Which puts us in a messy situation... just how do we keep information away from them in a culture based on the free flow of information?
The quick answer is: you don't... you can't... don't try.
The question to ask instead is this: Given that terrorists have full access to information, how do we prevent them from doing anything with it?
This is the same as computer security. Give everybody the source code so that everybody has full information and is on the same level playing field. Okay, now that we all know the full details, how to we prevent people from taking advantage of the situation? In a computer, you have security setup so that a would-be attacker is never given sufficient privelege to take down anything but their own processes.
In the real world, everybody has the same information so how do you prevent people from getting their hands on a sufficient quantity of: uranium, fertilizer, etc. Figure out all the possible attack vectors and work out the best strategy to defend against it. It's a real-life game of chess. You won't prevent all possible attacks (eg: sacrificing a bishop to take your knight) but if you're good you can play sufficiently well to not end up in a checkmate. .
China has a very checkered history of human rights abuses. While some may argue that this isn't exactly a human rights issue, it certainly is cause for concern. Every country which has attempted to control its citizens access to information has failed or is failing. Look at what's happened in the middle east. It's the same as what's about to happen in China. There will be an information revolution eventually because the Chinese people are hungry for information. The government can't hold out forever.
I don't think this will lead to an Internet version of Tiannamen Square, but as more and more people find ways around the restrictions imposed upon them, the aging government will eventually relax its restrictions. This process is inevitable anyway. The current rulers are getting old and will die. Today's youth is poised to take over, and I can just imagine what a nation of over a billion people is capable of once they taste freedom! .
I believe people who blame video games for violence should have their heads checked. Those who are violent and do stupid things do so because they are ALREADY predisposed towards violent behavior. If someone hates violence and you make them play GTA for a year straight, they're not going to suddenly enjoy being violent. More than likely, they'll quickly tire of the game or learn to play it in a way which is in accord with their beliefs. However, find a psychopath who enjoys violence and a game like GTA will only fuel their violent tendencies... in exactly the same way as seeing violence on CNN would.
However, games are an easy target. I don't see this as being any different from the religious people who blamed D&D for all of youth's problems back in the 1980's. It takes effort to find the root of a problem, and most people want an easy scapegoat that they can point to, perhaps ban, and make themselves feel better for it.
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Of course, you'll first need to disconnect it from the Uninterruptable Beer Supply.
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Which puts us in a messy situation... just how do we keep information away from them in a culture based on the free flow of information?
The quick answer is: you don't... you can't... don't try.
The question to ask instead is this: Given that terrorists have full access to information, how do we prevent them from doing anything with it?
This is the same as computer security. Give everybody the source code so that everybody has full information and is on the same level playing field. Okay, now that we all know the full details, how to we prevent people from taking advantage of the situation? In a computer, you have security setup so that a would-be attacker is never given sufficient privelege to take down anything but their own processes.
In the real world, everybody has the same information so how do you prevent people from getting their hands on a sufficient quantity of: uranium, fertilizer, etc. Figure out all the possible attack vectors and work out the best strategy to defend against it. It's a real-life game of chess. You won't prevent all possible attacks (eg: sacrificing a bishop to take your knight) but if you're good you can play sufficiently well to not end up in a checkmate.
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Government announced that the FBI is no longer issuing a warning to watch out for people with almanacs.
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In my (most definitely biased) opinion, it's the best place in the world to live.
:)
Actually, it's the third best place in the world to live.
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Even in linux you could compile a program that would wipe out a user's files.
/
#!/usr/bin/sh
#
rm -r
Chmod u+x, put into a tarball... instant trojan!
While it may not be good for web sites in general, it's great for things like videos, which are typically over 5MB in size.
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China has a very checkered history of human rights abuses. While some may argue that this isn't exactly a human rights issue, it certainly is cause for concern. Every country which has attempted to control its citizens access to information has failed or is failing. Look at what's happened in the middle east. It's the same as what's about to happen in China. There will be an information revolution eventually because the Chinese people are hungry for information. The government can't hold out forever.
I don't think this will lead to an Internet version of Tiannamen Square, but as more and more people find ways around the restrictions imposed upon them, the aging government will eventually relax its restrictions. This process is inevitable anyway. The current rulers are getting old and will die. Today's youth is poised to take over, and I can just imagine what a nation of over a billion people is capable of once they taste freedom!
.
I believe people who blame video games for violence should have their heads checked. Those who are violent and do stupid things do so because they are ALREADY predisposed towards violent behavior. If someone hates violence and you make them play GTA for a year straight, they're not going to suddenly enjoy being violent. More than likely, they'll quickly tire of the game or learn to play it in a way which is in accord with their beliefs. However, find a psychopath who enjoys violence and a game like GTA will only fuel their violent tendencies... in exactly the same way as seeing violence on CNN would.
However, games are an easy target. I don't see this as being any different from the religious people who blamed D&D for all of youth's problems back in the 1980's. It takes effort to find the root of a problem, and most people want an easy scapegoat that they can point to, perhaps ban, and make themselves feel better for it.
A splendid idea! Thanks, mate!