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Leaked Letter Shows UK ISPs and Government At War Over Default Filters
An anonymous reader writes, quoting the BBC: "A letter sent to the UK's four leading ISPs from the government has made them very cross indeed. The letter comes from the Department for Education but it sets out a list of demands from Downing Street, with the stated aim of allowing the prime minister to make an announcement shortly. The companies are asked, among other things, for a commitment to fund an 'awareness campaign' for parents. They're not particularly happy about promising cash for what the letter concedes is an 'unknown campaign' but it's the next item on the menu which is the source of most of their anger."
That next item is making and marketing Internet censorship filters as "default-on" rather than "active choice": "'It sounds like a good idea until you think it through,' said one industry source. 'There are three reasons why it doesn't work. First it may be illegal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers. Then there's the fact that no filter is perfect, and finally kids are smart enough to find their way around them.'" From the sound of it, it might just be newspeak vs newspeak. The entire letter is included in the article.
Sometimes when I poop, I use the shaping attachment from my old Play Doh fun set. I place it on my anus, and make poops in different shapes. There is nothing strange about it at all. I'm an American, living in America, and if I want to have poops shaped like stars, I have every right to. The founding fathers would have wanted it this way.
Rude Britannia!
Britannia on the net!
Children might still find bad things yet!
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
That brings back memories. 14 or 15 years ago, when I was still living in the dial up age, my father decided to implement a 1 hour/day limit on my Internet access (AOL parental controls, I believe.) he worked until the evening so I could do whatever I wanted without supervision for the 4 or 5 hours between the end of school and him returning home. One of the very first things I did was search for a free dial up ISP that displayed ads, and I found one! All was great for a month or so until the phone bill for $900 came in... Turned out it was dialing some ISP in the Ukraine... Oops!
This is what you got when a nation-wide filtering system is created in the first place. Not satisfied with merely blocking the pedo-porn they went after the pirates and now they want to go after everything not whitelisted. It only gets worse from here guys, kill the national filter system dead before it grows, kill it before it grows.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
(of course, elventy million would nuke my karma to a crisp, but doing as the topic says would end the damage to various citizens caused by these leaks)
Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
But at least you have Slashdot to shit all over and the mods can keep this at -1 so that those with sensitive psyches don't have to see it.
BTW newbie mod, the proper response to any troll or those (like me that just fed the troll) that reply is to keep them ALL at -1.
Like our crazy spying program here in the US, this could be used for much worse things secretly by other administrations in the future.
Having a system put in place that can do real-time packet inspection and traffic editing should simply be illegal for ISPs, not required. I'd also favor banning traffic logging and non realtime inspection.
Let me guess: all good and dandy until some parents will sue the ISP for "having their kids accidentally exposed by a hole the filter" (as in "letting the kid find a way to bypass the filter and try get some money from the ISP").
Then the idea of "default-on filter" will be busted for good (or, alternatively, the Internet as seen by UK will look like a puny list of white listed sites, all the others censored).
Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
I know why they want these filters. GCHQ is getting flooded with porn. The filters are for the good of the country boys. Dog save the Queen.
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
The country that wants to block porn by default?
Sounds like a dream country for this guy!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Zimmerman is acquitted. Then Obama politizes the ruling and orders Holder to act. What will happen? The Court Judge, Zimmerman, the Jury et al. put on Obama Disposition Matrix? Death by Drone? And then the black riots happened.
Snowden. Alerted the citizens of the USA, UN, Europe, Asia and South American of the NSA's espionage - blackmail bulwark schemes for terrorization.
Obama then orders his citizenship revoked with his passport, and criminalizes him as a Enemy of the State. Then hardly a whimper form 'America.'
If Snowden were a Nigger, Obama would have offered him safe passage to Kenya, and Eric Holder would have awarded him $1,000,000 from the 'residuals' of the Fast and Furious program.
Way to Go Obama and Holder.
It'll start out banning porn, or so they'll claim, but pretty soon things like Wikileaks will be included on the blacklist with the general public never noticing.
No automatic filter works better than actual parenting...
So, he's trying to get the ISP's on board to a law before he's state what the law is, or before Parliament has discussed it.
WTF. Seriously is that how bad its getting in the UK?
They didn't leak the letter, it never had a right to be kept secret, it's a Parliamentary reach around, he doesn't have the power to make secret laws.
When the government filters only that which the government approves of is unfiltered. Intelligent and responsible parents can decide for themselves what is and what is not appropriate for their children to view.
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
You need someone's cooperation, so you send a letter demanding they do a bunch of things you know they object to on short notice and then demand money at the same time? Good luck with that.
Recently you had a sickening example of eugenics in the USA, where prisons in one State were sterilising women prisoners against the law. Filthy, filthy shills, like the sort that cheered the 'aquittal' of Zimmerman-the-Lyncher, said "what's the problem, the prisoners gave their 'consent'". Of course, as a prisoner in a US prison you never really consent to anything. Say 'no' and that means a beating, or refusal on your next parole hearing, or being singled out for rape in the guise of enhanced body searches, or any one of a thousand other ways the US government uses abuse against those it incarcerates.
The so-called 'optional' Internet filter proposed for the UK works in the same way. The mass murdering war-mongers known as the 'coalition' want an 'on by default' filter so that in most family households, it is 'politically' impossible for any given adult to dare to argue for switching the filter off. If there are kids, the pressure is obvious. Even if there is just a couple, the calculation is that the woman will be jealous of the 'real' reason the man wants unfiltered Internet access, causing the filter to stay on.
Indeed, the coalition already has soft campaigns planned by the BBC and tabloid newspapers in the UK saying "only dangerous perverts and extremists want the Internet filter switched off". After a few years at most, the politicians assume they can use this ploy to make the filter mandatory all the time. "Do you really want your neighbour accessing this filth?"
It is a standard 'slippery slope' play of the type we already see being rolled out in brain-dead authoritarian regimes like that of Australia. However, the UK is not Canada or Australia, and even the scum that supports/serves those that rule in this country do not like the idea of widespread state censorship. The Internet filter concept currently only enjoys the support of old women- a significant political force but almost certainly not powerful enough.
However, the UK is constantly on the verge of taking the leap, and becoming a type of police-state unlike any previously seen in earth's history. Tony Blair's Academy School movement is creating new generations of very dumbed down Britons who have been trained to accept the same conditions found within conventional prisons - the Academy Schools being modelled in significant ways on the so-called Super-Max prisons within the USA. SuperMax prisons attempt to psychologically control their prisoners at all time, and break them by doing so. The Academy Schools attempt the same process, intending to produce young sheeple that positively crave the most extreme forms of police-state policies.
In reality, most people come out of Blair's Academy system hating authority all the more. A handful of pupils, identified and recruited by Blair's Common Purpose organisation, positively revel in the authoritarian ideas, and become Blair's new enforcers in all important control positions in society. The sheeple may not be turned, but Blair continues building an ever growing thug base to control the sheeple.
An example is how Blair has just raised the 'leaving age' for schooling to 18 (17 this year, 18 2 years hence). No one, and I mean no-one wanted this change, but the sheeple simply sat on their hands and did nothing to oppose the idea. Blair initially proposed sending 17 and 18 year-olds to prison when they decided to 'drop out' but wasn't powerfully enough at the time to get this draconian measure accepted. Instead, Blair is going to fine them and their parents (a massive percentage of whom will be single parents). For a period, chaos will reign that will make Thatcher's (Blair's hero and his first official visitor when Blair became Prime Minister, even though Blair's predecessor was actually a chump called Major) Poll Tax look like a Summer picnic by comparison.
Blair is engaged in classic 'Problem, Reaction, Solution' manipulation of the sheeple, for when sheeple whose kids refuse to co-operate with Blair's post-16 'education' schemes ask "what can we do, our children are
First it may be illegal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers. Then there's the fact that no filter is perfect, and finally kids are smart enough to find their way around them.
Of these three points only the first one is of any substance, potentially. The rest is just a re-hash of the old 'we don't want it because it isn't perfect' - ie. just empty rhetorics. Nothing is perfect, we already knew that; the real question is, does it make things better - and how much? And what do we understand by better?
As far as I can see, this scheme essentially means that there will be some filter and you teach people how to turn it off if they want to. That makes a lot of sense to me - many (probably most) people don't want to get into contact with what they see as filth, and they don't want to have to learn something they find difficult. And this scheme doesn't affect the freedom of those who want it - they just have to make a bit more of an effort. What's not to like about it?
You know, this could actually be a good thing. With dicks like the NSA trying to spy on everyone, giving kids a reason to - and making it very normal to - learn things like TOR could be a really positive step.
Guys, this is going to happen - Its all about oversight now.
Just legislate and make the filtering rules public knowledge and publicly available through a request for information.
Have any sensitive information publicly accessible and have a yearly forum to challenge the shyte.
Are the oversight controls in control of the people or are they in control of the select few for political gain?
Have a xfunctional technocratic team of 8 people from law, teaching, medical, engineering and 4 artists head up the oversight committee.
Done.
I notice those three things don't include obvious problems like treating every adult like a child by default, regardless of whether there are children in the house, having to prove again you're grownup (yet you were allowed to enter into a contract for service in the first place!), the problems with that proving next to the problems with actually filtering, and, you know, the whole thing being censorship and so putting the UK even more obviously on par with China.
Even more? Yes, the UK already have an overzealous filter, "voluntarily" implemented by every ISP and blacklists provided by the "internet watch foundation". That one is only for shuffling kiddie pr0n under the carpet, which apparently is expected to make actual harm to children go away too. Likewise, here. Can't see it? Must not exist then, guv.
And the problems with that "prove their age/identity" thing? Apart from the obvious technical problems there's the "oh yes do log in to the internet under your real name please". Wider consequences left as an exercise.
As a hint, consider that the IWF filter was promised to never ever be expanded, only ever used for hiding child porn, honest honest fingers crossed, yet has been used as proof that this ought to be feasible too. No expansion ever? Right, and politicians are honest people, the lot of them.
I'm still with the concensus that the UK would make sex illegal if they could.
And everyone has to reproduce via Artificial Insemination.
In fact, it's quite an interesting read, and an insight into 'modern' politico thinking...
Behind the politeness...
"ask for some specific"
" I would be grateful if you could consider this request as a matter of urgency
They're actually 'asking' (i.e. trying to direct) the ISPs specific actions...
"Will the other three ISPs consider making a commitment to adopting this approach [experimental browser intercept] - even before it has been trialled"
Who in their right mind would commit to that? What if it totally bombs; they're still going to implement it?
"The prime minister expects customers to be required to prove their age/identity before any changes to the filters are made"
Why? Is he an internet security expert now?
"The prime minister would like to be able to announce a collective financial commitment from industry to fund this campaign."
Yeah, I bet he would. "Look voters, I screwed some of your cash out of your ISPs in the name of the children!"
"The prime minister believes that there is much more that we can all do to improve how we communicate the current position on parental internet controls and that there is a need for a simplified message to reassure parents and the public more generally. Without changing what you will be offering (ie active-choice +), the prime minister would like to be able to refer to your solutions are "default-on" as people will have to make a choice not to have the filters (by unticking the box). "
Pure spin. The whole thing reeks of micromanagement and backroom arm-twisting.
Plus of course, if the entire thing goes wrong, the Gov gets to blame the ISPs!
So set up a TLD for kids.uk already!
Then set up a registrar that instead of putting domains in .uk, put them in .kids.uk, and be done with it.
Force all "kid safe" browsers to ALWAYS appeand .kids.uk, and police the subdelegation registrar.
Damn problem solved already, with dumbass legislation that mandates industry to develop technology that it's impossible to make foolproof -- and which most technologists capable of implementing it, think is a stupid idea that shouldn't be implemented in the first place (like DRM, which is why DRM is never implemented in a foolproof way).
Prediction: It will all be down by private corporations and their filters will be 'protected private commercial property', so politicos and corps can bounce problems between them until complainants get tiered and go away.
As usual. The Jews can't allow their 'goyim' (cattle) to find out that they are actually ruled over by Jews, and have no say about it, or they might rebel!
Your Congress is completely owned by 'precious' Israel, do you actually think you live in a democracy? Can anybody here seriously claim that Jews haven't taken over almost every white country on Earth?
To make it clear, anyone who believes this filter will stop at porn or to protect children is on cloud 7.
This push is not about that. It is to apply a filter to content that the government can not control. The filter is here the goal. And any means is just to get popular opinion to support it.
Once this filter is in place the scope will increase incrementally, with every new legislation round. Copyright holders will push to include sites like ThePirateBay, never mind TPB is listing a lot of legal torrents; it will include radio streams that somehow slipped paying the PPL;
Later of course the filter will include "terrorists sites". And more later any critics and articles on the government politics and programs, that are deemed crucial "national security", like the Snowden leaks.
The press like the Guardian have rights like freedom of the press. But the Internet does not have any rights. There is no right to Twitter or to Blog.
http://www.mueller-public.de - My site http://www.anr-institute.com/ - Advanced Natural Research Institute
China has definitely become the role model with regards to internet policies.
She is the one that caused this, that arrogant ignorant fuck is the one that wants everyone else to take care of her family for her so she can continue being an obnoxious moron to everyone else.
How the hell she got in to government is beyond me. Her position there is about as explanatory as Lydia Winters in Mojang.
There needs to be a minimum IQ and knowledge test before people get in to government. She would fail it hard.
Surely even conservatives are annoyed at her stupidity?
Complain, complain your ass off. Every MP, every petition site, just complain like hell.
Get her kicked out of government for being a complete moron. She is telling ISPs to straight up LIE to people now.
I remember I thought she was just being overly paranoid at things.
"oh no, that big bad internet, gotta lock it down for everyone!"
Then I saw her in an interview on TV. Holy shit.
She really is terrible. She is ignorant, argumentative, forceful and generally just seriously annoying.
Take care of your own damn family and get internet filters for your PC.
Don't like that? How about you sit the hell down and talk to your children for once and explain things?
Don't like that? How about you UNEXIST and stop bothering us with your mistakes!
Of course they're at war. This is one of the most incompetent and scientifically illiterate governments in living memory. It's packed full of lunatic ideologues like Ian Duncan Smith and Teresa May who sideline professional academic advice time and time again in favour of their own prejudices stupidity and ignorance. I just wish their misguided, harmful and plain unworkable policies wouldn't wreck this countries social and political fabric for generations to come. It would be funny if the human cost wasn't so high
And you know what? In spite of this, the main opposition is still unable to differentiate itself as a better alternative than this shower of charlatans, bigots and liars.
I despair at this country. I really do.
I had a dream, bright and carefree, but now there's doubt and gravity
Or just fight it because if Snowden's leaks have told us anything in the UK it's that even when the government pretends to be transparent it's not.
For example, they claimed they needed the Interception Modernisation Programme to be able to keep up to date with modern spying requirements. Two successive governments involving all three main parties in fact have pushed exactly this but each time the public has said no way.
It turns out GCHQ has been doing it anyway and the so the legislation was being pushed to legalise what was already being done illegally.
So given that, why would we trust them on filtering? Even if they said it's going to happen and offer transparency on what's blocked we can't trust that they wont block anything else as they've already proven themselves untrustworthy. Better to fight the law altogether and even produce and distribute tools that make it a one click operation to bypass the filters (very easily done).
Ironically though if you read TFA you'd see that it's actually not going to happen anyway, basically Claire Perry the retard behind this along with her ultra-religious hard right media fanaticists like The Daily Mail has been defeated but is asking ISPs to pretend that she hasn't by pretending what they're offering is something that it isn't.
First it may be illegal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers. Then there's the habit of government to censor any unflattering truths, and finally kids are smart enough to find their way around them.
What.. you mean one of the millions of web proxies around the world? It sounds like they will be spending millions one something that can be circumvented with a single Google search.