ask for money or put things behind paywalls. If I am successful in creating this space, I will become an even bigger target. I am not a billionaire with unlimited funds to spend on information. I reinvest a portion of my paid subscriptions to create an information space that may survive a predatory government for a bit longer. I’m not doing it for me; I’m doing it for YOU.
Billionaires have spent billions on propaganda to convince Americans that good information is “free content.” Meanwhile, they use the blunt force of Citizens United to inundate us with bad information. BILLIONAIRES HAVE ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD THAT INFORMATION IS POWER, AND GAINING THAT POWER COSTS MONEY. Too bad they’ve also convinced most Americans to believe good information is “free content,” because they can buy up those spaces and serve Americans whatever garbage they want.
While I will continue to create paywall-free newsletters on Substack, my alternate space will only be available for Paid Subscribers. It will cost too much money to operate and carries too much personal risk to give away for free.
If you want to be part of it, sign up today and become a Paid Subscriber to For Such a Time As This. $8/month or $60/year will help me complete this twisty, maddening journey for YOU.
Click the button below and Upgrade to Paid.
All of this is in service of the grift. To steal the government from the somnolent people who own it, and transfer it to the oligarchs.
Steady was terrible for sure. And even though I had subscribed to other publications on Steady and canceled them when our consensus was in, I still get emails from them..
The seven mountains dominionists know they've got us by everything that matters.
Another concern I'd like to offer: it seems like from my perspective and a recent interaction, the readers aren't getting it. On my note amplifying @Michael Zeitgeist's article, one of my newer subscribers--that I'm fairly certain has been around since my article talking about the algorithmic bending over we're getting-- recommended I spend my sparse pittance on somebody who already makes a plentiful living off this app... It was prefaced with "I gladly do this".
😮💨 This is exhausting. All that work exposing HR1 and just because I wouldn't say the next logical step because it was unbacked by data-- I merely hinted at it by showing what did point to it-- some other redhead with that "Alex Jones I'm just asking questions" energy, sensationalizes and says it with no proof. She got on Al Jazeera..
Hey at least Andrew Tate isn't on the best sellers list anymore..😒🙄😒