A Totalitarian Internet
“We need to monitor the Internet to combat terrorism” they said.
“Fair enough” we said, as we don’t like terrorism.
“We need to monitor the Internet to combat hatred” they said.
“Fair enough” we said. We don’t like hatred.
“We need to censor the Internet to remove all hatred” they said.
???
What the fuck is “hate speech” for starters? How can anyone define it in a court of law? They would class “I hate Muslims” as hate speech? I would class “Smokers are filthy” as hate speech. Hatred is in the mind of the “victim” and is as ephemeral as the breeze. What’s worse, they declare that “hate speech” is illegal, so some innocent remark can criminalise the author on the whim of someone who will define it as “inciting hatred”.
Where does it stop? At the moment, they define “hate speech” as “the public incitement to violence or hatred directed against a group of persons or a member of such a group defined by reference to race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin“. What is to stop them adding a little clause in the small print to include, for example, “political affiliation”? How long before it is a criminal offence to criticise the EU? The Snowflakes class any mention of gender as “hate speech”. How long before they get their way and anything that is deemed offensive – no matter how trivial – is censored?
Fortunately, they haven’t a clue. The one thing a totalitarian regime hates is lack of control, and much as they would like, it is damned difficult to control the Internet.
Apparently there was a lovely indication last night on television of just how detached politicians are from the technical realities of the modern world. I didn’t see it myself, but I believe a suggestion was made that anyone applying for a social media account should be force to divulge their Identity Card number [or the “Public Services Card” as they lake to call it here to mask its true identity]. This is so naïve and so ridiculous that it merely deserves scorn and pity. If anything, its heartening as it just shows the levels of ignorance in our Ruling Masters.
And while I am at it it…….
The European Union is a money grabbing, power hungry dictatorship, and I fucking hate it.
Censor that, Sunshine!
What on earth is “social media”? I hear a lot about it. I’ve twitter and facebook 127.0.0.0’d for years. Is it them? Is it email? The Guardian? Or commenting on a blog, like, er, gramp’s?
I’m pretty sure that isms, like ologies, can and usually be defined to be whatever you want. As for “hatred”, I’m wondering if it’s different from blazing anger, shouting at the television, or feeling like you want to vomit and/or empty the nearest bottle of cheap anaesthesia. If I yell in my head at the reptiles to f.o.a.d? Could be incitement by thought-ray. Any medics reading this?
“How long before it is a criminal offence to criticise the EU?” Erm… actually it already is. Since March 2001. EU court ruling.
“The European Union is a money grabbing, power hungry dictatorship,”
Whereas the Irish and British governments are magic money trees spewing their generous bounty upon us all; who govern with the light ethereal touch of the fairy folk and who can’t wait to put down the burden of power and the crushing responsibility of office?