Russia started censoring Internet

[Aver]

Russia started censoring Internet

And I was naive enough to believe that with time, number of countries censoring Internet will be decreasing, not increasing.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/03/russia-blocks-access-major-independent-news-sites

 

[Vincentdante]

Censorship is never good.

 

[sidspyker]

I'm just here to serve a reminder because it can be a sensitive topic - This discussion can continue peacefully so long as it remains about censorship and not degrade into country bashing(Country A is better than B or C, etc.)

 

[Cheylus]

I'm just here to serve a reminder because it can be a sensitive topic - This discussion can continue peacefully so long as it remains about censorship and not degrade into country bashing(Country A is better than B or C, etc.)

CENSORSHIP!!!

Joke aside, thank God for censorship.

Just a quick reminder: "We do not need a censorship of the press. We have a censorship by the press." (G.K. Chesterton)
From this perspective, governements are sometimes trying to have a fair fight with medias; there is a lot of misinformations in some countries (in mine at least and, as far as I understand, in Europe and USA). I'm glad I can use other languages to follow news from other countries and understand how complex (and absurd) the world is. One should constantly assume than a lot of "informations" one read are false and/or biaised.
We'll always live in a world of censorship, especially when everyday there's a new website or a new app to help you """"express yourself"""". Censorship will certainly increase accordingly. As far as I know I live in the only "occidental" country in the world where the ministry of Interior politely asked Twitter to censor their users without warning.

 

[gedierond]

CENSORSHIP!!!

Joke aside, thank God for censorship.

Just a quick reminder: "We do not need a censorship of the press. We have a censorship by the press." (G.K. Chesterton)
From this perspective, governements are sometimes trying to have a fair fight with medias; there is a lot of misinformations in some countries (in mine at least and, as far as I understand, in Europe and USA). I'm glad I can use other languages to follow news from other countries and understand how complex (and absurd) the world is. One should constantly assume than a lot of "informations" one read are false and/or biaised.
We'll always live in a world of censorship, especially when everyday there's a new website or a new app to help you """"express yourself"""". Censorship will certainly increase accordingly. As far as I know I live in the only "occidental" country in the world where the ministry of Interior politely asked Twitter to censor their users without warning.

Although you have a point, I really don´t think the way to fight these media companies is to limit people´s access to them. Quite the opposite: encourage the people to access as many different information sources as they can. That way they´ll have a better global understanding of the issues they care about.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Although you have a point, I really don´t think the way to fight these media companies is to limit people´s access to them. Quite the opposite: encourage the people to access as many different information sources as they can. That way they´ll have a better global understanding of the issues they care about.

Or they will have information overload, get completely confused reading incompatible accounts of events, and either stop believing anybody, or wouldn't care. I don't care about censorship much, I care about truth. If some form of censorship cuts down at least some bullshit that is being spread around under protection of free speech and freedom of expression, it will be a good thing. Too much freedom is as bad as too little. Though I definitely wouldn't want a government-regulated press. May be one day some people figure out how to find a happy medium between these two extremes.

 

[Cheylus]

Although you have a point, I really don´t think the way to fight these media companies is to limit people´s access to them

Me neither! It's only very efficient if you need quick results.

Quite the opposite: encourage the people to access as many different information sources as they can. That way they´ll have a better global understanding of the issues they care about.

"Sources" are generated every day not to tell something but to convey an interested opinion.
That's where I strongly disagree. If there was a guarantee that in this multiplicity of sources there's something true, why not. I don't care about "multiple sources", I care (a little, mind you) about facts and the complex and unreachable truth. You don't need multiple sources to learn the truth. In fact, I think the more sources you have, the farther you can be lead away from the truth and its silent, cold facts (bush telegraph).

"Medias" is indeed a supermarket where you can choose your favorite brands between two ads. Internet is exciting because this supermarket only has free products. "Information", "Facts", "Truth", "Events" (call it like you want) are not products. Nowadays with large medias such as Internet, people tend to choose their "sources" into a vast ocean of babbling. I recognize that's also my case but I also try not to be naive.

As it always has been, truth is closely linked to faith, "reason" is inextricably linked to "religion". In my opinion, there is little to no difference between someone who believe in a mighty God in the medieval era and someone who told me today a plane disappeared 6000 miles away from my home. To believe and accept that, I have to make a compromise with my natural tendancy for reason and logic (which I do, as I believe in God and I believe in newspapers, because I want an easy life like a moron).

I'm a very honest person (...believe me) but I love to taint the truth a little bit to add drama to my stories, to nourrish my prejudices or to look interesting. I'm optimistic enough to believe that's the same for everyone everytime one want to express something with gesture and words. There is not one picture you saw today that wasn't photoshopped or worked in a way or another to add drama, tension, beauty or anything.

All that to say reliable sources doesn't exist and numerous sources don't guarantee anything. You need faith (or trust). More sources = more faith needed. Multiple sources don't mean multiple angles, it means variety. In the meantime, what really happened stays unreachable.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

I'm not surprised. Russia introduced SOPA-like DNS blacklist a while ago already. It was only a matter of time until this was used for political censorship. So far VPNs and proxies aren't blocked there, so users in Russia still aren't in the same situation as in China for example, but it looks like it's heading there gradually.

What's more interesting to ask, is how actively people protest this, or many simply ignore the issue?

 

[Garrison72]

I personally can't trust any government to fairly and objectively limit the press. And let's be honest, Russia isn't trying to do that anyway. The media may be a confusing rabble, but it's better to let it run free and assume individuals know how to find the quality bits.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

@slimgrin: Russia is very much trying to do this (control the press). Since Internet undermines that effort, its censorship is an implicit expectation in Russia. It had to arrive sooner or later. China went through that exercise in the past already. There, in order to access global Internet users can't even use regular VPNs. They need something like Vyper Chameleon or the like:

http://giganews.com/vyprvpn/chameleon/

I hope these kind of protocols will become open though. This one is proprietary.

 

[Garrison72]

@slimgrin: Russia is very much trying to do this (control the press). Since Internet undermines that effort, its censorship is an implicit expectation. It had to arrive sooner or later. China went through that exercise in the past already. There, in order to access global Internet users can't even use regular VPNs. They need something like Vyper Chameleon or the like:

http://giganews.com/vyprvpn/chameleon/

My post was referencing Vivax's notion the govt. can be trusted to limit the confusion that is the media. Should have quoted him.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

My post was referencing Vivax's notion the govt. can be trusted to limit the confusion that is the media. Should have quoted him.

Ah, sure. Government to be trusted to control the press? That's laughable. It's like trusting a thief to control a treasury.

 

[Nexus-77]

And I was naive enough to believe that with time, number of countries censoring Internet will be decreasing, not increasing.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/03/russia-blocks-access-major-independent-news-sites

That's a pitty if it's happening. I'd like someone from Russia to confirm that, some witcher fan.

Anyway, censorship will never go away and actually, in this brave new world we're living in the true journalism is dying.
Censorship is more and more present, but in subtle ways. In my country it's very intriguing how some very important cases of corruption, involving very important politicians and drugs, were simply silenced by the big midia while others are over exposed even that they were no thoroughly investigated.

Of course there's nothing worst than formal institutionalized censorship, like it happens in dictatorships, but at least censorship is more easily recognizable in these cases. It's also bad when newspaper just decide to manipulate you because of some hidden (or not so hidden) political agenda. Not a good situation too.
But I still prefer when everybody pretend you're free and have access to the truth than when they don't bother to even pretend anymore (my country experienced a period like that and many families here don't have good memories of that period).

 

[Aver]

It's kinda disappointing that some people are like "I'm ok with government choosing what is true and what is not". But I guess you are free to think so.

Also, I can't tell for sure because I didn't read it, but I think that Garry Kasparov's site wasn't full of lies.

That's a pitty if it's happening. I'd like someone from Russia to confirm that, some witcher fan.

Well, Russian government openly admits it, so I guess it's true. Those sites supposedly encourage "unauthorized protests".

Also there are already sites that let show how to access blocked sites: http://shooroop.com/blog/147.html

 

[soldiergeralt]

china's been doing this forever, what's the big deal?

oh and funny thing about censorship. there's this law in germany that says the swastika cannot be displayed for reasons other than those dictated by the government. meanwhile everybody knows what it looks like already.

no one up in arms about that.

 

[Aver]

china's been doing this forever, what's the big deal?

oh and funny thing about censorship. there's this law in germany that says the swastika cannot be displayed for reasons other than those dictated by the government. meanwhile everybody knows what it looks like already.

no one up in arms about that.

I didn't post it as a big deal, but as just interesting thing. After all it's not my country and maybe Russians like censorship - it's up to them to deal with it or not.

But I must admit that I'm really surprised how people react. Whenever any country censors torrent site or porn site then there is big fuss about it around web. But when political activists blogs or independent news site are being censored people are like "Nah, it's ok". It seems that free movies and porn are more important than freedom of speech .

 

[Luxorek]

china's been doing this forever, what's the big deal?

Doesn't make it right.

no one up in arms about that.

Perhaps because...

swastika < right to express political opinions and access to government independent sources of information

 

[dragonbird]

Please be reminded that political discussions are not permitted in this forum.

 

[Aver]

Please be reminded that political discussions are not permitted in this forum.

Well, I guess you could point that out somewhere on the forums instead of having unwritten rule like that. I would not make this thread if I would know, because it's kinda given that this topic will touch politics in one way or another.

 

[dragonbird]

Well, I guess you could point that out somewhere on the forums instead of having unwritten rule like that. I would not make this thread if I would know, because it's kinda given that this topic will touch politics in one way or another.

And the thread's still open
Sorry, I should also have mentioned that one post was deleted from it. And the person who posted it was also concerned that it may have been moving into sensitive areas. We thought so too.
What sid said at the beginning of the thread still applies:

I'm just here to serve a reminder because it can be a sensitive topic - This discussion can continue peacefully so long as it remains about censorship and not degrade into country bashing(Country A is better than B or C, etc.)