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> This is not about the government ... "removing news articles that are politically unacceptable". That's actually part of the problem. The government should c
by apk17 10y ago
> This is not about the government ... "removing news articles that are politically unacceptable".
That's actually part of the problem. The government should close down illegal establishments, and not just be blocking access to them.
The other part of the problem: Once the gov can tell the ISPs what to block (a) the block list must be secret and (b) the process can be very easily abused, with 'overblocking' being the standard excuse.
- akjainaj 10y agoYour government can't close down illegal websites in other countries, that's why they're blocking them.
- exodust 10y agoThere are no "illegal websites", only some illegal activity on legal websites. Just like there's some illegal activity on legal roadways, but we don't block the roads do we?
- akjainaj 10y agoRoads are used for a legal purpose by >99% of their users, and even though you could upload Creative Commons content to The Pirate Bay, most of it is illegally shared software/entertainment. The same they would not block Telegram nation-wide just because some users are using it to upload movies to public gruops (yes, it happens) because most of the users just use it to talk to their friends.
- exodust 10y ago> "most of it is illegally shared software/entertainment" I prefer to think of it as "conveniently shared". Here in Australia we have a problem with lack of convenience around legal avenues of digital entertainment, so there's not exactly an equivalent legal alternative to something as easy as downloading. It's a fragmented mess of services if you choose to play by the rules. Regional restrictions, lock-in contracts, and free-to-air "rights" to particular programs exclusively means every platform plays a tug-of-war with viewers, trying to get their subscription dollar or eyeballs on advertising. People will find the path of least resistance when the commercial interests around them close in with deals and promotions and hype we can't possible keep up with or remain in tune with. So we turn to the internet. Not everyone is "illegal" all the time. I buy blu-rays of shows I really liked that I previously downloaded. Exposure to content otherwise never discovered has a value we are not seeing factored in to these arguments.
- apk17 10y agoThey could tell local authorities; this usually gets things done. Unless, of cource, $activity isn't even illegal in that other country.