Big brother is alive and well

Here in Belgium the ISPs are getting a lot of pressure from government to block websites they think are not suitable.

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/2973/pyuh.png

This appears more and more these days,just for a bit of research i tried to log on to the top ten warez sites on the web (no names) and out of the ten 8 gave me that screen.

I am not sure if it is related but i used to use a proxy to watch some of the US sport channels and now i can not use it as it just refuses to change the IP address, i did try another application to change IP but with the same results so i can only assume that my ISP is somehow blocking it.

Belgium is at the moment in the middle of a hacking scandal where Belgacom one of the biggest telecommunications firms had there servers hacked and the hackers then used them to attack the NSA in America and the UKs secret service at GCHQ, so maybe that is why they are getting so strict.

The strange and annoying thing is they block warez sites but allow the unending stream of porn that is corrupting our children to flourish with impunity, the priorities seem wrong to me but then i am just an old fart.

 

I've read where the copyright n*zis (RIAA, MPAA, etc) have been pushing for all ISPs in the US to institute a similar block on all file sharing sites.

While I am not advocating illegal downloading, it should be noted that visiting such sites is not a crime, nor is downloading content that is either public domain or approved by the author for free personal use.

I see this as an issue of Net Neutrality - an issue where (on a semi-related note) CBS blocked Time Warner Cable ISP subscribers from legally accessing streaming programming on its website in markets where CBS was in a fight with Time Warner over restransmission fees for CBS stations on its cable service.

I hope the FCC will not bow to the pressure of Hollywood on what is likely a First Amendment issue. In addition, I hope the FCC can smack down CBS for selectively blocking web site access to ISP subscribers who pay a separate and distinct fee for ISP versus cable (or, in my case, don't subscribe to cable TV at all).

 

When Pirate Bay was found liable for copyright infringement for the first time 'not the first case though the anti piracy groups have lost numerous times' in a UK court the whole ballgame changed over here. ISP are now legally obligated to block their address, the problem is they've changed their address numerous times but each one has been blocked as new cases/addresses were brought forward.

They've even changed the domain so fast it's impossible for the court system to keep up so low and behold, as we all predicted the ISP are blocking new address's without a court order as soon as they appear, they are now essentially censoring the internet and they are the ones who decide what gets blocked.

I still can't believe Google sold out, seen how many Google searches are blocked by by DMCA requests?

So even a search engine is now fair game, they don't even have servers with torrent meta data on just show you sites that do.

Ridiculous!

 

Yes, the joys of "intellectual property" laws. Don't block the "offensive material", just block the flow of all information. It's like putting out a campfire, with TNT.

As I recall, MIT offers all it's course material free online now. It's always the geeks that are ahead of the curve! :-D


http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

 

I was under the impression that GCHQ, presumably in cahoots with the NSA, hacked Belgacom so they could gain access to internet traffic in parts of the Middle East and Africa where Belgacom also operate ISP services?

 

That is certainly not how it is being reported here.

They are saying that hackers used the servers to attack NSA.

But then again who can trust the media.

 

Well, seems it's true, Bill. Need to get some News outside of Belgium to see what's really going on. Belgium is skeered of upsetting 'Big Brit'.

http://www.spiegel.de/international...hq-hacked-belgian-telecoms-firm-a-923406.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world...46bbb8-1f16-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_story.html

 

Thanks Barry
Those two articles give two totally different perspectives and it is the second one that we are seeing here.

When i first posted the comment i had not researched it as i was only using it as an illustration of possibly why they are getting heavy with blocking sites,i have googled it since and there are so many conflicting views out there it is hard to know what to believe.