Posts by holyf

Web daddy Sir Tim Berners-Lee: Back off Putin, I'm no CIA stooge

Re: No such thing

Wrong and naive!! You have whatever rights afforded to you by the ruling class of the day.

Think about it... What say do I have on matters such as these other than which prospective MP of the 2, possibly 3 main parties to vote for on polling day? I vote for who I want to be my representative and if they do manage to get elected, the party-political system kicks in immediately so that they too are ruled by the rulers. Democracy is an illusion designed to keep the masses thinking they have some control over matters if you ask me. In reality we don't.

If you ask me Putin is right. The internet might have been created by well meaning academics, but they've long since been usurped by the powers of various states. The internet now is nothing more that a bonanza for those states to pry into the communications and the interaction graphs of the world's citizens. That's not to say that Putin and his apparatchiks don't have their hands in the cookie jar.

It's a bloody sad and sorry state of affairs that we are powerless in the face of their ability and willingness to monitor us all under the guise of whatever boogeyman is currently under the bed.

Then there's the usual "well, if you've got nothing to hide" bullshit spouted all the time. Most of these surveillance states are currently under the control of relatively benign powers, but god help us if that ever changes and as history teaches, it inevitably will. Imagine how easy it would be in this day and age to run a quick query on whatever graph databases they use to find out who the undesired du jour happen to be. For Christ sake, Facebook could probably tell you the probability of somebody liking Marmite.

The UK have just jailed a mother of 5 for posting pictures of herself on Facebook wearing a Turban and espousing the righteousness of her beliefs about Syria. There wouldn't be any problem, presumably, posting pictures of yourself wearing a British beret and shouting whatever the latest foreign policy shit happens to be.

The default inclination of any government, no matter how benign, is to monitor, surveil and control their citizens and the internet is absolute manna from heaven for their ability to do so. They are taking full advantage; or at least striving to.

Florida1920, you're an ignoramus, plain and simple. Have you ever had a deep thought in your life?

Megaupload overlord Kim Dotcom: The US has radicalised me!

In all your righteous zealotry 'Kim dot com', don't forget that your millions were made off the creative labour and endeavours of others. Not saying that the media corporations or the U.S Government are righteous either, but you're certainly not and in my view, certain arguments and positions are closed to you at risk of extreme hypocrisy.