May 21
Censorship of the internet in the UK, the beginning of an Orwellian nightmare.
AddThis article refers directly to this piece on Wired: http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2009/05/features/the-hidden-censors-of-the-internet.aspx?page=1. I’m not about to repeat the facts in this article verbatim, rather I’m going to offer an opinion on it, so I suggest you read the Wired article first, don’t worry I’ll put the kettle on while you read it….. Done? Good, then I’ll begin.
Now if you are anything like me this article made you quite angry. I had never heard of the IWF before reading this article, and I’ve been using the net since the mid 90’s. Maybe I’m out of the loop. Maybe my finger isn’t on the pulse. Maybe this little organisation is deliberately attracting as little publicity as possible. “But these are the good guys, they stop those nasty child exploiting bad guys!” I hear Bob the clueless bystander exclaim. Yes that is true, and in no way do I wish to advocate such heinous and despicable crimes. Pick your own fire and brimstone condemnation and insert it here, it’ll make you feel better. Done? Right then we can move on.
The problem is not with the analysis that child exploitation is wrong. My problem is with the instalment of an unregulated clandestine censorship committee that effectively gives the government the ability to censor the internet for it’s citizens without anyone even knowing about it. It is my opinion that having such a mechanism in place is an infringement of our civil liberties, and the principles of free speech on which the internet was founded. Worse it is a ticking time bomb for governmental or organisational abuse with no self regulating mechanism to provide information when/if this takes place. It could be happening right now and nobody would know.
I think the people that have the power to make decisions and policy in these matters need to take a long hard look at themselves. Yet again, the weak, short-sighted, reactionary, and downright stupid solution wins the day. Some idiot police chief can take credit for thwarting the evil doers and we can all live happily ever after. Please.
There are some fundamental things that these idiots are missing, not only about the internet but about human nature. Allow me to educate them. First, blocking a few URL’s isn’t going to stop anyone sharing illicit material. It’s like plugging that hole in the dam with your finger, another leak will spring up elsewhere. It’s a terrible thought, but anyone that was interested in the kind of material that would make the rest of us decidedly ill is not going to be put off by his favourite “www.naughty-and-naive.com” going under. Did people do these terrible things before the internet came along? That’s rhetorical so I’ll go ahead and answer my own question: “Yes.” Does this mean that the internet cannot be the cause of this behaviour? Rhetorical again what are the chances, I’ll go ahead and answer that one too: “Yes”. I sense a pattern forming. OK, so I’ll dial the condemnation down to a dull roar for a moment, my point should be pretty clear. It’s not the technology, it’s the people. The hypocrisy of it all, I find it hard to stomach. The people that perpetrate these acts against children are ill. No doubt. But can you honestly say that you are surprised? Just moments ago I watched a ten foot wide poster of Hannah Montana, complete with pre-amplified surrogate phallus, sidle past my window on the side of bus. For anyone that has no knowledge of the picture that I am referring to here it is, printed for convenience on some paper towels.
Again, my point should be clear. I heard a very bright person being interviewed recently about civil liberty, and something they said stuck with me: “The problem with giving up civil liberties is that it’s like erosion, once it’s gone you’ll never get it back.” So say we all.
Posted by: Ian Alexander Wood