It would seem that there is a torrent of activity building up around censoring activities on the Internet. Of course, I find any censorship abhorent. What am I talking about? Here are some examples.
- Internet Service Provider, Comcast (I hate Comcast), has decided to "throttle" certain types of Internet content typically associated with file sharing. One example is BitTorrent traffic. What gives them the right? File sharing is not all stealing and there are many legitimate uses for it. Other ISPs are undertaking deploying tactics. Any ISP that does this deserves to go out of business as people flee to a better provider.
- China has called on domestic Web sites to sign a voluntary pact governing online video and audio content, saying they should exercise self-censorship to ensure a "healthy and orderly" cyberspace. Nobody expects China to promote freedom, but Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Cisco have all caved into China's censoring ways. And Skype agreed to censor "politically sensitive words" in China, too.
- Finland, Denmark, and other European countries are moving towards Internet censorship. European Union Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini called last September for ISPs to block access to Web sites hosting information about bomb-making, U.K. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said in January that she wanted action taken against sites that encouraged terrorism (including social networking sites), Danish authorities recently decided to block file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, and Finnish programmer Matti Nikki is under investigation for publishing a secret list of domains that authorities had allegedly censored in an effort to stop the spread of child pornography. I'm not advocating bomb making, terrorism, pirating, or child porn... but what happened to free speech.
- Thailand, Morocco and Turkey have blocked YouTube because it hosted videos critical of kings or such garbage.
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You're starting to sound like me a little bit there, csm. Two other related developments; for awhile now the EU was wanted to have a say in who gets what domain names and other types of Internet control and China has just stopped giving out new licenses for Internet cafes and has started consolidating the cafes which already exist. This is what I am talking about as far as this country taking the lead with the freedom of the Internet and ultimately the freedom of the individual and information in general. And when I mean the country I don't mean the government(though it can pay a part)per se, but it's citizens who have had a taste of (relative)freedom and are associated with it's obligations. It might have to end up being a "Voice of America" type of thing, but I am for ABSOLUTELY NO infringement to the Internet or access to it. If someone wants to learn how to make a bomb with some manual on the Internet(from what I have read this ain't the best way to learn(actually watching a master is much better)how to make one and since is is very hard and accidents do happen it ultimately may not be that much of a threat. Kaboom!) I for one will not stop them. Other countries can run scared. Other countries are used to controlling it's citizen's thoughts. But this country must stand for the freedoms it was founded on without fail.
I do not consider the Internet part of the electronic narcotic, at least not yet. Get the world's government's hands all over it and all bets are off.
In that last paragraph I should have also said the corporation's hands. They are so proficient at making the narcotic.
I'm pretty sure I've run aground on Comcast's anti filesharing efforts at times.
I used to be a Comcast subscriber but only because they came in and took over for TimeWarner in my neighborhood. After they took over my Internet connection was not only slower, but totally unreliable. Up, then down, then up briefly and down again. I switched providers and from cable to DSL and things have been great. I wouldn't wish Comcast on my worst enemy.
Unfortunately, they're the only game in town. ATT is trying to get a foothold, but I get the feeling that they have their own maneuvers they are trying to push through.
I can't believe it, the post was about Internet censorship and all we talk about is provider service?
Both topics come into view when the subject of Comcast is introduced.
Bawdy, the Comcast issue is part of the deal here. Comcast is targeting certain types of access and slowing down the service for them. Of course, Comcast is a complete waste of an ISP, too.
Thankfully, I wouldn't know.
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