[412] in Privacy_Forum
[ PRIVACY Forum ] Controversies over mandatory Internet filters
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (privacy@vortex.com)
Thu Dec 11 21:58:09 2008
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Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:29:31 -0800
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Controversies over mandatory Internet filters hitting new levels:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/technology/internet/12cyber.html
By the way, the Australian "forbidden site" list is reportedly
*secret* of course ...
Secret lists -- the standard modus operandi of tyrants throughout
history. I haven't heard if folks who "hit" these blocks will be
reported to authorities. Once again I'm reminded of the Galactic
Library from Piers Anthony's "Chthon" -- where every "proscribed"
query can seriously ruin your life.
Will it be a crime to access the forbidden material through proxies,
search engine caches, mirror sites, etc.? How long can such a juicy
"automated informant" be resisted by the lords of censorship?
Once the powers-that-be realize how ineffective their primary
censorship regimes really are, they're going to set their sights on
castrating the search engines, where authorities will figure they can
get the most bang for their censorship demands.
This war -- and it is a war for civil liberties and free speech
in particular -- is just beginning.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com or lauren@pfir.org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
- Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
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