The Internet: Enemies Foreign and Domestic

[Heretic]

I put this in the Avalon General Discussion because it ultimately deals with our ability to network with each other. I have no problem with it being moved if that was a mistake because you mods ROCK!

If you’re like me then you rely on the internet to learn and research pertinent information concerning what we are facing in the coming years. What ever your beliefs are, the wellspring and plethora of sources for this information as well as all information has been and is now under heavy threat. Net censorship already exists in many countries and it is now trying to take hold here. But it doesn’t stop there. Some of you may already be aware of the plan to replace the current internet with a new and improved one but just in case you haven’t it goes like this:

The plans made by the large telecom businesses would change the Internet into a cable-like system, where customers sign up for specific web sites, and must pay to see each individual site beyond a certain point. Subscription browsing would be limited, extra fees would be applied to access out-of-network sites. Many sites would be blocked altogether.

The plans would in effect be economic censorship, with only the top 100 to 200 sites making the cut in the initial subscription package. Such plans would likely favor major news outlets and suppress smaller news outlets, as the major news outlets would be free (with subscription), and alternative news outlets, like AFP, would incur a fee for every visit.

Folks this is just the surface story. The internet is under severe attack. Your right to read, research, and download videos such as those found here at Camelot and Avalon are at great risk. They have seen the impact the internet has on the truth movement and information that is waking the sheep up. They want it gone and the only information they want you to see is the controlled propaganda they write themselves. The only sites left will be those they deem worthy of surviving. Conspiracy? Check the this war out for yourself.

(some articles are old yet still relevant and some currently active; not in chronological order)

Time Warner to test Internet billing based on usage
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner Cable Inc said on Wednesday it is planning a trial to bill high-speed Internet subscribers based on their amount of usage rather than a flat fee, the standard industry practice.

Time Warner trying usage-based billing in Texas
I’ll be damned, they’re actually doing it.
Time Warner will be testing out a pay-for-what-you-use program for its high speed Internet service in Beaumont, Texas. This, based on findings that about 5 percent of the network’s users account for more than half the bandwidth.

Comcast to limit customers' broadband usage
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable operator, said on Thursday it will cap customers' Internet usage starting October 1, in a bid to ensure the best service for the vast majority of its subscribers.

Does Big Media's One-Two Punch Knock Out the Internet?
Last week saw Big Media deliver a powerful one-two combination of punches that may knock out today's wide open Internet. First, in a speech delivered by Motion Picture Association of America President Dan Glickman, the nation's media conglomerates vowed to fight increasingly vocal calls from policymakers and the public for "network neutrality" -- a requirement that broadband Internet consumers be permitted to access the lawful content of their choice. That's hardly a revolutionary concept, unless you're a broadband gatekeeper like Comcast that makes its customers' choices for them by discriminating against some websites and favoring others.

Big Media Continues to Fight Against Net Neutrality
Looks like our prediction in our recent HuffPo post was spot-on. Citing piracy concerns, Big Media has made its deal with broadband ISPs like Comcast to make sure its Internet video gets priority A-1 Express Lane carriage over the Internet. In exchange, they are supporting the ISPs' fierce opposition to net neutrality rules that would bar them from pushing everyone else's video into the Bus Lane, if they even deign to deliver it at all. Variety reports

Democrats pledge fight over Net neutrality
WASHINGTON--Partisan wrangling over Net neutrality heated up on Tuesday, with Democrats pledging a fight over a broadband bill they say will mean extra fees and content restrictions on the Internet.

Canadian ISPs Plan Net Censorship
Concerns grow that Canada's plan will wipe out alt news sites and spread to U.S.
A net-neutrality activist group has uncovered plans for the demise of the free Internet by 2010 in Canada. By 2012, the group says, the trend will be global.

Canada's fight for net neutrality
Shortly after I founded the Net Neutrality advocacy site Neutrality.ca in January 2007, TheTyee, published an article saying that Canada was sleeping through the war to 'save the internet'. Writer Bryan Zandberg cited the lack of signatures on my petition (a 'paltry' 217 at the time) as evidence of Canadians' disengagement with the issue.

Death of Free Internet is Imminent
Canada Will Become Test Case
The two largest Internet Service Providers (ISP'S) in Canada. Our country is being used as a test case to drastically change the delivery of Internet service forever. The change will be so radical that it has the potential to send us back to the horse and buggy days of information sharing and access.

Congress may consider mandatory ISP snooping
It didn't take long for the idea of forcing Internet providers to retain records of their users' activities to gain traction in the U.S. Congress.

US plans to 'fight the net' revealed
A newly declassified document gives a fascinating glimpse into the US military's plans for "information operations" - from psychological operations, to attacks on hostile computer networks.
Bloggers beware.

Law Professor: Counter Terrorism Czar Told Me There Is Going To Be An i-9/11 And An i-Patriot Act
Amazing revelations have emerged concerning already existing government plans to overhaul the way the internet functions in order to apply much greater restrictions and control over the web.

Net Pioneer Wants New Internet
David Clark, who led the development of the internet in the 1970s, is working with the National Science Foundation on a plan for a whole new infrastructure to replace today's global network.

Raw obtains CENTCOM email to bloggers
An email sent by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) to bloggers about the "global war on terror" (GWOT) has been obtained by RAW STORY.
CENTCOM announced earlier this year that a team of employees would be "[engaging] bloggers who are posting inaccurate or untrue information, as well as bloggers who are posting incomplete information."

EU pushes anti-terror plans for air travel and Web
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe should strengthen the fight against terrorism by cracking down on militant Web sites and compiling U.S.-style profiles of air passengers, the European Union executive said on Tuesday.\

(EU)Anti-terror plan targets internet
Ministers from the six largest European Union countries have agreed to work together to make the internet a "more hostile" place for terrorists.

Web could be terror training camp: Chertoff
Disaffected people living in the United States may develop radical ideologies and potentially violent skills over the internet and that could present the next major U.S. security threat, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Monday.

Bloggers Who Criticize Government May Face Prison
Bill would allow rounding up and imprisoning of non-registered political writers
"Section 220 of S. 1, (Became Public Law No: 110-81) the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself."

US government wants bloggers to register
THE US GOVERNMENT is planning to force bloggers who criticise Congress and organise grassroot causes to register themselves or face jail time.

Chinese government wants real names of bloggers
China is mulling a rule change that would require all bloggers to register with the government under their own names, though they would be permitted to keep using an online pseudonym. The move is part of a crackdown against what official news agency Xinhua terms "irresponsible and untrue information," which is a "bad influence" on society.

Chinese blogs face restrictions
The Chinese government has announced plans to police web forums, chat rooms and blogs alongside other websites.

Google move 'black day' for China
Google's launch of a new, self-censored search engine in China is a "black day" for freedom of expression, a leading international media watchdog says.
Reporters Without Borders joined others in asking how Google could stand up for US users' freedoms while controlling what Chinese users can search for.

You want to blog in Iran ? REGISTER YOURSELF!
This is a new rule. If you have a website, you have to register yourself here: www.Samandehi.ir. If your weblog is not registered, it will have a Unknown label and this can lead to it's blockage.

AOL Time-Warner Attempt To Shut Down Free Speech - Censors Alex Jones
Time Warner's ISP, Road Runner, has blocked access to all of Alex Jones' flagship websites across the entire United States.

US government funds social network snooping
Citizens under scrutiny
The US government is funding research into social networking sites and how to gather and store personal data published on them, according to the New Scientist magazine.
At the same time, US lawmakers are attempting to force the social networking sites themselves to control the amount and kind of information that people, particularly children, can put on the sites. (they always use the children as an emotional excuse)

US gov demands Google search records
Fishing expedition
The US Department of Justice has taken Google to court, demanding it hand over all searches made in a one week period. It's a fishing expedition, unconnected with any ongoing criminal prosecution. The DOJ wants the information to back up its attempt to revive an anti-pornography law derailed by the Supreme Court two years ago.

US could access EU data retention information
US authorities can get access to EU citizens' data on phone calls, sms' and emails, giving a recent EU data-retention law much wider-reaching consequences than first expected, reports Swedish daily Sydsvenskan.

Europe Moves To Kill The Internet
New EU rules would prevent uploading video without a license
The latest move to kill off online freedom and the spread of information comes in the form of proposed EU legislation that would prevent users from uploading any form of video, whether that be a hard hitting political documentary film or your friends goofing around with diet coke and Mentos.

MySpace Is The Trojan Horse Of Internet Censorship
Media elite's last gasp effort to save crumbling empire
MySpace isn't cool, it isn't hip and it isn't trendy. It represents a cyber trojan horse and the media elite's last gasp effort to reclaim control of the Internet and sink it with a stranglehold of regulation, control and censorship.

Is MySpace trojan horse for destroying free speech?
MySpace is Rupert Murdoch's trojan horse for destroying free speech on the Internet. It is a foundational keystone of the first wave of the state's backlash to the damage that a free and open Internet has done to their organs of propaganda. By firstly making it cool, trendy and culturally elite for millions to flock to establishment controlled Internet backbones like MySpace, Murdoch is preparing the groundwork for the day when it will stop being voluntary and become mandatory to use government and corporate monopoly controlled Internet hubs.

Get out of MySpace, bloggers rage at Murdoch
Angry members of MySpace, the personal file-sharing website for young adults, are accusing Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation of censoring their postings and blocking their access to rival sites.

MySpace Admits Censorship Of Prison Planet.com
Moderator says anything containing URL of website is filtered out
In a telling slip-up, a MySpace moderator has admitted that it is MySpace.com policy to censor and filter out posts containing links to the Prison Planet.com website, adding that the MySpace server automatically blocks such information.

Google Censors Another 9/11 Documentary
A spate of viewings prompts shut down of classic Alex Jones film
Google Video is once again censoring one of Alex Jones' documentary films after it received a huge jump in viewings last week and briefly entered the top ten on the back of heightened warnings of an impending terror attack.

Newspapers are toast, official Rupert Murdoch warns
UNLESS the newspaper industry adapts to the technological revolution of the Internet, MP3 players, laptops and mobile phones they will be extinct according to media baron Rupert Murdoch.

Gates: Buy stamps to send e-mail
NEW YORK (AP) -- If the U.S. Postal Service delivered mail for free, our mailboxes would surely runneth over with more credit-card offers, sweepstakes entries, and supermarket fliers. That's why we get so much junk e-mail: It's essentially free to send. So Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates, among others, is now suggesting that we start buying "stamps" for e-mail.

Fees on E-mail Service Coming
The recent launch of paid e-mail box services by several major providers in China may be a big step towards changing Internet users' expectations of free online services.



Solutions?

I am afraid the only solution is for the masses to get involved and fight this tooth and nail as the internet has proven to be the last and perhaps final war zone against suppression and control. Below is a few of the more influential websites emboldened and fighting for your right to see and research what you want to on the internet. Your right to even come to Project Avalon and Camelot is in jeopardy. This list is very short and if you have a website and link to it please post it and try to get others educated of this dire threat.


Save the Internet . Com
The SavetheInternet.com Coalition is more than a million everyday people who have banded together with thousands of non-profit organizations, businesses and bloggers to protect Internet freedom.

Net Neutrality Canada
Its Your Internet
By protecting Net Neutrality, we guarantee that pro-union sites do not get blocked, that ISPs do not charge anti-competitive 'preference' fees and that independent media can compete based on content, not pocketbook, with the largest of publishers.

ACLU - The Future of Communication
The creation and dynamic growth of the Internet is in part the result of strong Net Neutrality protection. All of that changed in 2005, when the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) suddenly repealed longstanding Internet non-discrimination principles with the blessing of the United States Supreme Court. Since then, the keys to the Internet have been turned over to a handful of profit-driven telecoms and cable companies. Immediate restoration of well-established Net Neutrality principles is necessary to protect freedom and innovation on the Internet.

Get Involved

peace

[Heretic]

Open White Spaces for Everyone

Call your Representatives now!

A fight for universal Internet access is being waged in Washington over spectrum white spaces -- empty frequencies between television channels that have the potential to connect millions to the information superhighway. The powerful broadcasting lobby would rather hoard this spectrum for themselves.

[arcora]

Given that the massive influx of calls, faxes and emails against the bailout only served to sweeten it for the bankers, I think I'll stay out of this one.

When will we learn that they do not care about us or what we want?

[deb003]

It doesn't surprise me yet it always seems to disappoint me on some level.
This makes me sick. I forgot the man who said this, I'm sure many have.
The whole purpose of all of this is to take away our most precious Freedom.
They will do whatever it takes to take it away by any means.
I hope we will be able to find another way of getting information if/when this happens.
Something underground. Something called FREEternet. lol
Someone out there who's a computer/isp genius, please help us find a plan B!!
I will try my best to send letters to representatives.

[Shadowstalker]

Originally Posted by arcora

Given that the massive influx of calls, faxes and emails against the bailout only served to sweeten it for the bankers, I think I'll stay out of this one.

When will we learn that they do not care about us or what we want?

I think while we are signing petitions and pounding the sides walks and such that we should start to go back to the BBS system, it worked before and would probably work again.. Go back to being in control like we had it before the companies bought people out.

Namaste-Matte

[deb003]

Shadow,
Forgive my ignorance here, what is the BBS system?
thanks.

[Gabe Gabriel]

Yes the threat is real to all of us. They, (the government) must shut down our net freedoms as we have been kicking their butts in the information war.

People may have to start forming groups that will communicate with each other if and when the net does become so controlled that emails might not even be possible between friends. We all may have to stay in touch through phone service and the postal service when the net becomes restricted.

It may be a good idea to exchange phone numbers and postal addresses of those you wish to stay in touch with before "they" slam the door on us one day and then it will be too late.

[Shadowstalker]

Originally Posted by deb003

Shadow,
Forgive my ignorance here, what is the BBS system?
thanks.

It was pure and simple back in my day, it was like the net we have now only people actually used there own computer as there own personal net system, and they had there own sites that you could go on and all that and you didnt need to pay anything.

All was basically hooked up to the phone systems. And all you had to do was dial in to that number and you where in, you know like playing a PC to PC game like we have now.

For example, you and I have our own puters and we only wanted to chat or play a game with each other with out any interference, all we would have to do is dial up to our puters and there you have it, complete privacy to our selves.

Hell with all the intelligent folks we have here, we can make our own underground net system and be done with paying to big corps.

Maybe someone else could explain it better then I but that is the gist of it..

Namaste-Matte

[deb003]

Thank you Shadow. I got it!

[Shadowstalker]

Originally Posted by deb003

Thank you Shadow. I got it!

your

[deb003]

Here's another one:
http://www.infowars.com/?p=5601&cp=all#comments

[Waterman]

I'm glad you posted this, because today I was notified by one of our people that our corp paperwork is now being blocked by Yahoo. They said that Yahoo is not allowing him to send info to Yahoo based accounts because they are filtering them. He briefed me that we had contacted Yahoo, and they said and I quote "Yes we know".

Yahoo has no plans on changing the filters. The emails are not going into the spam folder but rather they are not even delivered. Then on GCN today I heard that they have begun filtering content on the net.

The problem is that it is now affecting normal business operations like ours and if it keeps up is going to affect lots of jobs. I wonder if that's their plans. This is a problem and a problem we can do something about if we act now.

Here is what I was thinking about doing when I saw this thread. I was perusing the forum about email services but there isn't one. If someone is savvy enough to do it could you start a thread about email services. I see that there is GMX, Inbox, etc... and think it is time we abandon these major controllers of email services. If we don't we are going to slowly loose our ability to communicate with each other via emails.

In the meantime here is a site that you might want to check out. It is 2600 and although it says hacker, their main emphasis is freedom of the internet. Link: http://www.2600.com/

They have some good podcasts with some shows better than others. Then the most important part of 2600 is that they conduct free monthly meetings all across the states, UK, and Australia. You can find a list of their meeting places and times at this link; http://www.2600.com/meetings/

These guys know "stuff", and their meetings are held in public venues usually at a pub, restaraunt, etc... I highly recommend you attend, because these folks have already told me if the net goes down they will still be up. Hmmm? I don't know how but I've seen some of the stuff they do and I believe them. So get hooked in.

Then remember to get yourself familiar with amateur radios. They can send and receive messages without any middle man, like a telephone, cable, cell towers, and most work on 12 volts so in an emergency you can use your car battery.

Also, there is an underground "ultranet" technology that is somewhat classified by certain group of common folks (state side) that is now in operation. You will regularly hear it referred to on Liberty Tree Radio which broadcasts at 5pm and 8pm eastern on a Live 365 show, and here is that link; http://www.live365.com/stations/edtheak47

On this same Radio broadcast is "The Off Grid Girls" which changed their names to Cordite Country and this lady does an awesome job of teaching how to store, cook, and prepare foods for survival everyday after the other broadcasts.

I know not all of this is on topic but the broadcasts are constantly talking about how to keep on the net when it goes down.

Enjoy.

[Heretic]

Damn

here is a new one from yesterday

Australia To Enforce Mandatory Chinese-Style Internet Censorship
The Australian government is set to impose Chinese-style Internet censorship by enforcing a universal national filter that will block websites deemed “controversial,” as part of a wider agenda to regulate the Internet according to free speech advocates.

[dataeast]

Originally Posted by Heretic

Damn

here is a new one from yesterday

Australia To Enforce Mandatory Chinese-Style Internet Censorship
The Australian government is set to impose Chinese-style Internet censorship by enforcing a universal national filter that will block websites deemed “controversial,” as part of a wider agenda to regulate the Internet according to free speech advocates.

Damn, now that link is gone...

Formidable thread, Heretic.

[Heretic]

Originally Posted by dataeast

Damn, now that link is gone...

Formidable thread, Heretic.

Infowars is having a bit of trouble this morning

took me like 10 minutes just to get the page to load to make that post

give it some time and I will check on it in a few min too

[dataeast]

It's up now... Thank you. I had a panic there, maybe we instigated a DoS there for a moment, infowars should be pleased...

EDIT:

Geez, this is baaad.

[deb003]

This is ridiculous.
I work at a very large Insurance Company.
We are allowed here to check our personal mail and sites on break times, lunch, etc. That's what the company told us way back.
About 1 month ago, they told us that too much browsing of audio/video clips were hurting the bandwidth and they would block video/audio clips for the time being until the problem was resolved.
Well, now most videos/audio files (online radio, youtube, mp3 files) are blocked and it doesn't look like they're coming back.
Now, I eventry to go to plain websites like drudgereport.com and the link that has just been sent 2600.com and they are also blocked.
talk about Big brother watching. I'm so sick of this.
Thank god I pay for internet at home and I have the freedom to see anything i WANT!!
I guess they are starting to block "controversial" site.
They even blocked FPL.com!!!

[Heretic]

soon we may have to not only work on setting up a ground crew infrastructure

but an electronic network of our own so we can communicate (inexpensively)

worst case scenario is we wont be able to access our conspiracy sites etc

but we dont need the internet to communicate at all like Shadowstalker said

yet we wont have to resort to the dial-up BBS, we have plenty of options like IRC etc

I have known alot of Pirates and have learned that no matter how slick the mousetrap is, there is always a smarter mouse.

They cannot stop this, yet it WILL keep the the exposure to a minimum

I have lived long without the Web and I can do it again, but man...still

Its like burning down the Library of Alexandria

[dataeast]

It's become a standard practice for some businesses to view their employee's emails in Australia.

One thing they'll have problems in blocking will be peer to peer applications because the underlying "network" augments itself accordingly and unless there is a "virtual NWO" there is no real way to stop such a "network," they can only fragment it to some degree. The "network" will always be leaky because not all countries will coordinate together because of political/etc differences which is a blessing in disguise if you are aware of how that affects the sources of data.

Also, not all ISP's (in Australia anyway) are anti-p2p so people still may opt for a p2p friendly ISP. There has already been a war against p2p, but it is not illegal or a dirty word. You can always ask whether your service is against or even cares about what you download/upload, and it's always the responsibility of the user to be informed about how to block certain malicious IP's.

[dayzero]

that is worrying....but.....

3 words;

horse
gate
bolted

[Dantheman62]

I've only had my computer for a year so I could do without, I actually prefer talking person to person on the phone!, feeling and hearing emotions is much better than staring at a screen. Computers have emotionally dumbed the world, I mean the only way to show emotion on a computer is to use those stupid smiley faces. We need to go back to using libraries for info and such. Or maybe I'm just being oldfashioned I don't know, but we got along just fine without computers before! Oh, and censorship should only be done on adult xxx sites, we need censorship there.

[Connecting with Sauce]

There is a superb 15 chapter e-book by googling free energy info... chapter 1 page 9 gave info of a chinese device which just passed 6 month durability testing in April 2008. Said the device was hoping to be available december 2008! 3-4 weeks ago google searching the guys name came up with the company now I can't find it!!!

http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/

Are we already being filtered?

[Heretic]

Good news for Australia Today


Support fades for Australian net censorship plan
Opposition parties and ISPs warn that “daft” plan will hurt Australia’s economy

The Australian government’s plans to censor all web content at the borders of the country look in danger of coming unstuck.

The Australian Labour government has pledged to filter all internet content coming into the country in order to stop illegal material entering the country. But a coalition of internet service providers (ISPs) and opposition politicians looks set to sink the plans.

"I think it's really quite misguided," Senator Ludlam of the Green Party told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Calling the plan “daft”, the Green Party has indicated it will stop the proposals going ahead by withdrawing support for the measure.
ISPs are also up in arms about the proposals, which they say will slow down Australia’s already slow internet speeds to a crawl.

Businesses too are protesting that the move will hamper their efforts to build an effective online marketplace for Australia’s goods.

"I will accept some debate around what should and should not be on the internet," said Labour Party Communications minister Senator Conroy.

"I am not looking to blanket-ban some of the material that it is being claimed I want to blanket-ban, but some material online, such as child pornography, is illegal."

[Topper]

Heretic, already signed the petition for Australia, what do we do to keep the net here in America, free?

Peace and harmony...Topper

[dataeast]

Originally Posted by Heretic

Good news for Australia Today


Support fades for Australian net censorship plan
Opposition parties and ISPs warn that “daft” plan will hurt Australia’s economy

...

I love the greens. I'm glad it was put in perspective.

Any petitions to overseas opposition to these ludicrous proposals?

Happy to sign.