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Irish Politician Calls For Crackdown On Open Source Internet Browsers
An anonymous reader writes "An Irish politician has called for tougher controls on the use of open source internet browsers. He said, 'An online black market is operating which protects the users’ anonymity and operates across borders through the use of open source internet browsers and payments systems which allow users to remain anonymous. This effectively operates as an online supermarket for illegal goods such as drugs, weapons and pornography, where it is extremely difficult to trace the identity of the buyers. We need a national and international response to clamp down on this illicit trade.' The politician added that the U.S. had 'taken action' to address this, but he seemed surprised that their solution was only 'temporary.'"
Posting as ac because I am both Irish and drunk, I forgot my password
I think I speak for all people who know much of anything about computers when I ask, "what?".
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Call me when a bill to this effect has some chance of passing, otherwise I am not interested. There is no idea so dumb or ill-informed that there isn't going to be some politician, somewhere, proposing it. That doesn't mean anyone else in that legislature takes it seriously, possibly even the proposer isn't serious and is just mouthing off for political reasons. This just isn't worth anyone's time to read about.
This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
Obviously, this person has no clue as to how the internet, or software works...
Logic is the beginning of reason, not the end of it.
Seems like this rather confused politician is confusing Firefox with Tor. And I bet if he knew who was funding Tor, his head would explode.
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
The only people who deserve no taxes in Ireland are those multinationals with accountants who drink a double Irish coffee with their Dutch sandwich.
How in the heck did the idea of 'privacy' which, used to be one of the tenets of western civilization become something that our elected leaders (who are supposed to be on OUR side) actively try to quash? What is wrong with that picture. Did we learn nothing from the USSR and the Iron Curtain?
There are web browsers based on the work of the Firefox and Chromium open source projects that allow browsing a parallel web with enough anonymity that users feel safe using it to trade in prohibited weapons, prohibited drugs, and prohibited sexually explicit works. One of them is the Tor Browser Bundle. And I think the "payment system" part refers to Bitcoin and the other coins that vary in the exact proof-of-work problem, such as Namecoin (Bitcoin with a parallel DNS tacked on), Litecoin (Bitcoin with Tarsnap's Scrypt hash), and Dogecoin (very Litecoin, much meme, so cash, wow).
This just goes to show how people who know nothing about computers shouldn't be in a position to make public statements about them. I mean, while we're at it, why don't we ban cars from driving on the road just so that bank robbers can't use them as getaway vehicles?
I mean, if we can complain about things that are going to bring the world down around our ears, surely stupidity outranks firefox.
Let us know how that works out.
I agree with the people above, it sounds like he's confusing Tor and Firefox. For my part, I'm a member of an on-line community and am dealing with their 64-year-old admin who refuses to let anyone post live links in the discussion forum because "it's a security risk" and won't allow any images, or media. She's wondering why this little web community is dying.
You sometimes need to keep old people away from the keyboard.
---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
confusing Firefox with Tor
I don't see how Firefox with Tor is so confusing.
This reminds me of when Senator Orin hatch wanted to develop technology to destroy peoples computers if they were caught downloading anything that was copyrighted.
I actually witnessed this exchange live on C-SPAN.
Excerpt from an article that's no longer up:
"No one is interested in destroying anyone's computer," replied Randy Saaf of MediaDefender Inc., a secretive Los Angeles company that builds technology to deliberately download pirated material very slowly so other users can't.
"I'm interested," Hatch interrupted. He said damaging someone's computer "may be the only way you can teach somebody about copyrights."
The senator, a composer who earned $18,000 last year in song-writing royalties, acknowledged Congress would have to enact an exemption for copyright owners from liability for damaging computers. He endorsed technology that would twice warn a computer user about illegal online behavior, "then destroy their computer."
"If we can find some way to do this without destroying their machines, we'd be interested in hearing about that," Hatch said. "If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines. If you have a few hundred thousand of those, I think people would realize" the seriousness of their actions.
"There's no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws," Hatch said.
Pro tip, just because it is online, or open source, does not make human nature any different.
Some people will beat their spouse or hire a hitman. Some people will be addicts. Some will sell to the addicts. Some will fondle their niece.
Claiming some tool is enabling these behaviors and ignoring that tool's greater benefit greater benefit to society is either fear-mongering or blind unthinking fear (possibly instilled by other fear mongers). If the former, you are the worst kind of control hungry sociopath to use fear to restrict others. If the latter, you are a puppet and a simpleton. in either case, you do not deserve to be in any position of leadership.
Silence is a state of mime.
Microsoft, Google and Apple all have their European bases in Ireland. Firefox has its European base in the UK, and Opera is based in Norway.
Internet Explorer and Safari are produced in Ireland for tax purposes.
Just when you think that you have grown beyond caring, theses guys manage to poke beneath the shield and hit the "AAAAAARRRGGGHH" button !!
I am sorry for taking this seriously, but after the Bank Bailouts, the corruption, the incompetency, the cover-ups and the sheer fuck-wittery of the past
years, they attack OPEN SOURCE BROWSERS !!
What more can one expect from politicians that:
- kowtow-ed to the EU on the Maastricht Treaty re-Vote, (It puts the lotion in the basket, and votes again and again until the answer is YES)
- sold 3 generations of their own people out, in the form of a bank bailout for *private* non-system critical banks,
- have no concept of Justice whether social, civil or criminal
- have no concept of public probity, of duty or what to be a servant of the people actually means
- assume in blind arrogance that their own short-sighted, small-town, bigoted, religion-ridden, never questioned views are "NORMALITY"
and those of everyone else, are simply illegal.
In short. Olympic level Assholes.
Winking and smiling and smirking, crapping out their "hokesy/folksy" catchphrases, with constant shit eating grins.
Concepts such as free speech, right to privacy, equal treatment before the law, due process, ... are considered amusing or just dismissed,
womens' rights (especially reproductive rights),
out of hand, by these troglodytes.
For example, the implicit assumption that *all pornography* is simply illegal!
The US and Britain have blanket surveilled every Irish citizen for generations, and this cringing *lackey*
assumes that *law enforcement* was the purpose.
Call me harsh, but I interpret the failure of elected representatives to protect .the rights of their citizens,
in the face of blatant intrusions, as more than incompetence, more than failure.
It is treachery.
Following the usual, endless cycle, whenever social unrest threatens, the Haves in Ireland, ... the opposition is simply disenfranchised.
push the Have-nots to emigrate. Since, conveniently, the non-resident cannot vote, there
was, is and will never be any pressure on the ruling elite to change any of their policies
And nothing changes.
I dream of another Ireland.
A country where an informed electorate hold their elected leaders to account, demand the
definition and enforcement of just laws which protect individual and public rights.
A truly Free Ireland.
Until then, I apologise to the world that we are represented by these fools and that
you have to listen to their blather.
(R)ule in Hell or (S)erve in Heaven [R]?
It's cheaper than actual freedom, and it makes keeping track of us easy as a cowbell.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
... and the fact that that idiotic Irish luddite can be elected as a politician says a lot about those who voted for him !!
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
What is that "Senior System Engineer/Architect" thing doing in a slashdot sig?
Furthermore, your sig says: "Notice: If you post anonymously do not expect a reply" and you just replied to an anon!
You seem to have problems following basic algorithms which is questionable for a " Senior System Engineer/Architect".
Take care nevertheless man ;-)
--
Senior master/architect of the universe
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
I'll tell you what this is all about:
http://boingboing.net/2013/10/11/w3cs-drm-for-html5-sets-the.html
Soon, all compliant browsers will have to be opaque, in order to have DRM that will protect Netflix and other streaming services. Independent browsers will disappear. Open source browsers will be a big hole in the plan to completely lock down the internet once and for all and cannot be allowed to exist. Irish politicians have learned their globalization lessons well and know on which side their bread is buttered. He may not be the most eloquent advocate, but he knows what the agenda is.
We are very close to the end of the internet as we know it. I've long said that the internet is turning into cable television. Now the transformation is almost complete.
http://mostlysignssomeportents.tumblr.com/post/72759474218/we-are-huxleying-ourselves-into-the-full-orwell
You are welcome on my lawn.
I believe you have trouble with the English language. "Do not expect" does not mean what you think it does, or at least what you just portrayed. Consider the meaning of the terminology and re-think your position.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
A rather terse teacher in Beaulieu
Had a class which was very unreaulieu;
In a fine fit of pique, he resigned, so to spique:
Dear Headmaster,
I'm leaving.
Yours treaulieu,
Beaulieu