NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] [ PFIR ] Welcome to Her Majesty's Internet Police State!
Welcome to Her Majesty's Internet Police State!
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000638.html
Greetings. What does an Internet Police State look like in an ersatz
democracy?
The UK is apparently well on its way toward providing a remarkable and
depressing object lesson that could answer this very question
( http://bit.ly/8ZXmMl [Boing Boing] ).
Long enamored of oppressive surveillance techniques -- there's now
reportedly a CCTV camera for every 14 persons or so in England -- the
once Great Britain appears poised for a massive thrust into the world
of Internet dictatorship (from the materials being revealed, it seems
inappropriate to use weaker terminology).
Her Majesty's government seems hell bent for powers that would not
only far surpass attacks on Internet freedoms in Australia, but would
likely even be considered beyond the pale in China, home of the Great
Firewall.
Every day we see more and more how Terry Gilliam's masterpiece 1985
film "Brazil" was startlingly prophetic ( http://bit.ly/7PpGul [YouTube] ).
The appropriate role of government should be to *enhance* the
freedoms of Internet users -- e.g., by requiring Net Neutrality -- not
turning the Internet into an instrument of surveillance, censorship,
and repression.
If I may paraphrase a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoller:
First they tapped the telephones, and I did not speak out--because I
rarely used the telephone.
Then they demanded that we all carry hi-tech ID cards, and I did not
speak out--because the cards seemed oh so very convenient.
Then they installed video surveillance CCTV cameras everywhere, and I
did not speak out--because they told us that the cameras would fight
crime and terrorism.
Then they took control of the Internet, and I did not speak
out--because they said that entertainment industry profits and
monitoring of our Internet activities were much more important than
individual freedoms.
And then they came for me--and there was no way left to speak
out at all.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com
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, GCTIP - Global Coalition
for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
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