[moep]

I wanted to share this article with you guys and I’m wondering what you think about it. Granted, it does have a good dose of FUD in it so take it with a grain of salt, but the scenario doesn't seem entirely unrealistic to me.

Internet Censorship is On It’s Way. The i-Patriot Act. - Young Famous and Fashionable

The author writes:

There’s going to be an i-9/11 event. Which doesn’t necessarily mean an Al Qaeda attack, it means an event where the instability or the insecurity of the internet becomes manifest during a malicious event which then inspires the government into a response. You’ve got to remember that after 9/11 the government drew up the Patriot Act within 20 days and it was passed.

Of course, the Patriot Act is filled with all sorts of insanity about changing the way civil rights are protected, or not protected in this instance. So I was having dinner with Richard Clarke and I asked him if there is an equivalent, is there an i-Patriot Act just sitting waiting for some substantial event as an excuse to radically change the way the internet works. He said “of course there is”.

The possibility of this happening hasn’t crossed my mind until now.
It’s a quite disturbing perspective but OTOH the internet is a completely global network that simply cannot be regulated by one government alone. Ugh.

[OldManMac]

The internet, as such, may not be easily regulated by one government alone, but the backbone servers in the U. S. could be. It wouldn't surprise me to see this happen at some point in the not too distant future. Corporate America is always looking for ways to monopolize goods and services, and this would be as good an area as any, especially given how much they hate free speech and dissent.

[Helmling]

But we recently won a huge net neutrality court decision against Comcast and Congress has sided against the corporations on this issue.

Hopefully...hopefully we're safe for the time being.

[brugesman]

I hope for the world's sake that moep is wrong.

[vmarks]

Things you need to know:

http://www.infragard.net/

06-Aug-2008 26,168 MEMBERS (Including FBI)
InfraGard is an information sharing and analysis effort serving the interests and combining the knowledge base of a wide range of members. At its most basic level, InfraGard is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the private sector. InfraGard is an association of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other participants dedicated to sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the United States. InfraGard Chapters are geographically linked with FBI Field Office territories.

***************************

The bill that moep refers to has been written ages ago. This is normal. People and agencies write bills all the time and keep them handy for occasions that present an opportunity. See Disney and their writing bills that Fritz Hollings would introduce. It's a practice for industry and agencies alike.

In fact, you as a citizen could write the text of a bill you'd like and forward it to your legislator. Nothing prevents you from doing so.

[OldManMac]

Things you need to know; The Patriot Act was one of those bills that was written a while before 9/11, and then in the emotional outcry afterwards it was voted on, with very few of our "representatives" actually reading the damn thing. InfraGard is an association that is going to make sure that private citizens' rights to criticize not only government, but businesses who screw customers, are going to be taken away after a staged attack takes place. I love my country; it's the government and its corporate owners I distrust.

[moep]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

[...]with very few of our "representatives" actually reading the damn thing[...]

Yes, correct. The article clearly states:

In the days after the attacks it was passed in the House by a majority of 357 to 66. It passed the Senate by 98 to 1. Congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex) told the Washington Times that no member of Congress was even allowed to read the legislation.

I have a hard time understanding how things like this can even happen without being noticed or mentioned. It’s the first time I’ve heard about this. (then again, I’m not from the US).

[nonhuman]

Good thing mesh networking will enable us to keep on downloading porn and arguing about religion even if the government shuts down the Internet.

[vmarks]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

InfraGard is an association that is going to make sure that private citizens' rights to criticize not only government, but businesses who screw customers, are going to be taken away after a staged attack takes place. I love my country; it's the government and its corporate owners I distrust.

Incorrect.

Infraguard are guys who work at IT companies who notice an attack in progress and notify the feds to pursue the criminal/terrorist element of the attack while IT guys pursue the technological end of it. They're the guys who spread the word when an attack begins, so that the effects can be reversed.

It's basically regular geeks working with law enforcement to keep the infrastructure functioning. Private citizen geeks.

But no. You ignored that and leapt to conclusions.

[OldManMac]

No, I didn't leap to conclusions. http://www.progressive.org/mag_rothschild0308

[jojo gunne]

I'm waiting for the i-Gulf of Tonkin.

[vmarks]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

No, I didn't leap to conclusions. http://www.progressive.org/mag_rothschild0308

Nothing in the article supports your statements.