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The only reason they get away with this is that it makes no difference to the day to day lives of the average Ethiopean. It's a bit like us in the west having l

The only reason they get away with this is that it makes no difference to the day to day lives of the average Ethiopean. It's a bit like us in the west having legislation passed that says you are not allowed to go over Mach 2 in your private jet. I wouldn't expend energy fighting that, but take away my comms rights, and I'll burn your mansions to ashes.

bradleyland 14y ago
Not digging the analogy. The Arab Spring reinforced the role of free communication in the process of overturning tyrannical regimes. All analogies are broken at some level, but the discord in relevance here is too much. It may not be the case for the people of Ethiopia today, but mobile phones have proven to be a powerful disrupter in similar countries. Skype acts as a conceptual anchor for the reader in the article, but the law is not limited to Skype. You can't downplay this legislation. It is an assault on the very foundation of freedom. Make no mistake about it.
- philhippus 14y ago
  I agree that this is a very serious assault. My intention was not to downplay this legislation but to point out how it passed so easily in a population of 85 million. Their priorities are fending off starvation. i.e. they are being kicked while they are down.
briandear 14y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6
molmalo 14y ago
Not the same. Technology is making every day Internet use cheaper and cheaper. So it's not hard to imagine a broad adoption in a few years there. It's absurd to think the same happening with match 2 jets any time soon. (even when I'd like that). Also, Internet comms enables a lot of business to flourish, that will otherwise be badly damaged.
- rprasad 14y ago
  The analogy is apt. His point was that to most Ethiopians, VOIP calls are a luxury that requires other attendant circumstances, i.e., wealth, similar to the circumstances in which a Westerner would have a private jet capable of going Mach 2. Electricity, computers, and the internet are considered a necessity (or in Europe, even a right) by First World countries, but in Third World Countries like Ethiopia, whether you're going to have enough food to feed your family is still the biggest daily concern.

bradleyland 14y ago

Not digging the analogy. The Arab Spring reinforced the role of free communication in the process of overturning tyrannical regimes. All analogies are broken at some level, but the discord in relevance here is too much. It may not be the case for the people of Ethiopia today, but mobile phones have proven to be a powerful disrupter in similar countries. Skype acts as a conceptual anchor for the reader in the article, but the law is not limited to Skype. You can't downplay this legislation. It is an assault on the very foundation of freedom. Make no mistake about it.

philhippus 14y ago
I agree that this is a very serious assault. My intention was not to downplay this legislation but to point out how it passed so easily in a population of 85 million. Their priorities are fending off starvation. i.e. they are being kicked while they are down.

briandear 14y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6

molmalo 14y ago

Not the same. Technology is making every day Internet use cheaper and cheaper. So it's not hard to imagine a broad adoption in a few years there. It's absurd to think the same happening with match 2 jets any time soon. (even when I'd like that). Also, Internet comms enables a lot of business to flourish, that will otherwise be badly damaged.

rprasad 14y ago
The analogy is apt. His point was that to most Ethiopians, VOIP calls are a luxury that requires other attendant circumstances, i.e., wealth, similar to the circumstances in which a Westerner would have a private jet capable of going Mach 2. Electricity, computers, and the internet are considered a necessity (or in Europe, even a right) by First World countries, but in Third World Countries like Ethiopia, whether you're going to have enough food to feed your family is still the biggest daily concern.