EU Internet Censorship

[SloHand]

Jim Killock, Executive Director of Open Rights Group was on the CBC Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) talking about the Cameron governments new push to censor internet in the UK. He claimed in the interview on the radio show As It Happens that the UK government is already censoring access to many internet sights related to, among other things "..... tobacco and tobacco related products".

The Cameron government is claiming that these draconian regulations are to protect children. Mr. Killock painted a frightful future that would see censorship of anything the government deemed inappropriate (in it's judgement). I have not seen the legislation but is this yet another measure, we as a community, need to be vigilant about?

 

[retired1]

Cameron cracks down on 'corroding influence' of online pornography | Technology | The Guardian

As for filtering other sites that are tobacco related, I haven't heard or read anything about that and find the claim that they're filtered or blocked extremely suspect.

Edit -- Did some more digging and it seems that some ISPs in the UK use filtering tools that block all sites with content geared towards adults without regard to the actual subject matter. This would include tobacco related sites as you need to be 18 or over to view/purchase from them. They're not targeting tobacco sites exclusively.

Should we be worried elsewhere in the world? Of course. Government censorship of any kind should be fought at all levels.

 

[Orb Skewer]

David Icke-Big Brother (FULL) - YouTube

 

[rolygate]

Eventually people will need to use a VPN in order to access the internet, that is to say, the actual internet as opposed to the one that you are allowed to see. Already the case in China, perhaps it will apply over here soon. For example when the EU bans e-cigarettes, they will try to restrict access to ecig websites at some point. Of course it won't be them doing it, it will be the ISPs who have to do it or suffer the consequences.

 

[Orb Skewer]

The EU is not going to ban E-cigarettes-au contraire

 

[AgentAnia]

More on this developing issue: BBC News - Chinese firm Huawei controls net filter praised by PM

I see yet another ominous slippery slope here. These filters are being described as applying to "adult content" and as "voluntary," but once they're in place, who's to say they can't be made to cover whatever content the Powers That Be decide is objectionable or needed "to protect the children," and who's to say they can't be made involuntary? Good intentions are what hell is paved with...

 

[Orb Skewer]

More on this developing issue: BBC News - Chinese firm Huawei controls net filter praised by PM

I see yet another ominous slippery slope here. These filters are being described as applying to "adult content" and as "voluntary," but once they're in place, who's to say they can't be made to cover whatever content the Powers That Be decide is objectionable or needed "to protect the children," and who's to say they can't be made involuntary? Good intentions are what hell is paved with...

From that article
""You could easily imagine a commercial organisation finding itself on that blacklist wrongly, and where they actually lost a lot of web traffic completely silently and suffered commercial damage. The issue is who gets to choose who's on that blocking list, and what accountability do they have?""
Always, always money is involved somewhere in the detail-it is (IMHO) that this is what the 'control' is centred on and not about kids seeing boobs and other human delicacies on the web.

You only have to think about how powerfull the logarithms behind Google Adsense are to see that this could be used for (and only for) corporate advantage.

Type 'hard' into your web browser and watch all the spam from Pfiser (for a certain little pill) following you around Webworld

 

[Orb Skewer]

The EU is not going to ban E-cigarettes-au contraire

Lol, oh the irony

 

[AgentAnia]

You only have to think about how powerfull the logarithms behind Google Adsense are to see that this could be used for (and only for) corporate advantage.

Type 'hard' into your web browser and watch all the spam from Pfiser (for a certain little pill) following you around Webworld

This (well not this^^ exactly, but you know...) is why I usually browse in privacy mode, and ALWAYS google in privacy mode and religiously delete the browsing history after every session. It seems to help avoid those pesky following ads.

 

[djsvapour]

It's a weird situation. Mostly, I like the idea of policing the internet, but it's going to be very hard to do it well.

Personally, I fear they will simply go too far. I welcome it for minors etc.

 

[retired1]

This (well not this^^ exactly, but you know...) is why I usually browse in privacy mode, and ALWAYS google in privacy mode and religiously delete the browsing history after every session. It seems to help avoid those pesky following ads.

Big whup. All privacy mode does is not save some types of browsing information to the hard drive. Does nothing to mask where you're at on the Internet. Give me physical access to a network and I can log virtually everything you do.

It's a weird situation. Mostly, I like the idea of policing the internet, but it's going to be very hard to do it well.

Personally, I fear they will simply go too far. I welcome it for minors etc.

Huh? What?! I thought this was a parent's responsibility. Government has no business telling me what I can or can't look at online (as long as it's legal).

 

[Hulamoon]

I am sick and tired of being penalized for brats under 18, and government use of the "children excuse" is ALWAYS a cover for censorship of adults.

If they reeeaaally cared about "children" there's a whole lot of criminal behavior the gvt should be addressing both on the internet and in the outside world, but it still goes on.

Government has no social conscience, nor morals, just corporate agenda. Period.

 

[alexrho]

I agree with you !

 

[adamfoul]

Are these filters going to be the ones that 'stopped' me from getting on Facebook in college, or are they going to do it the same way they stopped piracy? Oh, wait...

 

[MonkInsane]

David Icke-Big Brother (FULL) - YouTube

^THIS!^ Makes perfect sense!

I'm about 40 Min into the video, and I'm starting to feel that the world is screwed. Guess the Illuninati's real afterall