Tag Archives: internet freedom

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THE INTERNET – US Plans to Censor the Internet with Protect – IP Bill

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Protect IP gives the government the power to force internet providers to cut off access to infringing domains. Ostensibly this is to protect the entertainment industry but it paves the way for complete internet censorship. The bill will tamper with inner workings of the internet itself.  It gives companies the power to sue blogs, forums or search engines for providing illegal links. It paves the way for complete censorship. Ordinary people could go to jail for five year for just posting a single copyrighted link. Nothing could be more against free speech. I appeal to everyone who reads this. We together have a duty to defend this incredible tool. People think the internet is safe. They think it can never be changed. DON’T BELIEVE IT. It can be controlled and it will be if we let it.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

We at Frost are strong advocates of internet freedom. We reported on the G8 summit in May when governments met to discuss internet regulation. Governments be they democracies or tyrannical regimes fear the internet and they want to control it. Governments have been scared by the Arab spring, they’ve been scared by occupy Wall street and now they’re moving to take control.

It was always just a matter of time before our governments tried this. At the moment almost know one is aware this is happening. The internet needs YOU. Spread the word, tweet, facebook, blog, talk, share if you’re a US citizen please follow the instructions below

It takes just 2-3 minutes to help

1)      Go to https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

2)      Select your state and zip code

3)      Fill out the very basic information

4)      Make sure to include PROTECT IP (S. 968)/SOPA (HR. 3261)

5)      Write your opinion

Here is the actual bill http://leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/BillText-PROTECTIPAct.pdf

Some other good articles

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110712/12371715059/rep-anna-eshoo-silicon-valley-thinks-protect-ip-is-about-immigration.shtml
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/protectip_docs
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2011/1115_cybersecurity_friedman.aspx
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110510/13285714230/son-coica-protect-ip-act-will-allow-broad-censorship-powers-including-copyright-holders.shtml
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67985.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/11/11/the-case-for-the-protect-ip-act-and-dns-filtering/

Anonymous: Damaging The Vital Cause Of Internet Freedom

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Anonymous – the radical decentralised online community ostensibly associated with the goal of ‘free speech’ – has caused controversy by issuing a statement sympathising with the UK riots.

It is yet another example of action by the organisation that damages the vital cause of internet freedom. A cause which the organisation claims to defend.

The Anonymous collective has become increasingly prominent. It is most famous for its DDoS attacks which bombard a target webserver with so many requests that it is forced to shut down. The Mastercard and Visa websites have been victims.

Frost readers will know how much I believe in the freedom of the internet and it pains me to see the cause tarnished in this way. It was always wrong for Anonymous to take criminal action. Their actions only give governments further justification to clamp down on the internet further. This is now more the case than ever following their recent statement.

For a supposedly decentralised community, the comments on the UK riots were pretty categorical, worryingly and obviously so. There is an elite within Anonymous that has its own agenda. http://pastebin.com/V00tbr01

The comments can only be interpreted as seeking to incite a revolution, saying: ‘Your politicians mask the extent to which a significant section of society is stuck in an impoverished way of life with little hope for the future.

“It is time to take a stand and realise that solutions will not be found in today’s corrupt political landscape.”

Anonymous called for people to join them in a day of action on October 15th. Although Anonymous made clear it did not condone the violence, it was sympathetic to the rioters. It suggested the riots were as a result of political anger and resentment. Let’s get real here. These riots had no political point (save perhaps the initial riot in Tottenham), and everybody knows that. These riots were about self-gratifying violence and greedy opportunism.

Anonymous will point to the government response to the riots, potentially regulating and controlling social media sites. They will argue this makes it a legitimate target. Undoubtedly, the government is disgracefully jumping on the riots as an excuse for further regulation. No one truly blames twitter for the looting.

That doesn’t mean anarchy is the answer. It doesn’t make it right to incite a revolution. Internet regulation doesn’t have anything to do with anti-cuts protests or unions and it doesn’t mean ‘justice is only for the wealthy’. You have gone beyond your remit, Anonymous.

A revolution might sound romantic, but we only need to look back a few years to see the true horror they bring. They also never end in free speech.

UN Says Cutting Off Your Internet Could Breach Human Rights

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Frank La Rue, the UN Rapporteur for the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression, has argued that removing somebody’s internet access deprives them of a basic right.

Mr La Rue presented his report, ‘on global access of the internet as a medium for freedom of expression, to the UN Human Rights Council this week.

In his report Mr La Rue condemned certain proposed and existing government legislation. In particular he singled out the UK’s Digital Economy Act which has a provision to restrict or remove internet access from those breaking copyright laws. His report was particularly concerned with ‘a centralised on/off control over the internet. He said, removing somebody’s internet access is to deprive them of a key component for the basic human right of freedom of expression.

The report comes in the wake of the e-G8 summit in Paris where Mr Sarkozy led discussions on proposals to regulate the internet. Governments worldwide have become increasingly fearful of the power of the internet, particularly in the wake of the Arab spring.

In his opening speech Sarkozy said, ‘the world you represent is not a parallel universe where legal and moral rules and more generally all the basic rules that govern society in democratic countries do not apply.’

But many internet entrepreneurs including Google chairman Eric Schmidt warned governments against attempts at legislation arguing, ‘technology will move faster than governments’.

Sarkozy has faced severe criticism for a recent internet law (the HADOPI law) which he has pushed forward. The law (to be enforced by a new government agency) could see those suspected of illegal file sharing brought before a judge.

Could these new government agencies precipitate a major government crackdown on the internet? While Mr La Rue’s report will be welcomed by many, it will take more than UN reports to ensure the freedom of the internet.

earlier post

G8: Governments Move To Crack Down on Internet Freedoms but Zuckerberg Issues Warning

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It was the opening day of the G8 summit today and one of the main issues on the agenda will be the future of the internet. Governments will discuss how and whether it’s possible to regulate and censor the internet.

Governments have become increasingly worried. China now operates a huge firewall which blocks any internet site with an anti-government line. The power of the internet was evidenced during the Arab spring, where social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, were major factors in causing uprisings and toppling regimes.

The talks also follow the super injunction scandal and British legal crisis. Thousands defied the law and defended the right to free speech using the websites twitter, including a many celebrities such as Dom Jolly, Piers Morgan and Boy George. Even now lawyers may seek to prosecute them. The situation has government’s worried and they may try and clamp down on internet freedoms in the future. This might start with certain regulations on companies such as Twitter, Google and Facebook.

Today Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg warned against any attempt to regulate the internet. He said any interference would damage the internet’s power to spread freedom.

Google leader Eric Schmidt said any regulation wouldn’t be able to keep up with the pace of technology, ‘Technology will move faster than governments, so don’t legislate until you understand the consequences.

J’s thoughts

Whatever the outcome, it is all our duty to defend the right to free speech. The internet is the defining feature of our generation. It is wonderful in many ways and it has done a great deal of good for democracy, knowledge and dare I say peace. It has its darker sides of course but so does any product of humanity.

At some point some our governments will try and control the internet. They will twist it, manipulate it and use it as means to control us. In some cases like China it is already too late. It is all our jobs to stop this from happening.