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here we go -- gearing up to the decade of censorship 2020 and beyond . . . between this and the EU link sharing tax, I am beginning to wonder if the internet re

here we go -- gearing up to the decade of censorship 2020 and beyond . . . between this and the EU link sharing tax, I am beginning to wonder if the internet really is the last bastion to freedom of speech

nkozyra 8y ago
Huh? This is a plugin that was removed from the plugin directories.
- thefounder 8y ago
  Yeah, just like you would remove a website from a websites "directory" or better just not display a website that breaks the law or better block it at ISP level! Welcome great firewall! Who said this is censorship?
  - nkozyra 8y ago
    You can install this plugin without repercussion. Let's not be dramatic.
maxerickson 8y ago
Of course it isn't any different in that respect (control by state actors) than any other communication medium. Expecting otherwise is odd.
- realthing 8y ago
  No it isnt. The whole point of the internet is that it exists apart from nations law. its in the name - world wide web.
JohnStrangeII 8y ago
This is not a free speech issue at all, nor are the EU regulations free speech issues. The problem with these laws and their interpretation is that they target the wrong organizations and technologies. If a website is illegal, it needs to be taken down by police. Instead, idiot judges rule that certain DNS entries should be blocked. If you shouldn't be allowed to read some pay-walled journal, then the publisher has to implement proper DRM. Instead, they take down arbitrary plugins from the directories of arbitrary browser makers. It's the publishers' right to ask for money for their products, but it's also their obligation to protect it and ensure that their business model is viable and technically feasible. It's the end of 2018 and lawmakers and executive still don't understand how the Internet works. That's the problem.
- JeanMarcS 8y ago
  I mostly agree with you, but the problem with illegals websites is often that they are illegal in a country but hosted in another. So you can’t really send your own police taking down servers in other countries. So for the DNS blocking it works because it blocks casual users of those website (I’m thinking torrent or streaming sites essentially). Of course when you know a bit how it works you use international DNS. And if you know even more, you use your own :-)
  - AdrianB1 8y ago
    One country cannot police Internet, otherwise China will shut it down tomorrow. If a site is legal in the country where it is hosted, then it is legal and that's it, connecting to Internet assumes you obey this simple rule.
    - shaki-dora 8y ago
      Well, seems like some people don't actually "obey" this rule you just invented. And, for now, they have that other invented rule on their side, the rule of law.
      - AdrianB1 8y ago
        The law applied in the country that established it, not worldwide. This is what I said.
    - bad_user 8y ago
      No, a country has sovereignty on its territory and can do whatever they want, including blocking whatever websites they want and not giving a crap about whom they offend. This is why you need to follow the law in the countries wher the service is operational, otherwise the service risks being blocked at the very least. Of course, countries have trade agreements and the circumstances under which services and products can be blocked is negotiable. And this can cut both ways, e.g. companies in the US selling services and products in the EU have to be lawful in the EU, otherwise they can be fined, even without a presence in the EU. This is why most US companies selling their services in the EU have started charging VAT, even if the US has no such thing. As to your remark, a website can be at the same time legal in one country and illegal in another. What can happen next depends on the country you’re talking about and the trade agreements that are in place. But generally, when we’re talking about avoiding payments and taxes, you’d better live in a country with no extradition agreements.

nkozyra 8y ago

Huh? This is a plugin that was removed from the plugin directories.

thefounder 8y ago
Yeah, just like you would remove a website from a websites "directory" or better just not display a website that breaks the law or better block it at ISP level! Welcome great firewall! Who said this is censorship?
- nkozyra 8y ago
  You can install this plugin without repercussion. Let's not be dramatic.

maxerickson 8y ago

Of course it isn't any different in that respect (control by state actors) than any other communication medium. Expecting otherwise is odd.

realthing 8y ago
No it isnt. The whole point of the internet is that it exists apart from nations law. its in the name - world wide web.

JohnStrangeII 8y ago

This is not a free speech issue at all, nor are the EU regulations free speech issues. The problem with these laws and their interpretation is that they target the wrong organizations and technologies. If a website is illegal, it needs to be taken down by police. Instead, idiot judges rule that certain DNS entries should be blocked. If you shouldn't be allowed to read some pay-walled journal, then the publisher has to implement proper DRM. Instead, they take down arbitrary plugins from the directories of arbitrary browser makers. It's the publishers' right to ask for money for their products, but it's also their obligation to protect it and ensure that their business model is viable and technically feasible. It's the end of 2018 and lawmakers and executive still don't understand how the Internet works. That's the problem.

JeanMarcS 8y ago
I mostly agree with you, but the problem with illegals websites is often that they are illegal in a country but hosted in another. So you can’t really send your own police taking down servers in other countries. So for the DNS blocking it works because it blocks casual users of those website (I’m thinking torrent or streaming sites essentially). Of course when you know a bit how it works you use international DNS. And if you know even more, you use your own :-)
- AdrianB1 8y ago
  One country cannot police Internet, otherwise China will shut it down tomorrow. If a site is legal in the country where it is hosted, then it is legal and that's it, connecting to Internet assumes you obey this simple rule.
  - shaki-dora 8y ago
    Well, seems like some people don't actually "obey" this rule you just invented. And, for now, they have that other invented rule on their side, the rule of law.
    - AdrianB1 8y ago
      The law applied in the country that established it, not worldwide. This is what I said.
  - bad_user 8y ago
    No, a country has sovereignty on its territory and can do whatever they want, including blocking whatever websites they want and not giving a crap about whom they offend. This is why you need to follow the law in the countries wher the service is operational, otherwise the service risks being blocked at the very least. Of course, countries have trade agreements and the circumstances under which services and products can be blocked is negotiable. And this can cut both ways, e.g. companies in the US selling services and products in the EU have to be lawful in the EU, otherwise they can be fined, even without a presence in the EU. This is why most US companies selling their services in the EU have started charging VAT, even if the US has no such thing. As to your remark, a website can be at the same time legal in one country and illegal in another. What can happen next depends on the country you’re talking about and the trade agreements that are in place. But generally, when we’re talking about avoiding payments and taxes, you’d better live in a country with no extradition agreements.