Censorship on the rise.

[dre]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/18/tech/web/google-transparency-report/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

This isnt just happening in places like China, its happening in the west as well. At what point do that lazy apathetic cowards that pass for citizens in the west start to stand up for themselves? Is there any kind of non-violent way to combat our governments hatred of us and our freedom that is likely to have any success? And with a fair sized portion of our population being made up of state-power sycophants, and people that support everything a government does simply because the right party is in charge Im wondering if we are effectively marginalized as a citizenry?

In the last half of 2011, U.S. agencies asked Google to remove 6,192 individual pieces of content from its search results, blog posts or archives of online videos, according to the report. That's up 718% compared with the 757 such items that U.S. agencies asked Google to remove in the six months prior.

We are in a situation now, where we basically count on companies like google to fight censorship on our behalf. They do a decent job at times, but they are starting to comply with more and more requests, and I think we will keep sliding down this slippery slope.

Edited June 18, 2012 by dre

[bush_cheney2004]

...We are in a situation now, where we basically count on companies like google to fight censorship on our behalf. They do a decent job at times, but they are starting to comply with more and more requests, and I think we will keep sliding down this slippery slope.

What's this "we" stuff...hell, you still pledge allegiance to a queen across the pond!

Worry about CSIS, not CNN or Google.

[dre]

What's this "we" stuff...hell, you still pledge allegiance to a queen across the pond!

Worry about CSIS, not CNN or Google.

Google is a multinational company that is getting requests like this from governments all around the world.

If youre not interested in this issue then dont post. THeres no need to clog up everything with your brain dead nonsense.

[bush_cheney2004]

Google is a multinational company that is getting requests like this from governments all around the world.

And such requests are all perfectly legal and supported by legislation in the nation you love to quote the most. Google doesn't owe you or me a damn thing in the way of championing anti-censorship, especially when faced with a government order or shakedown. Truth is, information and database multinationals partner quite well with governments, and will continue to do so.

If youre not interested in this issue then dont post. THeres no need to clog up everything with your brain dead nonsense.

Oh, I'm interested alright, just not in the way you would prefer. This is just another bogeyman thread about your precious "right" to access information without restriction(s). Ain't no such thing...

[GostHacked]

Thing is, that many won't know the censorship is even taking place. Which facilitates the mentality of 'well it's not being reported, so it's not happening'.

The control and censoring of the Internet has been in the works for over a decade now. The censoring starts with the datamining operations that the NSA did with compliance from AT&T. They cannot censor what they don't know. So this is why cameras are everywhere, microphones are everywhere. They want to know know know know know ALL about you.

Censorship is also another thing the Public Affairs departments (for a company or a country) try to control. For many media outlets, the big clients get to call the shots as to the content delivered to your screen.

Censorship/filters have been in place in the media for decades, and it just took them longer to be able to control the content on the web. It's not impossible. But you need a lot of big key players involved to make it happen. And it's happening globally.

[dre]

And such requests are all perfectly legal and supported by legislation in the nation you love to quote the most. Google doesn't owe you or me a damn thing in the way of championing anti-censorship, especially when faced with a government order or shakedown. Truth is, information and database multinationals partner quite well with governments, and will continue to do so.

Oh, I'm interested alright, just not in the way you would prefer. This is just another bogeyman thread about your precious "right" to access information without restriction(s). Ain't no such thing...

Just about everything can become legal. Thats the problem. State power sycophants such as yourself gleefully cheer these things on, as I mentioned in the OP, but some people are a little more suspicious. In any case if you dont think the topic is worthy, then just go back to posting retarded crap about Canada and the Queen, and your little bizzaro Canada trip.

[dre]

Double post deleted

Edited June 18, 2012 by dre

[dre]

Thing is, that many won't know the censorship is even taking place. Which facilitates the mentality of 'well it's not being reported, so it's not happening'.

The control and censoring of the Internet has been in the works for over a decade now. The censoring starts with the datamining operations that the NSA did with compliance from AT&T. They cannot censor what they don't know. So this is why cameras are everywhere, microphones are everywhere. They want to know know know know know ALL about you.

Censorship is also another thing the Public Affairs departments (for a company or a country) try to control. For many media outlets, the big clients get to call the shots as to the content delivered to your screen.

Censorship/filters have been in place in the media for decades, and it just took them longer to be able to control the content on the web. It's not impossible. But you need a lot of big key players involved to make it happen. And it's happening globally.

Its true... government has hated our freedom for a long time, but we used to be a lot more vigilant about it than we are now. Also, more and more communication and political discourse now happens in mediums that are easier and easier to control.

Is your position that you have just given up on this stuff? They CAN do it, and they HAVE been so weve already lost? And as I pointed out in my OP... this isnt just "business as usual". These requests are exponentionally increasing... They are up 700+%.

Edited June 18, 2012 by dre

[bush_cheney2004]

Just about everything can become legal. Thats the problem. State power sycophants such as yourself gleefully cheer these things on, as I mentioned in the OP, but some people are a little more suspicious. In any case if you dont think the topic is worthy, then just go back to posting retarded crap about Canada and the Queen, and your little bizzaro Canada trip.

If you post a topic, then expect some feedback, whether you like it or not. I don't know what kind of pretend world you live in, but there is censorship, there has always been censorship, and there will always be censorship. There is nothing magic about this place in time or space just because of new media or the Internet.

Guess what.....Google even gets manipulated by corporate and government interests for false hits, rankings, dis-information, mis-direction, and outright lies.

Get over it....

[Guest American Woman]

If youre not interested in this issue then dont post. THeres no need to clog up everything with your brain dead nonsense.

But there is a need for you to do it?

Your thread was ignored because it sucks.

Followed by:

:lol:

[dre]

http://www.cnn.com/

ITs front page news now, so despite the usual nonsense from our local state power sycophants and trolls its good that this will get some attention.

[Guest American Woman]

If you post a topic, then expect some feedback, whether you like it or not. I don't know what kind of pretend world you live in, but there is censorship, there has always been censorship, and there will always be censorship. There is nothing magic about this place in time or space just because of new media or the Internet.

That's the reality of it, and it seems to me that there's less censorship on the internet than there is with any other media.

[dre]

That's the reality of it, and it seems to me that there's less censorship on the internet than there is with any other media.

Yes the internet has been a more free media so far. But governments dont like that, and they are taking steps to lock it down. Most countries now have various efforts to combat the free nature of the internet and as I said in my OP this is not "business as usual"... the ammount of this activity is exponentially increasing. Its fine if you dont care about that... nobody would expect you to. But lots of people do.

[bush_cheney2004]

That's the reality of it, and it seems to me that there's less censorship on the internet than there is with any other media.

'Zactly....which is why I think this is just more of the same anti-government croc tears. The "government" has also locked down access to private health care data, and taxes, and adoption, and sexual assault victims, and classified information, and CSIS spy records on dead Canadian prime ministers.

There has NEVER been access to so much information by so many people in the history of humankind.

...but there is always somebody who sees pee in their free cornflakes.

[GostHacked]

Its true... government has hated our freedom for a long time, but we used to be a lot more vigilant about it than we are now. Also, more and more communication and political discourse now happens in mediums that are easier and easier to control.

The US military actively participates in online forums to steer debate and thought.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/98826-u-s-military-launches-spy-operation-using-fake-online-identities.html

According to the contract between US Central Command (Centcom) and California company Ntrepid, the software would let each user control 10 personas, each "replete with background, history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographically consistent." The software would also be able to let personas "appear to originate in nearly any part of the world" and interact through "conventional online services and social media platforms," while using a static IP address for each persona to maintain a consistent online identity.

These false online personas, also known as "sock puppets," would be equipped to seem like real people while entering online discussion through blogs, message boards, chats, and more. With a false persona, a user could discredit opponents, or create the semblance of consensus.

We may have a couple sock puppets here on MLW as well.

The technology would not be used in America, or by American owned companies--which include major social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. "We do not target U.S. audiences, and we do not conduct these activities on sites owned by U.S. companies," Speaks told the Washington Times.

Sure, the claim is they don't do this to Americans, but I have a feeling that that is a lie. Facebook and Twitter are heavily monitored by the intelligence agencies already and have been for several years.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/fbi-to-monitor-facebook-twitter-myspace/8119

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking to develop a Web app that can continuously monitor social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, as well as various news feeds. The organization’s goal is to improve its real-time intelligence when it comes to current and emerging security threats.

The plan for such an app was inadvertently revealed by the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center (SOIC) in a solicitation for a “Social Media Application.” The FBI typically avoids openly discussing how social networks are used as an intelligence tool, but the 12-page Request for Information document (PDF, half the pages are oddly blank) reveals in detail what the organization is interested in.

Russia engages in this as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_brigades

The web brigades (Russian: Веб-бригады )[1] are alleged online teams of commentators linked to Russian security services that participate in political blogs and Internet forums to promote disinformation and prevent free discussions of undesirable subjects. Allegations of the existence of web brigades were made in the article "The Virtual Eye of the Big Brother" by French journalist Anna Polyanskaya in April, 2003, in US online media Vestnik Online.[1]

Is your position that you have just given up on this stuff? They CAN do it, and they HAVE been so weve already lost? And as I pointed out in my OP... this isnt just "business as usual". These requests are exponentionally increasing... They are up 700+%.

Ignorance is bliss, and no I have not given up. I just keep talking about it to friends and family. But until it affects them directly not many will pay attention to this.

We also have social engineering going on here as well. 'Yah the gov spies on us, but what'ya gonna do!??' Engineer society so they are self defeatist in this sense, killing the momentum before it even gets started.

[DogOnPorch]

We may have a couple sock puppets here on MLW as well.

How much do they pay you, GH?

[GostHacked]

That's the reality of it, and it seems to me that there's less censorship on the internet than there is with any other media.

The censorship on the net is actually where it is happening the most now. Since it seems that the majority of people now go online to get their information. Controlling what you have access to online is actually very easy. The government will work with ISPs (and that interaction is getting more and more intimate).

The government can tell the ISP that they need to ban certain websites. They can control that through their DNS servers. 'Sorry the site you were looking for does not exist (or is not available). This is already happening in the UK.

Look at the Great Firewall of China and see how things are done. Also we have seen it where an entire country can be taken offline to stifle dissent. During the Arab Spring we saw Egypt taken offline. Egypt could not have done it on their own, you need a lot of outside help to make that happen.

Hulu.com is an example of censorship. It detects my IP from a Canadian ISP and says . NO VIDEO FOR YOU!!!

[Guest American Woman]

We may have a couple sock puppets here on MLW as well.

I'm sure there's at least a dozen among the hundreds of regular posters - and obviously they've made a tremendous impact on the rest of us throughout the years that this forum has been up and running, influencing our viewpoints tremendously, changing our opinions on major issues.

[GostHacked]

How much do they pay you, GH?

Hmm, you have really stepped up in the last while to the point of desperation. Betsy is still my favourite troll, while I will say you are in fact the BEST troll on this board. You don't waste any time at all.

[GostHacked]

I'm sure there's at least a dozen among the hundreds of regular posters - and obviously they've made a tremendous impact on the rest of us throughout the years that this forum has been up and running, influencing our viewpoints tremendously, changing our opinions on major issues.

Well, you have come along way yourself. Your rhetoric on Muslims sure has changed over the years.

[Guest American Woman]

Well, you have come along way yourself. Your rhetoric on Muslims sure has changed over the years.

Oh yes, of course! - I don't support a mosque going up on property damaged on 9-11. The horror! My "rhetoric on Muslims" has had a complete turnabout!

[dre]

Oh yes, of course! - I don't support a mosque going up on property damaged on 9-11. The horror! My "rhetoric on Muslims" has had a complete turnabout!

If A-dub is a sock puppet, she must get paid per emoticon

[Guest Peeves]

Back before the Internet you might have had a point. If you were in many if not most of the Islamic countries you might yet have a point. However, in the West, in democracies, we have far too many means of communications/media/and the like to take censorship seriously as an ominous pending threat.

There might well be a need of vigilance, but when you THINK about it,communications of ideas today are a thousand fold more available than they were 50 years ago, even in states formerly USSR and certainly in the West.

[G Huxley]

I saw this amusing article about censorship in Canada today:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/bc/Anti+Harper+sign+draws+thumbs+middle+fingers+traffic+ticket/11302318/story.html

I doubt the police stand a chance in court. Quoting Shakespeare's Henry V isn't a crime.

Edited August 20, 2015 by G Huxley

[Rue]

It might be if Kim Kardashian is the one reciting it.