America bids to become net watchdog

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by Neb: Even if they claim to only want it for those reasons, Crimsom, then I doubt that it's true. They will exploit it to point out "unpatriotic" people and throw them in jail for being "terrorists". Just like most dictators would.

Interesting idea, but completely unreasonable.

[Bardan the Slayer]

Hmm ...I think the problem with this is not that people thin what is proposed is a bad idea, but rather - can you trust the USA government (or indeed, any other) to keep their hands clean? The US government has a bit of a history with computer privacy issues, including federal demands that they have the means to decrypt any message sent in the USA, or somehitng like that.

Another issue is policeware, as seen here - http://www.stoppoliceware.org/ - sometimes it seems like if you give one government power over the internet, nmo matter how noble their intenetions, they will eventually use their power in a purely selfish way to infringe on civil liberties such as your right to privacy and so on.

It's the start of a slippery slope, IMHO. A decentralised internet (in terms of having no real government sponsored police force) may have alot of bad stuff floating around, but then - so do books. Are we going to police libraries and bookshops now, if one of their books happens to describe bomb-making (they may actually do this in the uS, come to think of it ).

People interested in the sick stuff will find it. It's been that way since the printing press, and it's not going to change now. Anyone claiming that they are going to stop it at the source (rather than just arresting the sickos) is playing a dangerous game when it comes to censorship. In the beginning, it may be nobly done, but how long before the government starts messing with things it shouldn't, and abusing it's power? And don't say it won't happen - it happens all the time, in every country. Hell, the one thing *all* governments are good at is abusing their power. That is why jorunalism is such a booming industry nowadays

I'm reminded of a line from Dirty Harry II, where he is talking about vigilante action - "Sure, it's fine in the start when you blow away murderers and pimps, but before you know it, you're shooting someone because their dog p***ed on your lawn."

Like I said, I think what people fear isn't the initial use of the power, but the inevitable eventual misuse of it.

[True_Moose]

Well said Bardan [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Azred]

Originally posted by TheCrimsomBlade: READ THE ARTICLE!!! It isn,t so the U.S. can censer people talking on the net or even to stop normal forums like ours.Its main consern is to by pass censoring in third world countries that don't get to use forums like ours or that can't read the news as it really is. the one thing it does want to censor it the exploutation of chlidern used in child porno and the fact that sick basterds outside the U.S. can photograph young boys & girls in a pornographic manor and get away with it. these sick people that exploit childern need to be caught and placed in prison or stood against the wall and shot. Right now there is no one outside of the U.S. and a few other countries that outlaw this. with the right to oversee the internet in all countries they will be able to stop these child pornographers and other sadistic basterds, and at the same time stop other governments from censorning the truth in what is really happening in the world and maybe will help in bringing everyone together as one big happy world. that is what everybody really wants or a'm I wrong?, should all the third world countries just be kept in the dark about what the free world is all about? I would really like to see an end to calling any country third world we should all be of one world but with the right to our own beliefs and customs and the knoledge that nobody is going to burst into their home and take away their property or family just because they believe in a different GOD or whatever.

Even though it is a very good idea to pursue child pornographers wherever they may be, we cannot force our laws and ideals on others. Would we want some other nation forcing their laws onto us? Of course not. Even in the name of "righteousness" or "law and order" we cannot tell others how to run their country else we become nothing more than the next heavy-handed/dictatorial empire.
Let's drive up to the Pacific Northwest, find some militia groups, and see if they want "one big happy world". [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img] They would shoot us faster than we could say "new world order".
In this era of Homeland Security, we are all only one step away from becoming a "person of interest" like Dr. Steven Hatfill. This would allow authorities to burst into our homes and take away property, albeit with a search warrant.